HOW TO SCALE UP YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN PROMOTED

Scaling up your leadership skills as you transition to leading a larger team can be a rewarding but challenging experience. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, and what works for one leader may not work for another. Still, it is essential to avoid common mistakes, keep the right focus and mindset and dare to think bold. Read this post to expand your perspective on the topic.

Congratulations if you have been recently promoted to leading a larger team ! It means that your hard work and dedication to your company have been recognized, as well as your individual skills.

As with any transition, you will have to adapt. This can be very exciting and rewarding, but also challenging at times, especially if you have also a demanding personal life e.g. with young children.

Additional challenges for women ?

There can be specific challenges that women may face when transitioning into a leadership role. These challenges can include:

1. Gender bias: Women may face bias and discrimination based on their gender. This bias can come in the form of assumptions about women’s capabilities or expectations of how women should behave as leaders.
2. Lack of support: Women may not receive the same level of support or mentorship as male leaders. This lack of support can make it more challenging to succeed in a leadership role.
3. Work-life balance: Women may face additional pressures to balance their personal and professional responsibilities, such as family caregiving. This balancing act can be particularly challenging for women in leadership roles with young children.
4. Underrepresentation: Women may be underrepresented in leadership roles, which can make it more challenging to break into these positions and create a supportive network of peers.

It’s important to recognize these challenges and work to overcome them. Women can seek out mentors and support networks, speak out against bias and discrimination, and develop strategies for work-life balance. By addressing these challenges head-on, women can succeed and thrive in leadership roles by further expanding their leadership skills.

Six common mistakes to avoid

1. Micromanaging can lead to a lack of trust and confidence in your team, ultimately resulting in decreased productivity and morale. Instead, delegate tasks and trust your team to deliver quality work. Bonus tip: be particularly attentive to your team feedback on this.
2. Failing to communicate effectively with your team can result in misunderstandings, frustration, and a lack of motivation. Be clear and concise and ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. Bonus tip: quantifying e.g. with MindsetMaps the team clarity on their R&Rs can be a huge differentiator. Imagine how moving from 65% to >85% clarity can positively impact the game.
3. Not setting clear expectations can lead to confusion and frustration. Set clear goals, deadlines, and expectations to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Bonus tip: define both realistic and bold goals. The realistic ones will keep the team motivated by success (and create opportunities to celebrate it). The bold ones, despite a lower probability of success, will excite the more ambitious team members and provide big gains if met.
4. Not seeking feedback can result in a lack of insight into the team’s performance and can hinder your ability to improve your leadership skills. Bonus tip: seek feedback from every key stakeholder, both in your professional and personal life.
5. Not developing your team can lead to decreased motivation, low morale, and a lack of engagement. Bonus tip: focus on mindset with tools such as MindsetMaps and dare to work with skilled people combining coaching, training and consulting all-in-one.
6. Not leading by example can result in a lack of trust and respect from your team members. Model the behaviors and values you expect from your team. Bonus tip: seek inspiration from highly successful people (success leaves clues) and adapt to your own situation.

Grow your mindset

Mindset plays a critical role in your success as a leader, especially during a transition. Mindset directly influences the actions we take, and hence the outcomes we get.

Here are some mindset tips that can help you succeed:

1. Embrace a growth mindset: Adopting a growth mindset can help you see challenges as opportunities for growth and development. Believe that you can improve and develop your skills as a leader, and seek out opportunities to learn and grow.
2. Be open-minded: Be open-minded to new ideas and perspectives. Encourage your team to share their ideas and opinions, and be willing to consider them. This mindset can foster creativity and innovation within your team.
3. Stay curious: Stay curious and ask questions. This mindset can help you gain new insights and perspectives and keep you engaged and motivated.
4. Be resilient: Resilience is critical in leadership. Accept that there will be setbacks and challenges along the way, and be prepared to bounce back and keep moving forward.
5. Practice self-care: Leadership can be demanding and stressful, so it’s essential to practice self-care. Take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally, so you can bring your best self to your leadership role. Adopt biohacking as a new lifestyle and you will improve both your performance and your wellbeing.
6. Focus on the positive: Focus on the positive and celebrate your successes, no matter how small. This mindset can help you stay motivated and inspired.

By adopting a growth mindset, staying open-minded, curious, resilient, practicing self-care, and focusing on the positive, you will develop a mindset that supports your leadership transition and success as a leader.

Stay focused

Ensuring your team is orienting all their energy into the right direction is amongst key leadership skills.

Staying focused requires practice and discipline. By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you will improve your focus and become a more effective leader.

1. Set clear priorities: Determine what is most important for you and your team to achieve and prioritize those tasks. This will help you stay focused on the most critical goals.
2. Create a schedule: Develop a schedule or daily plan that outlines your most important tasks for the day. Stick to this schedule as much as possible, and avoid getting sidetracked by distractions.
3. Minimize distractions: Identify and eliminate any distractions that may interfere with your focus, such as social media or email notifications. Set aside specific times to check email or other messages instead of constantly interrupting your work.
4. Take breaks: Taking regular breaks can actually help you stay more focused and productive. Take a short walk, stretch, or meditate to clear your mind and come back to your work refreshed.
5. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness practices, such as meditation or deep breathing, can help you stay focused and present in the moment. Incorporate these practices into your daily routine to enhance your focus.

