As a leader, everything depends on you. Between learning to set leadership priorities, manage a team, and make strategic decisions, there’s a tough learning curve. Yet almost 60% of new managers say they haven’t received any formal leadership training. And a full 60% of new leaders fail within their first two years on the job, largely due to this lack of training and support.
If you’re leading your own company, you’re even less likely to have formal training options. In-house mentorship is probably nonexistent. And the stakes are even higher, since you’re leading not just a mid-level team but the entire company.
Growing a leadership skill set isn’t something that just happens naturally when you found a company or start building up your team. It means being intentional about developing yourself. This work never comes to an end, by the way. A few years ago, I realized I needed to strengthen my leadership skill set — even though I’d worked hard at doing this for decades. Several family members and I had just bought a business from my father-in-law, and I had taken the reins. Despite having worked at an agency for 31 years, I needed a different set of skills to keep the business expanding. During the transition, we were going through some financial struggles. I needed to grow my ability to lead the team through stormy waters, make strategic decisions that would land us in a better spot, and lead people through change.
It was a challenging time, but I decided to be proactive. And ultimately, my efforts paid off in a big way. Read on as I share some hard-won lessons that have benefited my own growth throughout my journey as a leader. These tips for starting a new leadership role can shape your own development as a leader.
Spend time in self-reflection.
Most leaders consider themselves self-aware, but only 10–15% actually are, research has found. So, assume that you’re not as self-aware as you need to be. Increasing your self-awareness will help you relate to others better and regulate your own emotional state. And this starts with self-reflection.
Each morning, I began spending time reading a chapter in the Book of Proverbs until something spoke to me personally. When I felt like God was saying to me, “Here’s something you need to fix in yourself,” I’d stop and reflect on that passage. This practice formed part of my journey to greater self-awareness and self-improvement. I did this for a couple of months, and it launched the process of strengthening the qualities I needed to become the kind of leader I wanted to be.
Now, your practice doesn’t have to look exactly like that. Maybe you like to journal, or maybe you prefer to read a chapter from a book on leadership and jot down notes about things that especially relate to you. Find a practice that brings new insights on your needs for growth, whatever it looks like.
Take a hard look at your character and abilities.
The journey to becoming a better leader begins with being humble. Embrace the idea that you’ll have to grow in order to reach the next level, which means stepping outside of your comfort zone. That’s one of the most pivotal leadership tips for new managers that I can offer.
About twenty years ago, I started evaluating my own character and identifying areas for improvement. I started by identifying the qualities needed for the leadership role I aspired to step into. After that, I took a hard look at where I fell short. Then, I methodically worked to make adjustments that would let me become a better leader.
A similar approach involves looking at another leader that you respect. Find someone with the type of life, job, or company that you want to achieve. What qualities and skills does this person have? Then, work backward from there. Take stock of which qualities you might already have, and which ones you need to grow. Then, make a plan for how to cultivate each of those characteristics and abilities.
You can do this exercise at any point in your career, by the way. Several years back, I repeated this practice as I worked to enhance my skill set.
Ask people you trust for feedback.
Most people’s motto in life is, “Lie to me; I don’t want to know the truth. I just want to know what’s good.” But if there’s something to change, you need to know so you can fix it. You want to be ready to deal with challenges, to show up as your best self.
By learning about your flaws from others’ perspectives, you’ll approach the future with eyes wide open so you can adapt to or handle change. Addressing your shortcomings will prepare you to confront the inevitable hurdles you’ll encounter. This doesn’t mean worrying about all the different variables that could affect your business; it means being realistic and proactive.
Be open to hearing about your own character flaws and skills gaps. Invite this feedback regularly. This might never feel easy. But the more you do it, the less scary it will be. You’ll hear feedback less as a judgment and more as an observation of things that are changeable. And as you witness your own growth, you’ll realize how deeply rewarding this whole process can be.
On Radical Candor, Kim Scott shares pointers for gaining authentic feedback as a leader:
- Be persistent. Asking regularly and sincerely shows you truly want the feedback.
- Reward their candor. Don’t get defensive, do show appreciation, and work to make changes based on the feedback.
- Have a go-to question, like, “What’s one thing you’ve been wanting to tell me but holding back on?”
Ask friends, employees, and colleagues for this input. Over the years, my wife has given me invaluable guidance that has helped shape my leadership skill set.
In the process, I’ve gotten really good at listening to feedback. In fact, it’s become one of my core strengths. I consider the ability to welcome feedback a super-strength, because it ensures you’ll keep improving in countless ways throughout your life.
Give credit; take blame.
Too often, newer leaders want to pretend they have it all together. Meanwhile, everyone else sees through them. As Abraham Lincoln said, always give credit for success to others and personally take blame for failures. That’s one of my favorite tips for starting a new leadership role.
Owning your mistakes shows far greater strength than pretending to be perfect. Moreover, taking accountability sets the right example for the whole team. It helps foster a strong culture where everyone takes ownership of mistakes and strives to improve.
As a leader, whenever things go wrong, the responsibility ultimately falls on you. If one of your employees failed at a task, ask yourself, What could I have done to prepare them better? What knowledge, skill, or understanding should I have instilled? Learn from this mistake and strive to do better next time.
By the same token, when the team succeeds, name how each person contributed to the success. When you succeed, affirm how your executive assistant or other employees made your success possible. Recognize it as a collective achievement.
Know your leadership level.
In 10 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell describes “the law of the lid.” Essentially, everyone has a given degree of ability to lead, he asserts. This level can change over time, but you need to know where you stand right now, because this affects the level that you can lead at.
For instance, I’m doing just fine managing my current team, but that doesn’t mean I could manage Elon Musk’s company. Know where you’re currently at, and don’t try to step too far beyond that point. At the same time, continue pushing yourself so that one day, you can advance to the next level. By being ambitious yet realistic, you’ll maintain a trajectory of success throughout your career.
Listen to a diverse range of voices.
If you’re in an echo chamber of people who won’t speak truth to you, then your friends are either very one-minded or they are lying to you. Instead, surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to say, “I think this is a bad idea, and this is why.”
Those are the people who are going to help you learn to think more broadly, opening your eyes to your blind spots. Listening to these folks is part of your education as a leader, awakening you to fresh perspectives that can strengthen your decision-making and strategic thinking.
Through the strategies I’ve described here, I grew the skill set to steer my family’s company in the right direction and lead at a higher level. As you put these leadership tips for new managers into practice, you’ll grow into a person that people want to follow. You’ll still make mistakes, but you’ll become more resilient and adaptable —and you’ll build a high-performing team. You’ll bounce back from failures more easily, because you’ll be open to learning and growing. Over time, this will help you become the leader you want to be — one who can take your company to greater heights of success.
Are you ready to start building up your team and leading at a higher level? Hiring the right virtual assistant can make all the difference. To start the conversation, book a discovery call. I’ll be happy to talk through all of your questions and discuss how a skilled VA or executive assistant can enhance your business. I’ll also be glad to talk through more advice for a new leader of a virtual team, discussing any lingering questions and concerns.