The offer by e-mail has passed, and the managerial position for which you applied is finally yours. All the hard work you put in to achieve this goal will pay off with experience and management skills.
As the day approaches for a new position, you begin to worry about whether you are ready to take on this level of responsibility, and there is a fear not to live up to expectations.
Do not worry, you are not alone. According to the study, the average age of a novice manager is 30 years old, while the age of people who have been trained in leadership exceeds 40 years. This means that it takes a decade for people to hone their leadership skills.
Leadership is becoming more complex, given the growing expectations of employees. People do not want to be given a list of tasks and told what to do. They want to feel able to make decisions and contribute. This means that you, as a leader, need to inspire and motivate productivity, rather than lead and control.
Here are five ways to turn you from a manager into a leader.
1. Be an example to follow
A leader should be an example to everyone. Do not be afraid to perform small tasks or what others may not want to do. The fact that you are now a leader does not mean that you cannot make your own coffee or make copies of a presentation.
Show your team that you can perform these actions yourself when necessary.
2. Learn to listen to others
Instead of being the person with the loudest voice in the office, be the one with the biggest ears. The more you listen to others, the more you will learn and, in turn, will be able to help the team improve performance.
A leader treats decisions as a democracy, not a dictatorship. With your leadership role, organize a weekly meeting dedicated to collaborating and bringing new ideas together. Some team members may be less likely to share ideas locally.
In those companies where the boss listens to the opinion of the team, employees will feel they are heard and valuable.
3. Do not forget your promises and meet deadlines.
If your team does not respect you, it will be very difficult to manage the company. Respect is an action. To get it, you need to speak and behave with respect and show the same attitude towards subordinates.
One of the best ways to achieve respect is to fulfill your obligations and stay true to promises. A person who throws words to the wind is unlikely to be able to gain a positive reputation in the team.
4. If you want to advance in a career - leave the comfort zone
Be prepared to do what others do not.
Discomfort is where growth occurs. Society encourages young people to back down and comply with social norms. As a leader, you must jump into the unknown and take a chance, even if you are scared.
As a friend of mine said, throughout his life he dreamed of jumping with a parachute, but he was overcome by a sense of fear and anxiety. But when he nevertheless made up his mind and jumped, he realized that this was one of the best moments of his life.
Jump over your fears because if you do, you will realize that it was really worth it.
5. Strive for emotional calm
Leaders are people whom subordinates turn to during panic, stress, or disagreement. The way you emotionally react to these events will stimulate the reaction of the team.The manager is likely to get furious or spread panic among the team. The leader will remain calm and deal with the situation in terms of logic and reasoning. This means that everything depends on your emotional state.
Practice personal care, practice meditation in everyday life, and make it a habit to exercise. I also think that keeping a journal is one of the greatest ways to achieve emotional balance. It opens the door to self-reflection and creates a greater sense of awareness within yourself and the people around you. When you take care of yourself, you can take better care of your team.
As you take on this new role, start practicing these skills and believe that with patience and dedication you will become a great leader. Most likely, this will not happen overnight, so make sure that your dedication manifests itself and arouses trust in your team.