Free Leadership Article

Successful transition involves conscious and intensive learning that should start from the time you find out that you will be taking up your new position. You need to learn about your new organisational unit and the nature of your new role. Your past success in similar roles can actually be a hindrance to your future success as it closes you off to learning and leads to the 'if the only tool in my toolbox is a hammer I start to see every problem as a nail' syndrome.

1. Learn about your existing strengths and weaknesses. Think back to when you first started in the role you are coming from. What did you hope to achieve? With the benefit of hindsight, how does this compare to what actually happened? What does this tell you about your strengths and your weaknesses? Consider supplementing this information with some psychometric assessment of you as a leader.
2. Learn about the situation the business unit is in. Is it the start of a new unit, a unit in need of drastic turnaround, a unit where success needs to be sustained or a unit in need of some gradual improvements in some areas? Whilst more than one of these options may apply, which one best describes the unit? Start your learning as soon as you can. Access hard data such as trends on key performance and satisfaction measures, as well soft data including candid conversations with your boss-to-be and members of your new leadership team. Differentiate your new organisational unit from the one you are coming from. What is different and what is the same?
3. Learn about the new role. Each level of leadership requires leaders to let go of some existing behaviours that have worked for them in the past, to hold onto some past behaviours and to add some new behaviours to their approach. Reflect on your new role in advance and try to predict which existing behaviours you will have to let go of, which behaviours you will still do and what new leadership behaviours you may need to learn and adopt? Reflect on these same three questions at least once each week, recording your thoughts in your leadership journal (access free 45 day e-leadership journal here) and discussing them with a trusted colleague.

 
Finally start to integrate the insights from each of the three areas above and identify:

• Opportunities for you to use your strengths in contextually appropriate ways to generate short-term (3 month) wins that count.
• Areas where you will need to consciously avoid using your strengths as that is not what is called for in this new situation.
• Contextually important areas where you will need to overcome weaknesses, through development, tapping the strengths of other members of your leadership team or a combination of the two.