You have been working at your present job and find that your hard work and dedication has been rewarded to a management position. Do you know what to do? Do you feel like a leader? In addition to using the knowledge, skills and abilities that led to the promotion but you need to act like a leader. Going from a follower to a leader involves adapting to changes that have you stepping outside of your current realm to a higher level of thinking and behaving. If you cannot separate yourself from the worker that you were to the leader you are now, you will have more difficulty adapting to your new role as will your new charges – your employees. If you are not believing in yourself, how will they?
In order to be successful, you will need to assess what led you to get that promotion – your leader behaviors and skills. This step will help you to recognize your worth and help increase your confidence and esteem, two qualities of effective leaders. It would also be helpful to look at other leaders traits to see how you stack up. These include:
- Good communication skills
- Effective Decision making and conflict resolution skills
- Recognizing your power and negotiation skills
- Empowering and relatedness with your employees
One of the effective traits that made Benjamin Franklin an effective leader was his people-skills – making people feel they were valued and that their ideas and opinions mattered. When employees feel they are recognized and valued by their leaders, they are more job-satisfied, more engaged and more productive. If you are a new leader, own the role and all that goes with it. It will go a long way toward your continued success.
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