The leader who is unstoppable. The leader who is on the “fast track.” The leader who surpasses every goal and target with ease…and then is promoted into a larger role, only to struggle mightily with mobilizing a larger team.

What happened? And what can you do to set yourself up for success?

The transition from leading a small team to leading a larger team can be tricky. Often, the exact behaviors that led to success with a small team are the exact behaviors that won’t work with a larger team.

3 pitfalls to avoid, and some tips to help you are:

PITFALL 1: Continuing to reference anecdotes that leave new team members out.
TIP 1: Of course you should reference relevant examples and these likely will come from your past experiences. However, your new role offers you the opportunity to have valuable new experiences with your new team members. Make an effort to create fresh narratives. This will help create a greater sense of community and increase engagement.

PITFALL 2: Spending most of your time with the people who you already know well instead of new team members.
TIP 2: It’s easy to be around people you enjoy working with. And you certainly don’t want to lose the strong bonds you already have. However, it’s probable that the results your new role requires you to deliver won’t happen without the mobilization of a larger group of people – and there’s no better way to get strong forward momentum than through building trust with your new team members. Take the time to build authentic relationships and you will reap the rewards.

PITFALL 3: Assuming new team members should and can emulate your previous team’s behavioral norms.
TIP 3: You may not even be aware of what norms your old team had and it’s likely that these norms have helped you move pretty quickly in the past. Pausing to consciously consider how your team should operate given what it has deliver, where people are located, timelines, resource constraints, etc. is invaluable. Even better, take the time to develop these new operating norms with your team (an external facilitator may help). Moving a little slowly at the start will pay off in long run.

You may also consider working with an executive coach who can be your confidential thought partner as you think about how you can take your leadership to the next level (for tips on how to select an executive coach, click here).

Cheers to your leadership success!

Swati
HR Strategy | Executive Coach | Leadership Development

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Swati Bharteey-Buck is a Principal at LeaderStages, a firm focused on human resources strategy, executive coaching, and leadership development programs.  Swati has over 25 years of experience in connecting company strategy and people strategy, simplifying it so people can understand it, and in executing programs in complex business environments. Swati has held executive level positions at globally recognized companies such as Deloitte and The William Wrigley Jr., Company and has an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, The Booth School. She can be reached at swati@leaderstages.com.

Be the leader people want to follow. Ask these 6 questions.

What makes you feel recognized?
I once worked for a well-intentioned leader who thanked our team quarterly by taking us out to expensive, steak dinners. Guess what? Half the team hated steak. Several would have preferred an afternoon off, while a few others really valued personal thank you notes. Whether you use this information immediately or at a later date, it’s invaluable to know what makes those around you feel thanked. Don’t let your efforts go to waste – customize your thank you’s.

What motivates you?
For some, it’s a cool new project. For others, it’s visibility. And for others, it’s a chance to lead a project. There are thousands of variations on what people find motivating – find out what ignites your individual team members – then do you your best to organize the work that way. Most people are reasonable and understand their work tasks cannot always be shifted around. Armed with this information, you have the power to make the changes you can.

What is one thing we could do better around here?
You may have a sense of the changes you want to see take place across your company or department – but what about ideas related to making your customers happier today or increasing the efficiency of a key process? Who better to tell you what to improve than those working on specific tasks and deliverables and those who interact with your customers on a daily basis? All you have to do is ask. As an added bonus, your team members will be pleased to share ideas directly with you.

How are you?
Since this question is often asked in a perfunctory manner, be sure to pause and look the other person in the eye as you ask how he or she is. When used intentionally, this question tells the person you are speaking to that you care about them. You will also gain insight into how the person is feeling and what is going in her or his personal and work life – all of which is very relevant to your team member’s performance.

What can I do for you?
As a leader, one key role you play is to do everything you can to help your team members work as efficiently and effectively as possible. This simple question is a quick way to find out if something is slowing your team down or if they’ve hit any roadblocks. It also communicates to the other person that you are willing to actively support his or her efforts and they are not alone.

What is the most interesting thing you are working on?
It’s likely you have a general sense of what each person on your team is working on. But there’s nothing like having the leader stop by to ask you personally what you are working on that you are excited about. It’s a chance for your team member to showcase something. And if he or she doesn’t have an answer, it may be time to re-look what’s on that team member’s plate.

Cheers to your leadership success!
Swati
HR Strategy | Executive Coach | Leadership Development

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Orientation was going wonderfully, but then, on day 3, I was told that I had been moved to a new department. My predecessor had left suddenly, the role couldn’t be left open, and, through some swift maneuvering on my new manager’s part, I was slotted into the recently abandoned job.

A job that came with 9 direct reports.

9 direct reports who didn’t appreciate hearing how I was in some leadership program and they weren’t. 9 direct reports who had way more experience than me with my 3 days. 9 direct reports who saw the fear in my eyes.

