I am Leader. Now What?

You’ve been promoted to a supervisory position. Or you’ve been

asked to head up a temporary task force. Or your team asks you to
lead them on a new project. What now?

Sometime during your work career, you’re likely to be asked to step

up and take a leadership position. As a leader, you’ll want a team
that’s motivated, committed, engaged, and ready to give their best.
Here are some suggestions to help you successfully make that
transition to being an effective leader:

1. Assess the leadership situation by looking at these three variables: (a) Assess the individual
capabilities of your group members. How competent and capable is each member? What does each
bring to the team/group? (b) Assess the willingness and motivation of your group members. How
motivated are the members toward the group’s goals? (c) Determine how much power you have to
reward or punish group members. All things being equal, it helps to have influence over factors such
as hiring, firing, discipline, and salary increases. Assessing these three variables will give you
important insights into what type of leadership style will be most effective in your new situation.

2. Build trust. Trust is so critically important. People tend to not follow those they don’t trust. Start
earning your team members’ trust by telling them the truth and keeping your promises. This is an
important attribute that people under you can trust you.

3. Be consistent. Set clear priorities and follow them consistently and daily. If employees see you
changing direction or behaving randomly, they’ll lose confidence in your ability to lead them.

4. Engage your team members. Leaders are successful when they have the buy-in and commitment of
their people. Be deliberate in establishing relationships. Expecting your team members to be open to
your leading them simply because of your credentials or experience isn’t realistic. Talk with them
about your vision, goals, and tasks. Let them know you have the organization’s interests and their
interests in mind.

5. Don’t distance yourself from those you’re leading. Being arrogant or distant can disengage your
team members. They need to know you are there for them and want to see them succeed

6. Be adaptable. Leading others isn’t a one-size-fits-all scenario. Adapt your leadership approach to
what the situation calls for. Sometimes you have to be more direct; sometimes more personable. This
is a skill that you’ll continue to develop as you’re faced with leading different individuals in different
situations.