FAQ — Technical Leadership and Management

Transition into Leadership

Whether you are a new team leader or a manager, assuming the responsibilities of a leadership role requires some adjustment in overall perspective, focus, and approach. Below are my take on numerous questions asked by my clients over the years about making a successful transition into leadership.

First and foremost, don't panic! No one expects you to get it all right the first day, week, or month. In fact, if you begin to get a pretty good handle on your job within three months to a year, you are doing well. Focus on keeping an open mind. Observe and listen...a lot!

Put aside any preconceived notions you may have about what it's like to be a leader or manager. You're not expected to have a personality transplant; you are expected to look at things from a new perspective. Step back and take a fresh look at what is needed by your people and your organization; then decide how best to address those needs and who can help you make it happen.

Don't be afraid to ask for advice or help from trusted sources. Find a prospective mentor who knows your organization intimately; ask him or her to advise you with regard to the political landscape and other important factors that relate directly to achieving success for yourself and those whom you are now leading. Talk to your people! They're smart, capable people who will be cautiously looking to you for leadership into a new future.

If you are a techie by training and experience, you may need to make a mental paradigm shift. Your new responsibilities require that you be less focused on the technical and more focused on the people and business. If you have tended to be a loner in the past, rethink your viewpoint — you can no longer afford to play a lone-wolf hand. Accept the fact that paying attention to other mortals and learning to work through them is essential to your success as a leader. Your primary role as a leader entails:

1. Facilitating the accompishments and success of others by creating an environment that fosters creativity and innovation, eliminating obstacles, being a liaison for your people with the world outside their group, clarifying and resolving ambiguities, and helping your people develop to their full potential — a tall order, but a challenge well worth tackling.
   
   
2. Making sure the job gets done — you will need to get intimitately familiar with the concept of "good enough," whereas previously you may have had the luxury of focusing on achieving or creating "the ultimate."
   
   
3. Ensuring that the technical effort is sound but, most importantly, on track with regard to achieving the desired outcome(s) within a reasonable timeframe.

in that order. If you are committed to the success and development of your people and your organization, keep an open mind, stay flexible, listen more and talk less, and (most of all) remember that no one is perfect, you'll do just fine.

It often seems unfair to new leaders that, in addition to learning and tackling the requirements of a new position, they must also deal with helping others accept them in their new role. Your supporters will be happy for you, while your detractors may be jealous or recalcitrant about accepting you. In either case, the impression you make, early on, is very important. You can't afford to ignore the sensitivity of any of your constituents if you want to successfully meld your group into a team that accepts your leadership.

You can't be a leader without followers who acknowledge your right to lead them. Your position or title means very little in the grand scheme of things. Your competence, your ability to facilitate your people's success, and your ability to inspire both trust and loyalty are what determine your level of acceptance or rejection as a leader. Even those who support you must come to understand and accept that your new role changes how you will be interacting with them.

Open communication and respect are the keys. Don't assume your people understand how your new position will affect them. They may have a general idea, but there are bound to be some uncertainty and incorrect, preconceived notions floating around. If you want their support, you're going to have to ask them for it. I suggest you have a frank conversation with all of your people about your new role and responsibilities. Let them know what they can expect from you and what you generally will expect from them.

Start the dialogue with a brief statement along the lines of the following:

Since we're generally familiar with each other, I want to talk with you about how my change in position will affect our individual working relationships and the group dynamic. It is my intention to be as supportive as I possibly can of your efforts — along the lines of a partnership, not a dictatorship. You're all intelligent people whom I've come to respect and value. I'm going to need your help, cooperation, and support if we're going to meld into a top-notch team.

It's important that you also understand that, because my responsibilities and focus have changed from what they were previously, our dealings with each other will, by necessity, also change. Some of you have become friends, while others of you are less well-known to me. I want to assure all of you that I intend to work very hard to be objective and fair, and to work with each of you on an equal footing. If any of you feel that I'm not, I hope you will let me know, so I can make adjustments in my approach.

This is a very important step in my career and I'm looking forward to the new challenges and personal growth it could bring my way. However, I also understand and appreciate the fact that no leader can be successful without the individual and collective support of those they want to lead. I hope I can count on each of you to assist both me and the rest of the team in becoming the best we can be. Now, I'm sure you must have questions. Who'd like to start?...

With this approach, you send a clear, but subtle, message to everyone concerning your intention to treat everyone the same, without favoritism. It establishes a foundation for further dialogue should friends, close colleagues, and/or detractors question your actions or how you treat them.

A special word about dealing with your new peers...Keep in mind that you are the "new kid on the block." [GROAN...Okay, I know it's cliche, but that doesn't make it any less pertinent.] It is in your best interest, and that of your team, to immediately begin building strategic relationships and alliances with these leaders from other groups and parts of the organization.

Start by asking your peer leaders how you can best assist them, and what they think you need to know in order to work well together. This not only builds goodwill, it also sets the tone for future interations and sends a clear message that you are more interested in collaboration than aggressive competition. Furthermore, it shows respect, which automatically buys you some capital for future assistance from these individuals.

