Your first step on the leadership ladder
I was reminded recently of the very first time I was offered a role supervising other people. I’d been working in a pizza shop for about a year and had become a dab hand at every task the owner threw my way, so when he asked me to go run a new shop for him in the centre of Mansfield I jumped at the chance.
I also remember the sinking feeling in my stomach when an older friend asked me how I was going to deal with hiring new people and managing them considering I’d never done anything like that before! So, when a friend of ours (let’s call her Sarah) received the news that she was being promoted to a supervisory role, I could relate to her as she told me her emotions were a whirlwind of excitement, pride, and a dash of trepidation. For years, she had worked diligently, learning about every aspect of her role, and demonstrating her capabilities. Yet, as the reality of her new job settled in, she began to realise that stepping into a supervisory position was not just about a new title or a pay increase; it was a transition that required a significant shift in mindset, skills, and relationships
The journey from being “just one of the team” to a supervisor is, in my experience, the one that comes with the most challenges. It’s like stepping into a new world where the rules are different, and the stakes are higher. With that in mind, I wanted to share my experience, explore those challenges, and provide some practical tips to help both Sarah, anyone in a similar situation, navigate this critical transition.
The biggest hurdle
1. Open Communication:
She needs to chat with the team about her new role. Not in a formal way, just acknowledge the change, share a little bit of her nervousness, and reiterate her commitment to supporting them. This type of transparency, when done right, not only helps the team but it will pay big dividends for Sarah as her career moves on and she faces more daunting challenges.
2. Set Clear Boundaries:
This is a tough one. If you get it wrong you may come across as arrogant and superior so It’s essential to be friendly and approachable, whilst still making sure that there’s a clear understanding that you are now in a position to make tough decisions.
3. Seek Feedback:
Almost every team will grumble about something but there’s nothing worse than your own team criticising your decisions without letting you know how they feel. Sarah has a few interesting characters in the team she’s going to manage so it’s even more important that she gets quality feedback from everyone else. She needs to encourage them to provide feedback on her leadership style, and in turn, she needs to keep a line of communication open with her own boss so she has the opportunity to grow into the role as time goes by.
ACCOUNTABILITY – V - RESPONSIBILITY
As a new supervisor, Sarah realises that the buck now stops with her. She’s responsible for her team’s productivity, morale, and professional development. This was the area that worries her most. Could she handle it? Was she good enough? Would she get demoted if it all went wrong? I told her that responsibility can be overwhelming, especially when you’re still learning the ropes yourself. We also talked about how she’d now moved from a position of responsibility (doing the task) to accountability (being responsible for how others do that task) The pointers I gave for this are all fairly simple and straight forward, but they are crucial to her nailing this new role
1. Prioritise and Delegate:
She already knows who in the team can be trusted with delegated tasks and who needs more supervision so she’s halfway there. I gave her some tools to help prioritise tasks and some examples of how empowering her team to take more ownership could deliver huge rewards.
2. Never stop Learning:
CPD (Continuous professional development) is a bit of a buzzword these days but it’s a huge
reason new leaders succeed. When your team sees you attending leadership workshops, reading relevant books, or just staying updated with industry trends they’ll know they’re working for someone who cares, and they are more likely to
also take responsibility for their own personal development which leads to a better, more effective team
3. Time Management:
I’ve never known Sarah to be late for anything, but I made a bet with her that during her first week in
her new role she’ll be late home, will run out of time on an important task and will forget something the kids need for school. THAT’S PERFECTLY NORMAL! Developing strong
time management skills is an art in itself and balancing supervisory duties with your own workload and personal life requires strategic planning and efficient time use.
Conflict and self-doubt
No matter how great a leader you are, conflict is inevitable in any workplace. As a supervisor, Sarah is
going to find herself in the middle of it more often than before. If she doesn’t deal with it head on it will fester and that’s going to create a poor atmosphere to work in. If you add on the inevitable moments of self-doubt every new leader gets, then she risks all her hard work counting for nothing. These two challenges are potentially the easiest to overcome and the solutions are very similar.
1. Self-talk:
We all get that little voice in our head that tells us we can’t do something, or things will turn
out bad if we do. The trick isn’t about ignoring that voice, no, it’s about trying to understand why it thinks that way. Inevitably when you question the facts, you’ll realise that you are good enough, after all someone promoted you, you can do this, the person before you didn’t have any special superpowers and they did it, and finally, the worst decision you can ever make is not to make one. Dig deep, put things into perspective and approach the problem honestly and openly
2. Effective Communication:
Now that you’ve grasped the nettle it’s time to open a clear and safe forum for everyone to have their say. Let all parties have their say and more often than not you’ll find a misunderstanding or even a complete embellishment at the bottom of the problem.
3. Acknowledge Achievements:
Now you’ve solved your first conflict (Sarah’s still got hers to come) look for ways to positively acknowledge achievements as nothing brings a team together more than winning and it’s amazing how quickly conflict is forgotten when everyone’s in a good mood. Whilst you’re at it, reflect on your own journey and recognise the hard work and dedication that got you to this point. Don’t forget to celebrate your own successes too!
AFTER ALL THIS IS SARAH READY TO FACE HER CHALLENGE
Too right she is! The truth is that she was always ready. She’d done the work, built up her skill set and reputation and all she needed was a bit of encouragement and some suggestions from someone who’d been in her shoes before. Coaching, mentoring, peer support or guiding. It doesn’t matter what you call it as long as it works for you. In my experience, too many organisations promote people who are “good at doing stuff” and not people who are “good at managing people”. They then don’t offer in house training or coaching and then wonder why supervisors and managers jump ship more often than the average employee. If your company or organisation doesn’t have any type of leadership training or support you’ve got three options.
- You can muddle along on your own and hope for the best.
- Ask your boss if the organisation will put training on to help build better leaders.
- Or you can take the plunge and do some training yourself either online or in person (There’s plenty of them out there)
he bottom line for every new leader like Sarah is that leadership, when done well
can be incredibly rewarding. I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to learn from some really inspiring people and I’ve also been supported with dozens of courses and workshops that have taught
me so much along the way. The skills I’ve developed, the relationships I’ve built, and
the growth I’ve experienced have not only made me a better leader but also a better professional. When you embrace the journey, seek support, and believe in your ability to lead and inspire your team, the challenges you face today will become the steppingstones to your success tomorrow.
