4 Traps to Avoid as You Transition into a Leadership Role

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Every week, I carefully curate inspiring articles and share my thoughts, accompanied by motivational quotes. I hope you enjoy this next edition of my Monday Motivation, and I eagerly anticipate hearing your feedback and suggestions for future topics.

This week, I would like to build on the recent theme of leadership, this time, with a focus on traps to avoid when beginning a new leadership role. We should keep in mind that some of the most important leadership roles are not those which hold a specific office or role. Therefore, keeping these four traps in mind could be very helpful to those who find themselves, suddenly or through a gradual progression, in a leadership role.? That said, what you do before you start a leadership role is critical to your success in the first 90 days and beyond. It’s tempting rely on what you know and what’s served you well before, but keep in mind, very often “what got you here won’t get you there”. Instead, be intentional about how you leave, replenish your energy and relationships, and learn about what it takes to succeed in your new role.

Today’s article, 4 Traps to Avoid as You Transition into a Leadership Role, focuses on exactly this area.? The author found that it is common for people, in their desire to impress stakeholders, to rush to some decisions (likely hoping for the fabled “quick win”) and not spent enough time learning how the organization worked. In addition, many times we let the old guard block new initiatives that challenged their interests and left underperformance in some areas unaddressed in an effort to not rock the boat you have only recently been asked to board.

The Lingering Trap.

All too often it is the case, people agree on leaving their current role and begin on the plan to handover responsibilities to the team. They spend the time reflecting on their success and the good old days. Coworkers grab the opportunity to ask for advice, which is gladly accepted due to a sense of duty and need to feel wanted. For the same reasons, they find it hard to drag themselves away from critical projects and decisions they’ve been leading; they’ve invested a lot of brainpower and effort, and potentially don’t feel the team is quite ready to step up yet. The result:? Rather than tapering off, they find themselves still immersed in the business they’ll soon be leaving. So, what steps can be taken to avoid this trap:

• Agree on your responsibilities with your boss, including how you’ll hand over work; how you’ll be involved in identifying, recruiting, and onboarding your successor; and whether and how you’ll provide them with mentorship. Be explicit about when you will be available until, what you’ll focus on, and who you’ll pass responsibilities to.
• Develop a script to help you say no to requests.
• Write down the achievements and strengths you’re most proud of. This brings a sense of closure to your role and helps you prepare the story you’ll share with new colleagues.
• Recognize that the loss of responsibility and influence — and the speed of it, as coworkers move on — may feel uncomfortable. Start preparing for your new role by figuring out what you need to learn and how you’ll learn, and especially whom you need to engage.

The Adrenaline Trap.

Finishing a role can leave people on a high as they soak up the adulation and reflect on successes. Nobody would want it to end, so you look for the next high. Without knowing it, the leader is actually addicted to the adrenaline that comes with the pressure, challenges, and successes of a demanding leadership role. They may take a break during the transition between roles but usually don’t fully rest and replenish. They may worry that switching off will leave them less able to get up to speed again. Problems in family relationships and personal health issues that emerged in the previous leadership role are left to fester.

While it’s tempting to stay switched on in this way, it doesn’t allow for building the fortitude needed to perform at the highest levels, both at the beginning of the role and throughout. Doing so also underestimates the impact of the additional responsibility, time, and emotional weight of a new role.

Instead, use the time during the transition to:

• Do a health check, both mental and physical, to assess your resilience and identify any problems that require a change of lifestyle.
• Sit with the emotions you may be feeling. Reach out to others in your network who’ve experienced similar journeys for empathy, encouragement, and advice.
• Talk to people who know you best to ask for their unvarnished view of how you’re showing up and what they think you should change.
• Look at how you lead your life day to day to identify any changes to how you sleep, exercise, eat, and drink. Select three new habits you can practice.
• Discuss the demands of your new role with important people in your life, such as spouses and children, and design the best setup that combines your professional and personal responsibilities, recognizing it will evolve.

The Judgment Trap.

During the transition period, it is common to reflect on what one has learned during the selection process and start research into the prospects and problems facing the new organization. Without realizing it, some judgements about what to do will likely be formed, resulting in a switch in focus from learning to doing.

The problem with this approach is that it can lead you to become overly focused on the big obstacles in the way of reaching the goals. It can prevent someone from asking enough questions or listening fully to what they’re being told. This increases the odds of heading in the wrong direction, without the support of the people needed to deliver the changes.

At this stage, the focus should be on a set of hypotheses and assumptions — not judgements — to test systematically and with an open mind. This is the beginning of the learning process, not the end.?

To avoid the judgement trap, these practices should be used during the transition period:

• Consolidate what has been learned about the past, present, and future of the organization to identify any unanswered questions and information gaps.
• Identify biases or blind spots to be mindful of which may include being overly optimistic or prone to listening to certain types of people over others.
• Prioritize the list of questions to be answered and the assumptions to be tested.
• Develop a process to test these assumptions as you look to identify quick wins and develop a blueprint for the organization. This should include reaching out to stakeholders who are both influential (such as key investors or customers) and unpredictable (radical thinkers or commentators) to understand their perspectives, remembering that you are still in the learning phase.

The Dogma Trap.

Over the years, we have all developed a way of doing business and a leadership style that serves us well. This includes how to make decisions, communicate strategy, design the organizational structure, encourage certain behaviors, and engage customers and partner organizations. We may also look for opportunities to apply the practices of organizations and leaders we admire.

While it’s good to start learning about your new organization during your transition period, doing so with a fixed mindset — that is, force-fitting your desired model onto the new organization even if the context, strategy, or culture need something else — is risky. ?This dogmatic approach results in decisions that don’t reflect what the organization needs to prosper; in fact, in many cases, these decisions can be damaging. Instead, use a systematic approach to learn what the organization needs from this new role:

• Start with ambition. Ask, “At its best, what could the organization become? What will it take for us to win and against whom? What impact could it have on our customers and employees?”
• Identify the opportunities that play to the strengths of the organization. Ask, “What are the most attractive growth opportunities we should consider?”
• Understand the biggest challenges holding the organization back from performing at its best and from pursuing these opportunities. Sketch out the structures, processes, and systems that help address them.
• Map this emerging picture to what you’ve designed or observed elsewhere, identifying the elements that could work well in the next context.
• Develop a blueprint of the strategy and organizational model you can start testing in conversations when starting the role.

Being selected to undertake a leadership role is exciting and validation of the strong achievements of the past as well as the potential that leaders see in you.? This should be celebrated. However, once you have taken some time to be proud, be sure to avoid the common foot faults that may hold you back from your full capability in this new role that you have worked so hard to earn. The author has provided some very practical and relatable advice on how to hit the ground running and make the first 90 days (and beyond) a continued success.

Stay on the beat with me and have an amazing start to your week ?

Yours,

Mark

Source

Lancefield, D. (17 September 2024) 4 Traps to Avoid as You Transition into a Leadership Role. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2024/09/4-traps-to-avoid-as-you-transition-into-a-leadership-role