Congratulations! You’ve achieved the next level in your career and you’re now leading a team of your own. Not only is this hugely exciting, but it can feel a little daunting – right?
Not to worry, there are various ways to lead effectively and we’re here to help. To get started, here are some common mistakes that new leaders can make and how to overcome them.
Micromanaging
It can be incredibly easy to fall into the trap of micromanaging your team, particularly when you’re new to a management role and you want to ensure that all work is being completed to the right standards – hitting targets that may reflect on you personally.
Be upfront with your team straight away and get to know how they work, what they can do and how they’ve done things in the past. It’s vital that they know you trust them to continue with their job successfully without feeling like you’re hovering over them while they do it. This can decrease morale at a rapid pace. Instead, schedule regular catch-ups and invite your team to communicate with you on where they’re up to on a weekly basis.
Keep it simple
When you’re a new leader, you may want to put new procedures in place for workload management, etc. Instead, keep things simple and streamlined. Overcomplicated new ways of working can actually have a detrimental effect on time and productivity. If you have innovative ideas on how to make things easier for the team, then great! However, perhaps ask them how they prefer to work as well.
Striving for perfection
Everyone wants perfection, it’s only natural, but it’s important to provide feedback constructive for the team. If there’s a particular aspect someone is struggling with, include this in their 121s and put a plan in place to help them improve. Always striving for perfection can lead you and your team to stress, which affects performance. Instead, focus on excellence and allow your team to learn and improve over time.
One-person band
The success of a team does not rely solely on the leader. In fact, those who invite their team to collaborate, share their own ideas and work together to achieve targets are ultimately more successful. If you have plans, ask them for their thoughts on how it could work. This way your team is more likely to engage with it and ensure it is a success.
Listen
Listen and communicate with your team. Regular communications, catch ups and 121s ensure you are taking their thoughts and ideas seriously. This also gives you an opportunity to tell them what you are implementing from their feedback. When the team can see the results for themselves, they will feel more empowered to speak up.