Be sure to make note of, and follow through with, any promises you make (if at all possible). Otherwise, you may alienate these key individuals, who can seriously impair your success if they choose to do so. There will come a time when you need their help, but find them to be less than cooperative as a result of your failure to keep your promises. Not a good position to be in.

Also invest some time in socializing with your peers — go to lunch, play sports, or stop for a beverage after work. It is common knowledge that more deals are struck in informal settings than in conference rooms. Building your leadership support system is important; you can't go it alone forever. It will take time, effort, and persistence, but the eventual benefits garnered from these relationships are usually worth it. [And who knows...you may get to know and like some really amazing people!]

This is always a tough question to answer. Most of us feel better when co-workers like and respect us. The acceptance and support of others is an important factor in your success as a leader. However, as you will hear me say time and time again, a leader must always be cognizant of the "Human Factor" where their co-workers are concerned.

Animosity and jealousy are like acid — unless they are properly contained or neutralized, they can eat away at relationships, damage reputations, lessen productivity, and cause serious rifts within an organization. Avoiding or ignoring individuals who appear to harbor these or related emotions is like wedging a cork in the mouth of a volcano — eventually, very bad things are guaranteed to happen.

The most important thing to remember about dealing with animosity, jealosy, and similar negative emotions is that you cannot change how that person feels toward you — you can only provide opportunities to resolve such feelings by being open, compassionate, professional, and non-judgmental. You may not like or appreciate such emotions being directed toward you, but think for a moment how uncomfortable such emotions are for the person experiencing them.

Most mature individuals eventually find a way to resolve such negative emotions and move forward. Less mature individuals are likely to have difficulty in channeling their emotions and may demonstrate their distress in a variety of ways — from sarcasm to sabotage. Although it may be uncomfortable being on the receiving end, you will need to decide what form of response you want to make when such negative emotions are exhibited in tangible ways. Ignoring them rarely, if ever, works because they can escalate and build in intensity over time. They can poison perspectives and, in dire cases, eventually destroy any chance for group collaboration and synergy.

What can you do? Discrete confrontation is often your best option once you are convinced that bad feelings exist. For example, Mary is awarded a promotion to manager of a software team. She becomes aware that John, one of her team leaders, is unhappy. He is barely civil to her when they speak and he always seems to be sniping at her with side comments during meetings. Mary requests that John join her for lunch to discuss a concern with which Mary needs John's assistance. Mary approaches the subject as follows:

John, since I was promoted to manager, I couldn't help noticing that you seem unhappy about something. Is it the situation, me, or is it something unrelated to work?

If John volunteers some details about his emotional state or any problems he is experiencing, you can begin a dialogue to address them.

On the other hand, if John is not forthcoming about what is bothering him, try some additional gentle prodding.

John, it's understandable that you might find talking about your concerns distasteful or uncomfortable, but I'd like to help you if I may [can]. What can I do, short of resigning from my position, to help you move beyond the current...

1. "I really feel like kicking those managers who walk around with their noses in the air, as if they just smelled something unsavory among us lesser mortals. Don't you?"

In general, the environment and culture within your organization will dictate any adjustments you must make. Since your responsibilities are changing, changes in other areas will follow. For example, as you are called upon to meet with more clients and vendors, those sloppy jeans and T-shirts will likely need to be replaced by a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt or blouse (or other approriate business attire) at a minimum.

The following respresent a few general guidelines. Please Ask the Coach!» if you have more specific questions.

Attire

1. Go for quality, not quantity. With today's more relaxed dress code (or lack thereof) for business, almost anything gets by when you're a techie. When you move into a leadership role, especially if/when you enter the ranks of middle and upper management, attitudes about what is appropriate attire shift.
2. Be neat and pressed at all times.
3. Leave the "wild and crazy" in the closet for personal time activities.
4. Get help if you need it.
5. First impressions do matter!

Language

1. Go for quality, not quantity. With today's more relaxed dress code (or lack thereof) for business, almost anything gets by when you're a techie. When you move into a leadership role, especially if/when you enter the ranks of middle and upper management, attitudes about what is appropriate attire shift.
2. Be neat and pressed at all times.
3. Leave the "wild and crazy" in the closet for personal time activities.
4. Get help if you need it.
5. First impressions do matter!

Focus

1. Go for quality, not quantity. With today's more relaxed dress code (or lack thereof) for business, almost anything gets by when you're a techie. When you move into a leadership role, especially if/when you enter the ranks of middle and upper management, attitudes about what is appropriate attire shift.
2. Be neat and pressed at all times.
3. Leave the "wild and crazy" in the closet for personal time activities.
4. Get help if you need it.
5. First impressions do matter!

Manner

1. Go for quality, not quantity. With today's more relaxed dress code (or lack thereof) for business, almost anything gets by when you're a techie. When you move into a leadership role, especially if/when you enter the ranks of middle and upper management, attitudes about what is appropriate attire shift.
2. Be neat and pressed at all times.
3. Leave the "wild and crazy" in the closet for personal time activities.
4. Get help if you need it.
5. First impressions do matter!