No Bullsh!t Leadership

Play your leadership position the right way

Instructions

Identify your primary objectives as a new leader.
For example, if you’re promoted from factory supervisor to manager, your new primary objectives are maintaining factory capacity and product quality. Focus on these high-level activities, not lower-level tasks such as machine safety.
Identify how your new role is broader than your last one.
Ask yourself: How does this promotion affect my scope of responsibilities? What things am I accountable for now that I wasn’t accountable for before? What aspects of the company do I need to learn that I wasn’t expected to before? Do I need to learn about procurement, human resources, financial controls, etc.?
Identify your team’s capabilities as well as your own.
Assess the competence of your team based on the outcomes you’re expected to deliver. If your team doesn’t have the right people to deliver these outcomes, think about recruiting capable people. Then assess your own capability to identify potential knowledge gaps. Reflect on how much learning you need to do to guide this team competently without doing their work for them.
Identify the expectations of your new boss.
Have a conversation with your new boss to find out exactly what they expect from you in your new role instead of making assumptions. You can use your job description or the list of annual KPIs (key performance indicators) as a guide, but a conversation is the best way to understand and calibrate your job expectations.
Identify new relationships that are important for your success.
Find out which groups are crucial for delivering high-value outcomes in your new role. Start cultivating relationships with fellow executives instead of only hanging out with your old colleagues. Develop external relationships with customers, suppliers, and government regulators.
Establish symbols of transition to change people’s perception of you.
Communicate to key stakeholders about your new role so that they understand what you do and don’t do anymore. For example, you can tell a colleague: “John, as you know, I have a new role. Here are the activities I’ll be focusing on. I’ll no longer be doing these other activities. I’d appreciate your support to make this transition smooth and quick.”