Transitioning from colleague to leader is a common rite of passage, but it often presents new managers with a steep learning curve and an unfamiliar set of challenges that lead to imposter syndrome. The new leader asks: Does my team trust me and my ability to lead them? Do they respect me? Will they listen to me or just ignore me? Will they think I’m full of myself if I ask them to take me seriously as their leader? Can we still be friends?
New leaders are often told to fake it until they make it. This is easier said than done, especially when the team you’re managing consists of people who were formerly your colleagues. They know you. Some were rivals, some were friends, all of them will struggle to see you as their leader. So what are some best practices for new managers as they transition from colleague to leader?
In this session, we’ll discuss several techniques that ask you to look inward to face your own insecurities and capability gaps, to engage in a dialog with your team at both a group and individual level, and to shift some of your behaviors in a way that quickly earn you credibility with your team.
New leaders are often told to fake it until they make it. This is easier said than done, especially when the team you’re managing consists of people who were formerly your colleagues. They know you. Some were rivals, some were friends, all of them will struggle to see you as their leader. So what are some best practices for new managers as they transition from colleague to leader?
In this session, we’ll discuss several techniques that ask you to look inward to face your own insecurities and capability gaps, to engage in a dialog with your team at both a group and individual level, and to shift some of your behaviors in a way that quickly earn you credibility with your team.
Why you should Attend
First line management roles are commonly filled through internal promotions - and this is a great thing - but when we do not provide new managers with the right support, they struggle to make the transition, and some fail altogether. Even when they eventually work their way through the transition, their lessons learned can leave behind a great deal of collateral damage with the team they were managing. When HR professionals provide the right support and guidance, new managers can assimilate into the role more quickly, become productive sooner, reach higher levels of team performance, and avoid the various pitfalls.Areas Covered in the Session
Specific techniques to be covered:- Leader onboarding
- Establish your leadership style
- Create your 90-Day Action Plan
- Reset expectations
- Conduct an assimilation meeting
- More listening: Less telling
- Get quick wins for your team
- Invest in your leadership development
Speaker
Dr. Gus Prestera teaches change leadership at American University to HR management and analytics, project management, and healthcare management graduate students.
He has been supporting business leaders and HR leaders in their talent-related change initiatives for over 20 years. Gus has worked with mid- and large-sized businesses across different industries to analyze business needs, define solutions, build business cases, create change strategies, design communication plans, and support the ongoing work of promoting change adoption across these organizations.
Who Should Attend
- HR professionals who support new leader assimilation