Be inspired, inspiring and inspirational

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, and what works for one leader may not work for another. However, some success secrets of top leaders such as Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, include:

1. Customer obsession: Bezos prioritized customer satisfaction and created a customer-centric culture at Amazon. He believed that by focusing on the customer, everything else would fall into place. Customer can be understood both as internal or external to the company.
2. Innovation: Bezos was always looking for ways to innovate and disrupt traditional industries. He encouraged experimentation and taking risks. Find how to bring more value to your internal and external customers.
3. Long-term thinking: Bezos had a long-term vision for Amazon, focusing on sustainable growth rather than short-term profits. He was willing to invest in the future of the company, even if it meant sacrificing short-term gains.
4. Data-driven decision-making: Bezos was known for his obsession with data and analytics. Add intuition or gut feelings and use all your personal ressources if you can.
5. Hiring and developing top talent: Bezos believed in hiring and developing top talent. He sought out the best and brightest employees and created a culture that encouraged growth and development.
6. Focus on execution: Bezos had a relentless focus on execution. He believed that ideas were worthless without proper execution and accountability.
7. Ability to adapt: Bezos was willing to adapt and change course when necessary. He was not afraid to pivot or change direction if he saw an opportunity for growth or improvement.

These success secrets are just a few of the factors that contributed to Bezos’s success as a leader. Other successful leaders may have different strategies and approaches. These principles can provide a useful framework for aspiring leaders to develop further their leadership skills.

Think boldly

As a transitioning leader, it’s important to think boldly and take calculated risks. Here are some tips to help you think and act boldly:

1. Set big goals: Set ambitious, but achievable goals for yourself and your team. Think about what you want to achieve in the long-term, and create a plan to get there.
2. Take calculated risks: Taking risks is essential for achieving big goals, but it’s important to take calculated risks that are backed by data and research. Weigh the potential risks and benefits before making a decision. Prioritize asymmetric risks (low penalty and high reward).
3. Be proactive: Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Be proactive and seek out new opportunities for growth and innovation. If none, create them.
4. Embrace failure: Failure is a natural part of taking risks and pushing boundaries. Learn from your mistakes and use them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
5. Think outside the box: Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and think outside the box. Consider new and innovative ways of approaching problems and opportunities.
6. Surround yourself with diverse perspectives: Surrounding yourself with people who think differently than you can help you broaden your perspective and think more boldly.
7. Believe in yourself and in your team: Have confidence in your abilities and believe that you can achieve your goals. Don’t let self-doubt hold you back from thinking and acting boldly.

By setting big goals, taking calculated risks, being proactive, embracing failure, thinking outside the box, surrounding yourself with diverse perspectives, and believing in yourself, you can think and act boldly as a transitioning leader.

How can an external coach support you during the transition ?

A great coach can be an invaluable asset in supporting your leadership transition. Here are some ways a coach can help:

1. Provide objective feedback: A coach can provide objective feedback on your leadership style and help you identify areas of improvement. This feedback can help you develop your skills and become a more effective leader much faster.
2. Identify strengths and areas of improvement: A coach can help you identify your strengths and areas of improvement. This knowledge can help you leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses to become a more effective leader.
3. Develop a plan: A coach can help you develop a plan to achieve your leadership goals. This plan can include specific actions, timelines, and measures of success.
4. Support your growth: A coach can provide ongoing support and accountability as you work towards your leadership goals. They can help you stay focused, motivated, and on track.
5. Enhance your communication skills: A coach can help you improve your communication skills, including active listening, giving feedback, and resolving conflicts. These skills are essential for effective leadership.
6. Provide an external perspective: A coach can provide an external perspective on your leadership style and the dynamics within your team. This perspective can help you see blind spots and identify opportunities for improvement.

Working with a coach can be a powerful tool to support your leadership transition, especially if he combines coaching, training, consulting, NLP & biohacking ;-). They can help you develop the skills and mindset necessary to succeed as a meta leader and achieve your goals. A coach can also support and develop your team members.

Final thoughts on leadership skills

Scaling up your leadership skills as you transition to leading a larger team can be a challenging but rewarding experience. Here are some tips to help you successfully navigate this transition:

1. Build relationships: Get to know your team members on a personal level, understand their strengths and areas of improvement, and establish a rapport with them. Develop a culture of trust and open communication, so your team feels comfortable coming to you with issues or concerns.
2. Delegate tasks: It’s impossible to do everything yourself, so delegation is crucial. Assign tasks based on each team member’s strengths and skill sets and provide them with the support and resources they need to succeed.

Scaling up your leadership skills takes time and effort, but with the right mindset and approach, you can successfully lead your team to achieve their goals and objectives.

Whenever you have a severe challenge of some sort and having difficulty resolving it, remember, you’re not going to resolve it with the same resources that you’re trying to solve it with because what you’re doing isn’t working. One way to do this is to tap into other parts of you.

Reach out to me should you look for support in terms of personal and/or team development.