Bit of a sometimes unspoken one, this…
I think one of the hardest transitions for those emerging into new senior leadership roles – while remaining at the same organisation - is leading people who used to be your peers. I’ve been in this position lots of times. Also, some of my coaching clients are dealing with this right now so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this.
It changes the dynamic overnight. You’re suddenly responsible for setting expectations, addressing performance, making decisions they may not agree with, and holding boundaries that didn’t exist before.
Most new senior leaders try to “soften” the shift because they worry about being seen as bossy, distant or overly formal.
For me, the main thing to remember is your new team needs clarity more than they need comfort or coddling or the ‘old you’. They need clarity about your role, theirs and how you’ll lead.
There’s no need for you to be a different person but you do need to be clear that you’re doing a different role.
You need to define your edges more clearly, understand that you have different responsibilities now and that means they should expect something different from you. You’re their leader now, not their peer. You need them to follow you, whereas before you followed someone else with them. That’s a big shift and it’s not easy. With this stuff, it’s better out than in, though, even if you need to acknowledge weirdness and awkwardness for a few weeks to help you and your team manage the transition.
If you’re finding this shift hard, it’s not because your struggling – it’s because you’re trying to lead!