You’ve just been promoted to Project Leader and now you are managing a group of people. Your previous colleagues report to you and the dynamics have just changed. They treat you differently, they want different things from you, so how do you respond?
Patrick McKenna and David Maister’s book “First Among Equals” is an excellent management text on managing a group of professionals and is recommended reading for new leaders.
Being a leader involves a different mindset in terms of what you do and how you do it. You need to be energetic and optimistic and create shared communication within your team. Your job as group manager is to help your people succeed and to assist with the overall performance of the team, not just your individual performance.
This transition can be very difficult, and the key is to appreciate the importance of both skill and attitude. Leaders need to be able to influence other people without dominating them, and this is a skill that can be taught. Leaders also need to be willing to focus on the success of other people. This change in attitude can be confronting for many. It’s no longer all about you. It’s about us and them.
The role of the leader is to create energy and excitement in the team and a large portion of your activity should be aligned to raising enthusiasm and excitement and hence performance.
To be successful as a leader focus on what excites each of your team members and not only on what excites you.
So, what drives the people around you?
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