The New Leader Mindset Shift Needed: Episode #402 The Leadership Japan Series

The New Leader Mindset Shift Needed: Episode #402 (Audio here for multi-taskers!!) The Leadership Japan Series

We are recognised for our capabilities and potential and promoted into our first leadership role. We have been given charge over our colleagues and now have additional responsibilities. In many cases we don’t move into a pure “off the tools” leadership role. We are more likely to be a player/leader hybrid, because we have our own clients and also produce revenue outcomes. One of the biggest difficulties is knowing how to balance the roles of “doer” and “urger”.

 Jealousy, bruised egos, sabotage, mild insurrection can be found amongst our former colleagues as we are now their new boss. There will be some who feel the organisation has made a massive error and they should have been the one promoted. Their enthusiasm for striving for the greater good has become diminished and results begin to suffer. The more Machiavellian may be thinking how they can unseat the new boss, by lowering outcomes enough, so that it damages the new boss’s credibility, without getting themselves fired. They are happy to spend long hours conspiring with others to calculate the nexus of those two points.

 The danger here is we double down on our own production because we have more control over that and we actually don’t lead. We are busy with dealing with all the accoutrements of power, exciting stuff like approving leave applications, tracking sick leave, filling out reports and general paperwork which is the bane of a leader’s life. 

 Leaders have four main jobs. Set the strategy, create the culture, maintain the machine so it runs on time and on budget and we build our people. When we were team members we were given guidance and direction by the boss, now we are the boss. Are we sufficiently knowledgeable and talented enough to take the organisation in the right direction? Are we relying on what we knew before we became the boss? Are we studying, reading, listening to podcasts, watching TED talks and doing everything we can to better educate ourselves for the different demands of this leadership role? If we are busy, busy, busy working on our new leader tasks or servicing our own clients, we may not be devoting the time needed to grow.

 The leader needs to have a long term perspective, but our subordinates tend to have a short term view and invariably so do our superiors. They expect results from us and in short order or they start wondering if they made the right choice about who should have stepped up and be the boss. 

The boss has to challenge orthodoxy. If we keep doing the same things, in the same way, we will get the same results. How can we get better results? That is what the boss needs to be working on. We need to persuade others to follow us and to have influence. Often none of those factors were part of the selection process though. We got the job because we were the best salesperson, accountant, engineer, bookkeeper, architect, etc. Actually, many new leaders don’t even like people and much prefer numbers. Many are poor public speakers have big brains and no friends.

 Do the new leaders get any training to build on their skill sets and give them the tools to succeed? Often they get nothing. They keep focused on what they can control which are their own clients, don’t build the people and they wind up carrying the team. That works as long as the outcome demands don’t go up. As the ask increases, the gap starts to form between how much one person can do to hit the targets and the total team contribution. Because we haven’t developed our people, they are not filling in the gap between where we are and where we need to be. After three years of this, the new leader gets fired and the cycle begins again with a new person sitting in the boss’s chair. 

New leaders relying on their companies for their security to remain in their elevated position are pretty optimistic.  The tasks of the leader are different to those of the led, so either through personal study or company sponsored training, there must be the investment to grow their capabilities.  The mindset element is important, as that is the trigger for changing the required behaviors in order to grow in the new position.  So bosses, are you sufficiently investing in your newly promoted leaders.  So newly promoted leaders, are you taking responsibility for your own career and investing in yourself.  If the answer to either question is “no”, then whether you realise it or not, you have entered the dander zone.  Don’t go there.

Engaged employees are self-motivated. 

o   The self-motivated are inspired. 

o   Inspired staff grow your business 

Are you inspiring them? 

We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. 

Want to know how we do that? 

Contact me at [email protected]

If you enjoy our content, then head over to www.enjapan.dalecarnegie.com and check out our Japanese and English seminars, workshops, course information and schedules and our whitepapers, guidebooks, training videos, podcasts, blogs. 

About The Author 

Dr. Greg Story, President Dale Carnegie Training Japan

The bestselling author of “Japan Sales Mastery”, and “Japan Business Mastery” Dr. Greg Story is an international keynote speaker, an executive coach, and a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. 

He publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Has 6 weekly podcasts:

1.     Mondays -  The Leadership Japan Series,

2.    Tuesdays – The Presentations Japan Series 

Every second Tuesday - ビジネス達人の教え

3.    Wednesdays - The Sales Japan Series 

4.    Thursdays – The Leadership Japan Series

Also every second Thursday - ビジネスプロポッドキャスト

5.    Fridays - The Japan Business Mastery Show

6.    Saturdays – Japan’s Top Business Interviews

Has 3 weekly TV shows on YouTube:

1.     Mondays - The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show

Also every Second Thursday - ビジネスプロTV

2.    Fridays – Japan Business Mastery

3.    Saturdays – Japan Top Business Interviews

In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development.

Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making, become a 35 year veteran of Japan and run his own company in Tokyo. 

Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate (糸東流) and is currently a 6th Dan. 

Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.