The Five Traps of Newly Promoted Leaders - Trap 1

By: Ania Gabrys Schmidt, ACC

Embarking on a leadership journey is an exhilarating step in one's personal and professional growth journey, marked by a sense of accomplishment and, with it, increased responsibility. This powerful metamorphosis is weaved with new challenges and opportunities, and newly promoted leaders often find themselves frustrated, tired and unprepared as they face unforeseen traps and obstacles.

You were a successful individual contributor, your hard work finally paid off and was recognized through a promotion. Congratulations! Now, with the new title comes a team to manage and a slew of new and old responsibilities, expectations and challenges.

In this multi-part series we will explore the five commons leadership traps I have seen leaders make, both in my professional and coaching career, and we will explore ways to navigate them to help your team and yourself reach greater success, faster.

Let's begin exploring the first trap...

Trap #1 - Continuing to think like an individual contributor

You got things done, you eliminated obstacles, solved challenges and responded to what was at hand. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but much of what got you here likely will not get you there (there being your next level of performance).

Now you are responsible for your team's performance and something new is required. You now walk the tight rope between two worlds, one of execution and one of strategic orientation and often getting caught somewhere in the middle.

Here are the common temptations of this trap to avoid:

• You may be tempted to rely on the tried and true strategies, mindsets and approaches that brought you success in your previous roles. Maybe you were the flawless executor, the one with the strong and dominating personality, the bull in the china shop who delivered at all cost, or the one whom everyone liked. These mindsets may still help you, but may also hinder your ability to adapt and think creatively as you approach new challenges and situations.

• You may forget that you now have a new set of stakeholders, each with their own expectations of you, and, with it, a front seat into a new world and a new set of challenges, priorities and politics, many of which you were previously blissfully unaware of. You may forget that you must now find a way to be loyal to all these stakeholders. You may also forget that you have stakeholders at home as well and dive deep into the world of work while neglecting their needs.

• You may find yourself reacting to what's in front of you and putting out fires while focusing on the urgent. You might forget to get off the hamster wheel, step back and re-assess strategically what now is most important, and what needs to be done to truly support and empower your team and your organization.

• You may take pride and trust in your ability to deliver high quality work and therefore take on tasks which should now be getting delegated, or get caught up in the minutiae and tiny details which are no longer yours to focus on. You may be tempted to hold on to some of the tasks you really enjoyed.

• You may forget that you have a reputation to establish and manage. You may put it on auto-pilot instead, assuming that your reputation will manage itself for you rather than deciding what you want that reputation to be then proactively taking steps to manage it.

To ensure you don't fall into the traps above, do this instead:

Take the time to understand the important

Before take-off, a pilot takes the time to understand the environment and climate in which they will be navigating so they know what they are up against and can prepare and respond accordingly. Take the time to understand your organizational climate and politics, the different stakeholders, their challenges and the organizational priorities. Talk to your manager/leader, review the annual report, attend an industry or networking event, ask for an introduction or connect with someone in another department, or find another way to learn more so you can set aside myopic thinking and focus on the broader picture. Understand the industry and global trends and how they may impact your team and organization as well as the skills and capabilities required of your team now and in the future. Look for ways to grow those capabilities.

"If you don't start taking charge of your time, you can be sure it will start taking charge of you." - Ania Gabrys Schmidt

Take the time to understand the urgent

Implement strategic focus time and ruthless prioritization

Manage your reputation

Key Takeaway: Focus more on things that impact the bottom line and your organization's strategic priorities. If you don't know what they are then find out what your leadership and organization most care about and help them achieve that. Eliminate, delegate and simplify the rest. Seek to eliminate obstacles to your team's success. Be mindful of how you're fighting your battles and intentionally handle challenges and conflicts in a way that builds the reputation your want to have.

Summary

As you embark on the exhilarating journey of leadership, one of the first steps is understanding who you no longer are and letting go of that. Understanding this first trap of thinking like an individual contributor can help you accelerate your transition, help you create impact faster, and to more smoothly navigate the sometimes choppy waters as you and your team aim for new horizons.

Curious about all five traps of newly promoted leaders face? Here they are:

1. Continuing to think like an individual contributor

2. Failing to establish an environment of trust and safety

3. Leading with no end in mind

4. Neglecting to develop your people

5. Embracing a fixed mindset
   

This article is part one of a multi-series designed to support you in your transition into leadership. Each article will delve into one of the traps and provide you with tips for mitigating it. Stay tuned or subscribe to the newsletter.

If you have ideas about what topics to explore in a future article then please connect with me!