Leading former peers
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One of the toughest challenges you might face as a manager is taking over as the leader of a team that you were already a part of. In reality, if that appointment is made, your previous colleagues will very likely have seen it coming (it’s less often, although still possible, for the decision to come completely out of the blue). But even if they are not surprised, it can still leave you in the very unconformable position of now having to manage people who know you very well, who may well have shared some of their issues with you – and who are probably painfully aware of all of your weaknesses…
Awkward!
That said; you still want to get the best out of the talent you are now responsible for. So here are some ideas to help you get off on the right foot:
- Acknowledge the awkward
It’s probably easier to do this one-to-one as you can tailor the message to the person you are speaking to. Your objective is to avoid leaving an unmentioned ‘elephant in the room’ – everyone knows it is there, but no one talks about it. Don’t shy from this issue – address them and put them behind you. Most people in the team are going to be okay with that, and you’ll find that many of the people will have been in this situation before and will take it in their stride. And bear in mind, you were chosen for a reason – it’s likely that you already have a good amount of credibility and positive reputation with them. - Show them that you are there for them, but also that you are the manager.
When you meet your new direct reports (individually), make sure that you acknowledge that this has been great for your career and that, if they want, you are willing, happy and wanting to assist them with their own career development. This is particularly important if you’re in the doubly-awkward situation of managing somebody else who was interviewed but didn’t get the role. Take time to ask them about what they are trying to achieve through their objectives, where they are focused developmentally and what career conversations they’ve been having. - Avoid blustering and being bullish
Whilst it’s important to set out in an early team meeting what your vision, aims and priorities are, don’t forget that as they still see you as “one of them” you have a unique opportunity for engagement. So prioritise listening at the outset – invite them to influence you with their views, and make room for questions and comments. This will gain their support and help to create an inclusive vision that everyone can rally behind.
That said; do bear in mind that you will need to assert yourself sometimes. When the team disagree on the way forward, it’s the manager’s job to decide on direction and get everyone on the bus. - Ask people to champion areas they know really well
Enlist team members to focus on the things that you know they do really well and are passionate about. Allocate people to their appropriate areas making sure that you understand their strengths and get them focused on what they love doing. - Change the things everyone hated
You probably know exactly what they disliked about the previous managers and how to avoid some of those pitfalls. So remember that information. Take the opportunity to show that you are a clean break from what was in place previously, and grow and develop the team from a new start.
Stepping up to lead your current team is not easy. Take time to listen to people, and understand what they are thinking and feeling. Help them realise that that this is going to be a change for everybody. Listen carefully and bring them on board by making changes that everybody is going to sign up to.