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Identifying, Evaluating and Developing Critical Relationships

This pillar of Elevate Leadership Transition framework is all about identifying and actively developing relationships that are critical to success in your role. ‘Contracting’ with your new line manager is another element, along with establishing your support network. This article unpacks the first of three elements included in this pillar: identifying key stakeholders.

Identifying key stakeholders

In today’s organisations new leaders need to identify and gain the support of people with whom they have no direct authority, peers, other colleagues, and senior leaders. More companies have identified collaboration across business functions and units to meet business goals. Gartner research shows that work interdependence is high. In one study, 50% of employees said that in the previous three years they had experienced a greater need to co-ordinate and collaborate to get work done. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, they cited that new leaders must signal that building relationships is a priority for them, identifying the importance of investing energy in identifying key stakeholders and building relationships with them.

Being intentional about developing your network is one of the strategies that enables new leaders to accelerate their role transition. A part of this is stakeholder analysis and management, taking time to understand your colleagues’ expectations, preferences, and ways of working and developing a plan for how and when to connect with people.

Before you dive into action use the questions below as a sense check:

  • How important is collaboration in your role?
  • How can you best use your time and with who?
  • Who can help you achieve your goals? And who can hinder you?

I’ve included two approaches below that will help you network intentionally and there are many more out there.

Creating a visual stakeholder map, identifying key individuals and groups who are impacted by you and your team and who influence your success is a useful starting point. This can help you understand power dynamics, influencers, enabling you to tailor engagement strategies to effectively communicate and address unique needs.

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Reference: Johnson-and-Scholes-1999

The influence interest matrix is a great tool if you have a complex network to analyse. It is also a useful tool if you want to segment stakeholders and identify key players.

A summary of each category:

  • High interest and high influence: these are the key players and should be proactively managed and consulted. Their opinion can make or break the whole project or piece of work you are involved in. Ignore them at your peril!
  • High interest and low influence: although they have little influence, you can score additional points by satisfying their curiosity and keeping them informed in the work or projects you are involved in.
  • Low interest and high influence: it’s crucial to keep influential stakeholders satisfied. Even though they might not be interested in the initiative or work you are doing right now, if for some reason they become dissatisfied with its direction, they’ll quickly get interested.
  • Low interest and low influence: people with no interest nor influence can be ignored. However, it’s worth reviewing them occasionally, as interest and influence might change over time.

Getting to know your stakeholders.

It is easy to fall into the trap of focusing only on the task in hand. You are new in your role, you must get results to prove yourself, right? So, it makes sense to get on with the job.  I’ve coached many leaders who have started with this approach and wondered why they didn’t build trust early in the relationship and gain buy-in for key projects and pieces of work. Taking time to get to know your colleagues at a deeper level will help you understand them, what is important to them, how they like to communicate and make decisions, all of which will assist you in building a healthy relationship. Being genuinely curious and asking questions is a helpful way of gaining deep insights into what is important to your stakeholders, it will also help you understand their perspectives, critical when it comes to influencing. Creating a genuine dialogue helps with building trust and over time this can enhance your ability to influence others, drive initiatives and effect change.

In her Harvard Business Review article, A Better Approach to Networking, Christie Arscott offers a range of powerful questions to take your conversations to a deeper level and get to know your colleagues. I’ve included a few below to get you started:

  • How do you deliver value to others through your work?
  • What problems do you help others solve?
  • What aspects of your work do you most enjoy and why? What do you least enjoy and why?
  • What gives you the most meaning, satisfaction and joy at work?
  • What aspects energize and excite you?
  • What roles and positions have led you to where you are today? Which ones were critical in your journey?
  • What’s top of mind for you right now? Is there any type of support you need right now?

You will be surprised at how people open up when you show a genuine interest in them. Not only is it easier to get support when people like you, but work is far more enjoyable if you have positive working relationships with those around you. Try it, see what happens and let me know.

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Hints and Tips for Managing Increased Uncertainty

As you take on a more senior role or expanded responsibilities, uncertainty becomes an inherent part of your role. The ability to manage, navigate, and even thrive in uncertainty is what often distinguishes those leaders that transition more quickly and are effective leaders in the longer term. Below find 6 practical tips to help manage increased complexity and uncertainty.

1.     Embrace Flexibility and Adaptability

Stepping into a new role along with the pace of business can drive us to focus on acting and a focus on the detail. The more flexible you are the better you will be able to adjust to unexpected changes. Strategic agility allows you to respond to new information and changing circumstances without losing sight of long-term goals.

Staying adaptable, taking a step back, looking at the situation from a different perspective are all useful approaches.

Engaging in scenario planning to anticipate different future outcomes helps you prepare contingency plans and reduce the element of surprise.

Using ‘what if?’ questions is a simple way of developing and picturing multiple scenarios. This improves your ability to make informed decisions and navigate complex, uncertain environments effectively.

2.     Build a Strong Network

I’ve previously written about developing your support network and investing in stakeholder relationships and having done that this is one time when it really pays off. You will find yourself in great company if you have invested in your network and surrounded yourself with a network of advisors, mentors and peers who can offer different viewpoints and expertise.

This network can help you see beyond your own biases and consider alternative strategies.

It can feel lonely as you progress and your network can offer a listening ear, provide emotional support and practical advice, making it easier to navigate uncertainty.

3.     Focus on What you Can Control

When facing uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you can't control. Focusing on what you can control helps reduce anxiety and empowers you to take constructive action. You can do this by identifying the aspects of the situation that are within your control, such as your response, actions, and mindset. Plan based on these factors and set achievable goals.

