I remember how inadequate I felt in my first supervisory role. I was confident that I was leadership material, but I had no idea how to be an effective leader. I received no resources or leadership training for new managers. I had no real mentors or guides in the beginning, and I received very little feedback.
While I was excited about the promotion and the opportunity to prove myself, I had my doubts. So, what did I do? I made mistake after mistake trying to lead them.
In Patrick Lencioni’s book The Ideal Team Player, he describes and illustrates three attributes that contribute to success as a team member: humble, hungry, and smart. In today’s business world, I believe great team players can become outstanding leaders and individual contributors.
Inspired by Lencioni’s attributes, here are four lessons every company should highlight in its leadership training for new managers.
Be Humble
Leadership training for new managers is about more than just training them to delegate responsibilities; it’s about teaching them to connect with their teams and lead by example. Humble team players tend to focus on others more than themselves. They give credit where it’s due and define success collectively.
Humility lends itself to openness, vulnerability, and the ability to admit mistakes. And a leader who is open about his or her mistakes and works to improve them creates a collaborative environment and a mutually accountable team.
Be Hungry
As important as being a team player is, those with leadership potential should also possess ambition and seek advancement. Leadership training for new managers should, then, give them the opportunity to learn new skills and increase their responsibilities.
A leader’s hunger for growth leads them to go beyond expectations and a willingness to push themselves. That said, hunger alone can be perceived by others as a bulldozer, which is why it’s so important to strike a balance between being humble and hungry. An effective, authentic leader combines goal-oriented ambition with vulnerable humility.
Be Smart
A leader’s IQ isn’t the only measure of his or her intelligence. One of a leader’s most important roles is creating a unified workplace, which requires listening and communication skills, but also an understanding of others. Smart team players read people and adapt in their attempt to relate to and persuade others.
In other words, effective leadership training for new managers should emphasize the importance of self-awareness and one’s ability to reflect objectively on his or her shortcomings.
Be Curious
As we consider the most important lessons in leadership training for new managers, it becomes more obvious how we can coach our inexperienced team members. Naturally, the more we learn and grow, the more questions we have, and the more curious we become.
Encourage your future leaders (and in turn, those they lead) to ask questions and continue striving for growth. Equip them as more effective team members and future leaders by welcoming feedback and addressing their challenges head on with professional communication and meaningful dialogue.
Here are some of the most common challenges I see in leadership training for new managers:
- Inspiring others to step up and work together
- Collaborating with team members to develop effective a realistic goals
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Initiating difficult but helpful conversations
- Handling conflict and disagreements
- Being decisive in complicated situations
- Being honest, vulnerable, and open
- Prioritizing self-care in stressful times
- Coaching team members with clear expectations
- Scheduling opportunities for regular communication
CrossGroup is committed to helping leaders at all levels in an organization to flourish and grow by taking proactive, systematic steps to improve. In the coming months, we want to address the real challenges you are facing, so I invite you to share the biggest challenge you see in your company’s leadership training for new managers.
Contact me with your greatest leadership challenges, and let’s work together to help you overcome them!