A public apology to emerging leaders

You’re an enthusiastic, committed employee having risen to the ranks of team leader and showing real promise for further promotion. Or perhaps you're a capable volunteer in your local organisation and one day someone taps you on the shoulder and asks you to lead a group. Your potential has been recognised.

Eager and excited to serve, and be the ultimate leader, you step out and agree to take on the next level of responsibilities. However, as the excitement of the first few team meetings wanes, you start to feel a little out of your depth or perhaps overwhelmed by the commitment required.

Hang on a minute! …Did you receive any training? Were you supplied with training tools or resources? Were you assigned a mentor, or a coach? If you did, that’s a bonus. If you didn’t, it’s not hard to understand why you might be feeling overwhelmed.

On behalf of all senior leaders, who have recruited and promoted emerging leaders, let me personally extend my sincerest apologies to you. I’m sorry if you were thrown in the deep end without sufficient training, support, or resources. I’m sorry if you feel your other strengths have been marginalised by the sheer time commitment required by all the additional management and administration responsibilities you now have on top of your every-day work. I understand this is not a good feeling, and I have written this blog for you.

Managing a team is more than just running a regular meeting to check everyone is going ok. It’s an opportunity for your team members to share questions and thoughts with you so you can learn from each other, and support each other to bring out the best in each other as you work towards a mutual goal. It requires effort, energy, time, resources, passion, and a love for people. Leading a team is no small commitment. So, I have compiled some practical tips to help you avoid the pitfalls of leadership and avoid burn-out.

Get Practical

1. Have a trial period 

If possible, set a limited timeframe or trial period before you commit to the position. You don’t know if it will work until you try and committing to an unknown future upfront can be daunting, and difficult to later step back from if it's not for you. Why not set a trial period and then re-evaluate? Seek opportunities to fill in for someone for a short time while they are on holidays.

2. Share the load

Share the responsibility. Good leadership isn’t about control. Identify people in your team that have the ability and/or potential to manage many of the team tasks too and delegate to them. It will allow you more time to enjoy being part of your team while empowering, encouraging, and uplifting others.

3. Seek training

If your organisation doesn’t offer leadership training or coaching, seek it out yourself. There are a wide range of books and websites offering tips, resources, and online training. Your local library or community college can be a great place to start for affordable or government funded learning opportunities. Release Leadership offers coaching and mentoring for emerging leaders also.

Get Personal 

1. Love your people

Being a leader is all about relationships. Each member of your team wants to feel like they belong, wants to be seen and heard. Deep down, we all yearn for connection with people, and to be appreciated.

2. Love yourself

Don’t wait until you are burnt out before you ask for help. Speak to your manager a mentor, or a close confidant. It’s ok to not be ok. It’s ok to change your mind. It’s ok to practice self-care and it’s ok to say you need a break.

You are not alone 

As a leader, you need support and encouragement as much as anyone in your team. Having a coach or mentor is a good way of getting the support you need. Release Leadership empowers and encourages leaders through listening to your concerns, and working with you to achieve growth and fulfilment in your work.

Book a FREE 30-minute Discovery Call Today!