What To Do In Your First Days In A Leadership Role

Becoming a leader, for many, can actually be a very stressful time for them

. I appreciate that to be a leader is often a 'dream' or big ambition for many, but that doesn't mean this period of transition is one completely devoid of stress. This will either be because the role will bring in so many new challenges that it may be tough to juggle all the new demands, or it may be because you have become a leader not through your own choice. I.e. this means you have become a leader by necessity rather than career path.

A good example of becoming a leader by necessity is if the project leader, whom you and the rest of your team have been serving under obediently for many weeks, suddenly falls ill. With you as the next-in-line, you must now assume responsibility lies with you! A scary thought for some I'm sure, but this is actually how brilliant leaders come to light! This is how some people seem to whizz up the corporate hierarchy quicker than any official training scheme, it's because they have taken leadership roles at a very early stage almost by accident!

Your first days as a leader are therefore very important. Those who oversaw you rolling into this new position will want validation that they made a good decision, and of course, you will want to prove to yourself that you can actually be the leader you have always wanted to be!

1.Step one is to quickly jot down a list of all your responsibilities. It's a little known truth that in your first few weeks of office, you'll pretty much neglect a couple of these, therefore it's worth seeing them all on a piece of paper so that you can at least ensure you're neglecting the least important!

2.The second step is to form relationships as quickly as possible with those who will be providing you with support. If you're a new director, then the managing director, or some of the other directors may be the ones who are providing assistance. Find your 'buddy' and quickly evaluate whether you will be able to rely on them to teach you the ropes in the first few days.

3.The third step is to form relationships beneath you. You won't be ringing the tills and building those products yourself, so it's a great idea to build strong networks with the people in the chain below you who will be effectively taking orders from you. It'll be important that you size up which type of leadership they will respond to best. If you're an army general, then an autocratic leadership style is the most appropriate, and if you're an advertising executive then you may wish to flex more of a laissez faire leadership style to leave room for the creative types.

If you do these 3 things, your first few days in the job won't be that bad at all. You may even out perform against your own expectations!

by: matthew Anderson

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