Whoever is starting in the role of leader ends up facing a totally different reality: He leaves the level where he leads himself (his performance, the fulfillment of his tasks and goals) and goes to the level where he leads his team. And then everything changes, because it no longer has mastery or guarantee of performance, quality, result, because all of this depends on other people.
In addition, those who have been a leader for a short time face the dilemma of how to lead people, the pressure of results, their lack of experience, the insecurity in dealing with people, the drama of having to command that colleague who used to exchange confidences and still gain authority.
So it is necessary to learn to deal with these situations, because the demand becomes much stronger. So here are some guidelines to start this trail on the right foot:
1. Relax, you are at the beginning, give yourself the opportunity to absorb. Appropriate humility and relate to more experienced people, ask for advice.
2. Talk, understand, get to know the people on the team. Listen, it's important to understand and align the expectations of your superiors, the team, and your peers. Communicate! Don't forget: Leaders relate to people!
3. Understand the company's strategy, culture and values to set an example. Now you represent your company. It is very important to keep people aligned with the company's strategy. And you know how you line up with that? Talk to the gang upstairs (your boss, your boss's boss, the manager, the director...). The more aligned with the company's strategy, the better the results..
4. Understand the team's context, its “pains”. People can be fragile, afraid of change. Communicate, pass security and try to establish a bond of trust. Do you know why? There is no leadership where there is no trust! When trust is lacking, all the leader can do to get people to walk is imposition, pressure, and fear. Have patience to do this work, because it will make all the difference in the medium and long term. You need to build your leadership.
5. Study everything about people, understand more about the human soul (films, books, courses, coaching, mentoring, there are several resources that can help with this).
6. Communicate objectives and goals to the team and make sure they understand.
7. And finally, hands-on! Allow yourself to make mistakes, don't be afraid to show your vulnerabilities, interact with people, give direction, don't be afraid to make things happen.
People want to win, they want to do the right thing, they want to be on the side of those who make a difference, they want to be useful, they want to be liked and they want to be recognized.
People are good, and you LEADER, you just have to help them reveal that side every day!
Cheila Lamour is a Mentor, Specialist in Female Leadership and columnist for Gente Mais Portal.