How to Transition from Doing to Leading

When I started leading a high-powered recruiting team, I had the traits of the TYRANT leaders I now call out. Here's why: Despite my degrees, certificates, and ongoing professional development, nothing prepared me to transition into leading. I still had an individual contributor (IC) mindset, which unintentionally led me to compete with my very capable team. At the time, I engaged in behaviors like: Taking over projects instead of developing my team. Working long hours, thinking it showed commitment. Making unilateral decisions vs collaborating. Giving orders instead of providing clarity and context. Hoarding information instead of communicating transparently. Prioritizing my metrics over team goals. A month in, my boss at the time sat down with me and told me to own my transition and to stop taking over work when someone asked for help. (she's one of the best Leader's I've ever had) To transform my mindset, I sought out a few internal sponsors and observed how they managed their teams. I also asked my team for feedback on where I could do better. Once I made the changes: mindset and action, I began demonstrating new leadership behaviors: Coaching my team and developing their problem-solving skills. ↳Created an authorization matrix to empower them to make decisions. Promoting work-life balance through prioritization and delegation. ↳I stopped working on vacation to set a better example. Making collaborative decisions to increase buy-in. ↳They worked on the reqs, so I asked for their ideas and where I could implement them. Painting a vision and equipping the team to get there themselves. ↳I translated the organization's vision down to how it affected our team goals. Openly communicating to build trust and transparency. ↳I promoted democratic decision-making and explained when it needed to be autocratic. Aligning on and championing team goals over my individual metrics. ↳I held weekly reviews where I celebrated their success because it was OUR success. Here's what I want you to take from this: 1. Develop your team's skills rather than trying to be the expert. 2. Delegate decisions to increase buy-in and leverage diverse perspectives. 3. Openly share information rather than hoarding knowledge and insight. 4. Recognize and elevate your team's contributions rather than taking individual credit. #aLITTLEadvice #leadership

Moving into a management role is a major change... Here's a first-hand account of my recent experience and what I have been learning ~~~~~~~~ I recently moved into the role of Acting Engineering Project Manager. This is my first time in a formal management role, and I have been learning every day. The scope of my new role spans the execution of all aspects of the project, including: ▪︎software ▪︎hardware ▪︎human factors ▪︎safety ▪︎cybersecurity ▪︎digital transformation This broad scope keeps every day dynamic, challenging, and interesting... and with the expanded scope also comes new growth areas. ~~~~~~~~ Two months into the role, here are my three major learning curves: 1. Change from executing tasks to enabling the team 🎯 The biggest change has definitely been moving from executing my own tasks to planning them for others. My focus is now on enabling team members to hit their milestones. Sometimes I have to resist my urge to jump in myself; a conductor is not the one playing all the instruments. Their focus is on conducting the orchestra. 2. Handling increased complexity 📊 As a manager, the daily complexity is much higher. Often, it feels like balancing many spinning plates. Prioritization takes on a different meaning when *everything* is important. Timeblocking my calendar and sending myself emails of To-Dos has been very helpful. There is no easy solution to these situations, and I am treating each one as a learning opportunity. 3. Achieving team flow 🔗 Communication is key to keeping the team informed and aligned towards the same goals. Meaningful meetings are important for this synergy. I have been doubling down on my meeting skills. These include sending out clear agendas, taking thorough notes, and tracking action items to closure. With a wider field-of-view, it is easy for me to overload a team member with information. So I have been working on pacing information and sharing with intent. Team flow requires clarity. Clarity comes from delivering relevant information in a concise manner. ~~~~~~~~ Two months down ✅️ What is something you remember from transitioning between different types of roles? #engineering #projectmanagement #fieldnotes

A promotion has a dark side. When you're promoted, you usually receive better compensation and an increased sense of power to accomplish tasks. But very few speak openly about the need to prove ourselves in the new role. About the almost impossible expectations of you to make a difference. About how lonely it is. And about how we have lost some of the control we had in our previous role. The reality is that we're now even further away from those who do the job. The real-time data stream is slower. All this creates stress, feeling overwhelmed, and constant struggle. Sadly, we can't rely solely on our technical expertise anymore; we have to trust more and more people to do the right thing. Trust = giving away control. And that is hard. In his book, Dadi Perlmutter says, "Leaders need a different mindset - mastering the art of asking questions, rather than giving answers." In one of my coaching sessions with a newly appointed VP, we explored one aspect of the transition. "What do you need from others to reduce your need to control?" The answers vary from one leader to another, but they all have one thing in common - I need to feel safe. I don't want to fail. So here are three quick tips to make the transition up the corporate ladder easier: 1. Assuming you'll work the same hours as before (yes, I know what you're going to say), ask yourself: "What do I need to do more, and what do I need to stop doing?" 2. Create a support group for at least the first six months: mentors, friends, a coach, peers, your boss, etc. Don't try to figure this out on your own. 3. Set a habit of renewal, like sport, Yoga, meditation, and DYI projects in your garage. Whatever helps you think clearly while you're creative and active. Many of your problems will be solved there. You'll feel more energetic and capable of addressing the big challenges ahead. How did you overcome the challenges of a new promotion? *** If you're struggling in your new role and need help, don't try to figure it out alone. Contact me.

“I'm not sure I have it in me anymore.” This statement stopped me cold.   He had founded and led  a wildly successful business  for almost twenty years and had enjoyed the ride He typically had boundless energy, enthusiasm and embraced change. He was a great problem solver and loved challenges He was wonderfully customer-focused, beloved by clients, partners and staff and he loved all these people in return He was respected and well known in both of the industries his org played in I mentally considered possible reasons, while waiting for him to continue. What was going on for him? I wondered “It’s a lot lately, and it’s all on me.” He continued, “There is so much going on that I need to move forward and we’ve pivoting in about eight directions at once.” “Wow, that sounds hard” “What about the team?” I asked. That’s exactly the problem  He answered. Okay - now he had identified our focus We coached around this issue And ultimately uncovered that  he had become a bottleneck. Given how all of these projects  Overlapped and impacted one another Everything needed to dovetail. And he was nervous about handing the reins Over to his very capable team members.  He agreed this was something to aspire to And dug in right away. I’m happy to say that in this case there was a happy ending However, moving from a founder who's hands-on in every aspect of the business to an empowering leader can be a challenging transition. It requires a mindset shift from doing to enabling, from leading in the trenches to guiding from the sidelines. How can you make this transition smoothly and effectively, ensuring your organization not only grows but thrives? Here are a few of the tips we suggest  in our article, Empowered Teams Make Growth Easier:   Delegate strategically: Identify areas of your business you can delegate to trusted team members. What are the strengths of your team, and how can they be aligned with the needs of your business? Encourage independence: Foster a culture where team members feel confident making decisions. How can you support your team in becoming more autonomous? Share your journey: Openly discuss your own transition challenges and successes.  How can your experiences help others in your organization navigate their growth paths? Questions for Reflection: What aspects of your role are you holding onto that could be effectively managed by someone else? How can you more actively encourage and support independence within your team? How empowered do your direct reports feel? We’d love to hear  - what’s your journey or experience been with empowerment?