Transition from individual contributor to manager is like a career change
Jesse Lyn Stoner recently wrote a first rate post about the transition from individual contributor to first time manager titled “The Biggest Leap You’ll Ever Make: From Team Member to First-Time Manager.†The whole post is worth your attention, but here’s the money quote.
“The jump from the role of individual contributor to a first-time manager is one of the most dramatic and most challenging leaps one can make. It requires a complete shift in how you see your role and in how you deliver results. And unfortunately, most new managers are ill-prepared.”
“Ill prepared?†I’ll say! This transition is more like a career change than a promotion. And too many companies don’t spend time or effort ahead of time to make it work.
Leadership development should start before someone’s a leader
Don’t wait until after you promote someone to leadership. Find out who’s interested in making the move and then do things that will help you make better decisions and facilitate more successful transitions.
Leadership development should include “trial runsâ€
Nobody can get a sense of what leadership will be like for them without trying it. Books and lectures won’t do. So put people in temporary situations where they’re expected to lead. They’ll learn if they like it and you’ll learn whether they’ve got the basic requirements.
Leadership development should include assessment of readiness
There’s no test that will give you one hundred percent certainty when you promote someone to management. So look for behavioral clues when you evaluate performance in temporary leadership roles.
Will the person make a decision? Will he or she confront a team member about poor performance? Does the potential leader love helping others succeed?
Leadership development should provide support after that first promotion.
According to the Ken Blanchard Companies, almost half of new supervisors receive no supervisory training. None. Give them training for the new job.
Don’t stop with classroom training. Provide support during the critical transition period. My experience is that the transition can take up to two years. During that time provide regular training, coaching, and peer support. Concentrate some of your training and coaching on the transition process.