Guess what? Bungee jumping would have been the best choice for me and those 9 people. Each morning my stomach lurched at the thought of having to say something to one of them that they may or may not like.

Within a week, I had developed several strategies to deal with my predicament. My favorite was to avoid giving feedback altogether. At other times, I would mumble something and leave out the actual feedback. Sometimes I would even take on my direct reports’ tasks instead of telling them what to do differently or working with them to come up with a new solution.

Lots of painful experiences and some great mentoring later, I finally did learn how to give feedback in a productive manner. My stomach still flips sometimes, but I’m happy to report I won’t be going bungee jumping anytime soon.

Here is what I learned:

1) Open with a sentence or two that lets the other person know what to expect, such as, “I have some feedback for you. Is this a good time?”
2) Describe what the person did with facts and then explain the impact. For example, “When you interrupted me 3 times in our meeting, I walked away feeling like you didn’t want to hear my point of view.”
3) Don’t pepper your feedback with compliments. It will confuse your message and frustrate the recipient. For example, “I just want you to know that all of us recognize that you do great work. By the way you aren’t getting that promotion/new project/funding you asked for. But seriously, your work has really helped this company grow.” Statements like this can be very disempowering and can cause cynicism.
4) Describe what you would like. For example, “I would really appreciate knowing you heard me and considered my point of view before you state yours.”
5) Pause and let the person respond. There may be additional information you don’t have. The recipient may have feedback for you too. Listen with an open mind.
6) If appropriate, brainstorm how the situation could have been handled differently.
7) Ensure you keep a flexible mindset with a commitment towards the recipient’s growth, and potentially your own.

Cheers to your leadership success –
Swati

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The quote is a great example of how pervasive emotional intelligence is in both our personal and professional lives.

Emotional intelligence is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.”

A bounty of research confirms the link between emotional intelligence and career and personal success – here are a few data points:

– At American Express, those with the highest emotional intelligence scores were found to have the highest sales and highest levels of customer satisfaction.

– Authors of The EQ Edge explicitly note sub-scales within emotional intelligence that correlate to success in specific jobs and roles; for example, are you in sales? Did you know that those who score high in self –actualization, assertiveness, and happiness sell more? Did you know successful transformational leaders score higher in optimism, self-actualization, and empathy while those with a high degree of marital bliss were higher in happiness, self-regard, and self-awareness?

– Dr. Marian Ruderman at the Center for Creative Leadership found that 28% of leadership performance is linked to Emotional intelligence.

– TalentSmart reports that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence and on average make $29,000 more than their lower emotional intelligence counterparts.

Compelling as all this data is, it’s only helpful if you can do something with it – if you can use it to differentiate or better yourself.

The good the news is that emotional intelligence is not genetic. It does increase as you mature and learn from your experiences. Even better, unlike IQ, you can proactively work to increase your level of emotional intelligence.  How do you know if you should focus on honing your emotional intelligence? Here are some questions for you to mull over:

1) Are you recognized as technically capable but find that you experience career or job hiccups, or you’re stalled, while others progress?

2) Do you see a pattern of mishaps in your interpersonal relationships?

3) Do you avoid a difficult person with whom you must work?

4) Do you fully understand the impact of your emotions on your decision-making, judgment, and problem solving capabilities?

5) Are you surprised (or irritated) when those around you seem upset with you?

6) Is it hard for you to explain and understand how others around you might be feeling and why?

Truth be told, emotional intelligence is a skill all of us should keep sharpening; it contributes to well-being in both our professional and personal lives. Here are some tactics to help you get started.

– When someone presents a differing viewpoint from yours, ensure you understand the reasoning behind the other person’s point of view. Keep your tone neutral and repeat back to them what you heard without any evaluation or judgment. Now put yourself in their shoes and imagine how they feel hearing your point of view. Ask them if you are right. Said one of my coaching clients after considering her interactions with a co-worker with whom she often disagrees: “I didn’t realize how much time I spent re-stating my point view to <this person> when I thought I was having a discussion with her. It’s about 90% of every conversation. She probably doesn’t feel like I am listening to her at all…and honestly, I’m not.”

– Think of a situation you find difficult to manage or one in which you don’t often get the result you want. Watch someone who manages a similar situation successfully. Note down what he or she did. If you have a strong relationship with that person, consider speaking to them about how they navigated the conversation. Listen and take notes.

– Before your next significant conversation or meeting, think about what you plan to say. Write down how those listening to you may react or may be impacted. Think about how you can adjust your message and body language so people will want to listen and be influenced by you.

– Study the topic – check out related training, books (I like the EQ Edge and Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ), and articles.

– Hit the pause button if you think you are responding with too much emotion. In normal circumstances, a small delay in your response time will have no negative impact on the outcome – in fact it can lead to a more positive one.

– And finally, remember, it takes 6 or 7 times of you doing something new before people notice. I know that seems like a long time and it is. Don’t give up.

Cheers to your leadership success –

Swati

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