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As you know from my previous post Perseverance-4 Keys to Becoming A Leader, it was not my desire or goal to be in any kind of leadership position.
To be completely honest I was scared to death. In the beginning I wasn’t sure if people would respect me or not because most of them were older than me. But they did.
When I became Manager, someone asked me what we were going to do. I said, “It’s sink, or swim and we are going to learn to swim.” And that’s what we did. More than one person told me I was a good team lead and Manager. Being in a Manager position or any kind of leadership position is not easy.
My first week of being manager was extremely rough! The very first day I had to lay someone off. Also during that first week someone had to be taken to the Emergency Room because of chest pains. We had an issue with our computer system and it took most of the day to get a hold of someone to fix it.
I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about being a leader. I just know what worked for me. And I want to share with you the six things I feel are the most important.
1. Communication
Communication is key. Sometimes I felt I told my team too much information, but I wanted to keep them in the loop about everything. One of my team members told me the previous manager hardly ever talked to him. I talked to him everyday and as a result we had a good work relationship.
2. Be a Team Player
Once you reach the top keep being a team player and lead by example. Don’t expect your team to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.
3. Know How to Get Productivity
Know each person’s strengths and weaknesses so you can get the most productivity out of each one.
4. Have Their Back
Have your teams back and let them know if you are asking them to do something that might be questioned it will come back on you not them.
5. Be Available
Make yourself available at all times. My team knew they could always call me whether I was in my office or at home. I was there for them.
6. Dealing with Issues
I didn’t consider something to be an issue unless at least two people complained about it, then I would address it. Never call someone out on something in front of the whole team. Address issues in private or address it with the whole team. Another way I would address things was in an email. Emails are a good way to let your team know what you expect in certain situations. For instance what you expect if they are going to be late.
Final Thought…
Most importantly be positive and encouraging to keep morale up. I had someone tell me there were days they didn’t think they could make it. But, because of me they did. Some days or weeks are going to be rough. Let your team know it’s going to be okay and you will get through it together.