Jumping From Coworker to Manager

Did you make the jump from coworker to manager? Congratulations!

While being promoted within is a rewarding transition, it comes with an added layer of changes versus a new-to-the-organization leader.

You may have noticed some things that are/feel different as you go from peer to manager, such as:
- Your expectations and responsibilities, including tasks, goals, and (of course) reporting structures
- The level of trust you need to foster with your team, cross-functional peers, manager, etc.
- The level of strategic thinking and balance of working IN the business vs ON the business
- Your focus on the big picture (read: zooming out vs. zooming in)
- Your focus on delegation and team development

These comparative differences require patience, learning, and adaptation from both you and your team. Here are 5 tips on how you can jump with caution to take charge of your promotion and make the shift to management with intentionality:

1) Be Mindful Of Changing Relationship Dynamics

Ask yourself these questions: 
-Is your former manager now a peer? 
-Are any of your former peers becoming your new direct reports? 
-How can you earn respect? 
-Will it be awkward telling a friend what to do or evaluating their performance? 
-Will you need to change your communication style?
-Did others apply for the same role and could there be hard feelings?  

The answers to these questions will guide how you activate your team and nurture key relationships. You may need to address the elephant in the room. 

Clarify and communicate:
-What your new responsibilities are 
-What expectations you want yourself and others to meet (both in terms of the work and the relationship dynamics)
-What success looks like and how you will need others' support/collaboration to achieve it

If you landed the job over someone else on the team, have a check in convo with them. You may need to flex your communication style to do so, but it's important to get them aligned in helping you achieve the team's success (and therefore yours!). 

2) Build Trust and Credibility - they go hand in hand. 

Trust is built when we know what we can expect from someone, because they have been consistent. Credible leaders are honest, accountable, competent, and reliable. Credibility is often cited as one of the most crucial qualities that people look for and admire in leaders. 

3) Refocus On the Big(ger) Picture

It’s easy to lose sight that a promotion to a new role within a familiar place is still in fact a new role. Refamiliarize yourself with your company's mission, vision, and strategic initiatives and do so through the lens of your new role. 

Now that you’re going from peer to boss, identify how your team as a whole contributes to this bigger picture.  Have an alignment meeting to ensure that your team is focusing their efforts on the work and results that contribute to the organization's broader goals and objectives. 

You’ll continue to build your credibility when you make more strategic decisions by taking the wide-angle view. 

4) Delegate Clearly and Effectively 

Be clear about what role you are taking in executing the work itself versus what work the team is responsible for (this might mean they are taking on some of your old work!). This will help solidify new expectations and set some new boundaries when you are leading a team of former peers. 

Avoid 'reverse delegation' as much as you can. This is when you delegate a task but then it falls back onto your plate. This can happen by default as people operate off of old assumptions and habits. This can also happen because it can be hard to let go of the work ourselves because it feels easier to get it done faster ourselves. However, that is a short-term band-aid when you need a long-term strategy. 

In order to fully assume your promotion, you need to slow down, take on a coaching role, and develop your team to become as good at the job as you were (which is likely what led to your promotion!). 

5) Seek Out and Embrace Feedback By Adopting a Growth Mindset

One of the most powerful ways that we can build trust is to ask for feedback. It’s a gift of information and opportunity, rather than something to be faced with resistance or defensiveness. Be open to feedback on how you are doing in your new role and where you can practice, improve, and provide more value. This will also demonstrate the attitude and openness you'd like to see from your team. People will be talking about you, so make sure that you have open ears to hear what they have to say. 

More than just hearing what they have to say is acting on what you hear and making the most of the opportunity for the long-term. Be sure to act on and follow-up on their feedback. The worst thing for your credibility is to ask for input and then do nothing with it. 

So, consider this a fresh slate and jump to it.