New To Being A Front Line Leader? Here Are A Few Traps To Avoid.

Welcome back!

Glad that the first part of this series was helpful enough that you decided to wander over here for more. And if you missed part one, you can find it here.

So, let’s dive in - a few more traps and critical lessons on being a first time leader:

Your cross-functional relationships are critical.

If you were anything like me as a top performing rep, you are…erm…were, yes, we’re past that…a demanding and impatient little piece of work. What that meant for me is that I often voiced my needs, and if I didn’t get them quickly, I pulled the boss alarm.

And suddenly, I WAS the boss and needed to repair some of the damage I’d done.?

Take the time to build these, do the lunches, and find time for coffee/chit chat, however painful it may be for you. ?? You owe it to your team to build these relationships.

Cross-functional relationships, part II - even the best Show Me You Know Me’ers (SMYKM) miss sometimes.

As I climbed the ladder, my boss Ben pulled me aside one day and said I needed a better relationship with our General Counsel. Please see above about a demanding little piece of work…

So, I found time to meet with our GC, asking how we could build a better relationship, and so forth. He kept saying that we couldn’t build a better relationship, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand what he meant.?

And then, it clicked. We couldn’t build a better relationship because we didn’t have a relationship.?

For all the effort I put into SMYKM with my team and my clients and even our champions, it sailed right over my head to do that with my cross-functional partners.?

Take the time to care about them as humans, not just workhorses for you, and learn from my mistake here.?

Invest in your ability to write and create executive communications.

In 11th grade, I took A.P. Language, and Mrs. Pitt told me my writing was flowery and I’d never amount to anything that relied on the use of language. NOW, this could have also been because I had a crush on her son of which I took no measures to make a secret, but, I digress.

Fast forward to an email I sent to my leader, packed with 3000 or so words. The reply. “I’m not reading something this long.” Oof.

First point, you need to learn how to deliver an email that succinctly gets to the point, considers potential objections, and makes your ask clear to see.?

Second, there are times where longer communications are needed. So I developed my own style. I send the same message as above, but I add subscript numbers, like you see in a book with footnotes at the end. Then, below my message, if they need to read more, hear an argument, or understand if I’ve fully thought something through, they can. And if not, then I’ve communicated effectively and succinctly.?

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