Often, the vision of what it means to be in charge and the reality of it are often very different. The skewed vision is probably ingrained from childhood where, as children, we couldn’t wait to grow up and no longer be told what to do. This ideal is further perpetuated when we are entry-level employees looking up the hierarchy just knowing there will be a day where we’re in charge and won’t have to account for ourselves or answer to anyone. We don’t just know it; we can’t wait for it!
And, then, we grow enough to finally have the years and experience it takes to land a position of authority and be in charge of others. It is then that we have choices to make regarding how we interact with, or manage, others because it is also here that we find effective management is not a one-size-fits-all, “Because I said so” proposition.
When asked, “What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?”, Lisa Carnoy had plenty to write about that I find applicable to all leaders no matter how long they’ve held leadership positions and no matter how many people they’ve managed:
Listen. As important as what you say is what your employees are saying. Make sure you take time to listen to them. What topics are on their minds? What matters to your employees? What are they wanting to achieve, and what are their roadblocks? What concerns your staff, and is there anything you can do to address those concerns?
Be clear and simple. Your staff has already bought into the organization’s mission; now they want to know how to support and move it forward. Make goals that are both easy to understand and within reach. Add goals as others are achieved instead of overwhelming everyone involved, including yourself, with too many simultaneous targets. Look at goals as a step-by-step process to allow time for evaluation, adjustment and attention to detail along the way.
Lead your team. As you are the one at the helm, it is your responsibility to provide vision and direction. Therefore, it is imperative to keep your employees informed of priorities and goals. A periodic reminder of organization priorities is a great check and balance for everyone to make sure their efforts are aimed the right direction. It is your responsibility to communicate potential problems you anticipate reaching goals which is when you can also offer and facilitate suggestions to work through them. As always with all information, speak to your staff with confidence as well as a tone of teamwork.
Be Generous With Reward and Responsibility. No one wants to put forth a great deal of effort only for it to seem like it made no difference. Give feedback. Be generous with deserved praise. Say “thank you” for a great outcome or for extra effort. Be public with your recognition. Of course, not every effort or outcome is ideal. Those are the times when you step up and work with the team to analyze what went wrong then inspire working together to get back on course. There should be a focus on solutions and not on blame. Always keep in mind that because you are the one in charge of the big picture, the responsibility is on you. Therefore, it is in everyone’s best interest that your staff is always inspired to want to support each other and the objectives because that ultimately supports and reflects upon you.
Be open. Just because you are in charge doesn’t mean one of your staff members doesn’t have constructive input. Be the leader who wants to hear suggestions from your employees. Be open to questions and challenges. Create an environment where such discussion is safe not only with you but among each other. Create and allow opportunities to brainstorm and work through never-before considered suggestions for improvement. Model support for suggestions even when you don’t immediately understand them.
At first glance, this list of reminders may seem very basic. Perhaps, it seems too basic. And, you’re right; it’s not all that complicated. But, it doesn’t have to be because, the fact is, it’s all too often that what is considered basic goes to the wayside. As leaders, we get caught up in topics that seem bigger or more important. But, what is more important as a leader than developing and retaining a group of people invested in the very goals for which you are ultimately responsible? Building that kind of network within your organization to support the vision is imperative for your organization’s sustainability. It is more than worthwhile to periodically evaluate if these kinds of basics exist within your workplace. If not, this list provides a wonderful to-do list to ensure you are doing everything you can to support those you need the most. Your staff will most definitely appreciate you for it!
Carnoy, Lisa. “What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?” Fortune.com. Time Inc. 2016. Web. (10 March 2016)
Nancy Stoker is a Senior Client Services Representative and Research Associate with ExecSearches.com. ExecSearches provides various recruitment and executive search services for nonprofits including its nonprofit job board.
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