Preparing for a leadership position involves attending courses, learning from the previous leader, anticipating challenges, and establishing processes. It’s important to manage your workload and motivate others. Expect opposition and attribute it to office politics.
Whether you’ve just received a promotion at your current workplace or have accepted a leadership position at a new workplace, preparing ahead of time will ensure you’re better able to meet the challenges of your new job. Corporate leadership involves the dual challenge of managing your own workload and motivating others to handle theirs at the same time. While most people in a leadership position excel in one of these areas, it’s the individual who prepares in advance who usually ends up excelling in both. Attending classes or workshops, learning from the person whose position you are taking on, and anticipating the challenges you will face are all good ways to start preparing to be a leader.
One of the best ways to prepare for a leadership position is to enroll in a course, retreat, or seminar that trains participants in the art of leadership. These types of courses and events are usually organized by the chamber of commerce or business colleges and offer useful instruction in skills such as motivating a team, giving constructive criticism and leading by example. If you’ve never held a leadership position before, consider reading up on some of the practical responsibilities involved in a management job, such as conducting performance reviews and mediating inter-office conflicts. Tips on effective leadership practices are also available on DVDs and especially on the Internet, where you can subscribe to any number of corporate leadership newsletters for free.
If you are filling a leadership position that is being vacated by someone else, try to gather as much information from that person as possible during the training period. Ask as many questions as possible and arrange to get some contact information for the person leaving the position – even if it’s just an email address. Further down the line, you may find that someone else’s perspective on aspects of the position is an invaluable source of information. If you are filling a newly created leadership position that no other individual has held before, feel free to establish the processes you feel best fit the position. Whether it’s weekly team meetings, team-building exercises, or one-on-one meetings with department heads, you should form an idea early on of the processes you’d like to implement.
People preparing for leadership positions must anticipate opposition from their subordinates. If you’ve been promoted and find yourself in a position where you’ll be supervising former colleagues, it can help prepare you for changes in the attitudes of those around you. Individuals who are new to an organization and jump immediately into a leadership role are also likely to receive resentment. In any case, the best way to deal with any uneasiness that others might express about your position is to attribute it to office politics rather than taking it personally.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