4.     Apply a Learner’s Mindset

In any new role a leader will be faced with a multitude of situations and decisions they haven’t faced before or as I call it, the ‘firsts.’  Learning to navigate newness and getting comfortable being a beginner is essential in any new role. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft describes how leaders must shift from a “know it all” to a “learn it all” mindset. This is based on the work of Carol Dweck and Nadella highlighted the importance of developing a culture of learning in the business.

A learner's mindset emphasizes continuous growth and improvement. In uncertain situations, this attitude encourages you to see each experience as a chance to grow and acquire new skills. The result, you are better prepared to handle future uncertainties because you’re constantly building your knowledge and abilities.

In conclusion, by developing flexibility, awareness of your natural patterns of behaviour when handling change and uncertainty, building strong networks, and cultivating a learner’s mindset, you can turn uncertainty into an opportunity for growth and innovation, ultimately steering your team, function or organisataion toward success in an unpredictable world.

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Effective transition into a new leadership role

This article explains the Elevate framework designed to support leaders in consciously transitioning into a new or expanded leadership role.

What is Elevate?

Elevate is a practical framework designed to guide a newly promoted leader through a leadership transition. In a recent Forbes article, they highlight research from CEB Global (Corporate Executive Board); 60% of new managers fail within the first 24 months in their new role. So I have created the Elevate framework which has been designed to clarify the critical components to consider when moving from one level of leadership to another or taking the very first step into leadership. It's a leadership transition planning process that helps make the unconscious conscious, helping the leader put a plan in place for their transition. In essence, Elevate helps the leader accelerate the changes required when moving from one role to another, through adopting a planned, conscious and reflective approach.

Completing the self-assessment takes on average 20 minutes. Followed by a 90-minute feedback and planning session, which makes it easy for the new leader to create a plan to consciously and intentionally manage the transition successfully into their new role.

I have the pleasure of working with so many leaders who have been promoted however many have never had any leadership development, and often leadership transition support and coaching comes far too late in the process. In the Forbes article, they go on to say "When a transitioning leader is struggling, their direct reports perform 15% worse on average than those who report to a high-performing manager. They’re also 20% likelier to leave the organization or be disengaged, according to the Gartner consulting firm." You can read the full article here.

The costs of poorly supported and managed leadership transition are huge and the impact for the leader can be devastating. Leaders aren’t always conscious of the changes required to be successful at the next level and this can lead them to make mistakes (that are avoidable.) This impacts their confidence, can lead to overwhelm and poor decision making, slowing down the rate of transition into the new role.

Using the Elevate Leadership Transition self-assessment is one way of providing targeted support to a newly promoted leader to ensure a smooth transition into their new role.

Here's feedback from one leader about their recent experience of using the Elevate self-assessment and feedback.

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Developing Presence and Impact

If you are reading this article, you may be a leader who has just been promoted to a more senior role and will be interacting with a new group of more senior stakeholders. Are you wondering ‘how will I get heard?’ or ‘how will I get my seat at the table?’ or how others perceive you? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, this article will provide ideas and approaches to help you answer the questions above.

What I will share with you in this article relates to how your inner beliefs contribute to how you show up and the impact this has on your presence and gravitas. These are key components of pillar three of the Elevate Leadership Transition framework, Creating Early Presence, and Impact. Embarking on a new role isn't simply about mastering tasks or understanding processes; it's about harnessing the power of your inner beliefs to shape how you show up and make a meaningful impact.

Believing in your ability to succeed, known as self-efficacy, is a powerful predictor of your performance and behaviour in a role. When you possess a strong sense of self-efficacy, you approach challenges with confidence and resilience. You're more likely to take the initiative, tackle complex problems, and persist in the face of obstacles. So how do you cultivate a belief in yourself?

Start from the Inside!

In her book ‘Own the Room’ Viv Groskop explains that “if you want to project presence, you need to focus on how you feel internally.” This is frequently where I start when I am coaching someone who has just been promoted. Helping them slow down enough to notice what is happening internally, I’ll frequently suggest the client take time to notice their feelings and sensations. Don’t judge, just notice, what you are saying to yourself, consciously or otherwise.  This helps to identify what is sitting beneath the surface or the ‘real work’ that is required to enhance your gravitas and impact.

Another inside out approach is to focus on your breathing. If you mind is racing, it’s likely your breathing will be fast and shallow. It's part of the body's evolutionary "fight or flight" response to perceived threats. Actively slow your breathing down, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. I find doing this three times, helps ground yourself, enabling you to return to presence and contribute in the moment.

An outside in approach is to think about someone you know who has presence, impact and gravitas. Notice what they do, how they behave, what tiny micro behaviours do they use? List all the positive attributes they display. Now, think about which of the attributes you already possess and where you could improve or develop and turn this into a plan of action. As you implement the steps each one will impact your confidence and how you present yourself.

Positive Self-Talk Supports How You Show Up

The way you speak to yourself, your inner dialogue (or that pesky inner critic), significantly influences your self-image and behaviour. I love this quotation from Brene Brown.

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Notice how you are talking to yourself.

One element of positive self-talk involves replacing negative thoughts and self-doubt with affirming statements and encouragement. By practicing positive self-talk, you cultivate a mindset of self-compassion and empowerment, allowing you to overcome self-limiting beliefs and embrace new challenges with enthusiasm and optimism.

If you hear your inner critic, then one of the approaches to take according to Tara Mohr, is to “separate the “I” from the inner critic. For example, “my inner critic is having a little freak-out right now” rather than “I’m having a freak out right now.” Linked to this, create a character for your inner critic, some people I know name the inner critic. Both of these approaches helps you create separation from the inner critic, which helps you step back, create perspective and some distance.

Finally, see if you can notice who is the voice of your inner critic – spoiler alert, it’s not always you!! For one of my clients, when she recognised her inner critic was her mother, this released something in her and gave her choices that she didn’t previously have, leading to a significant breakthrough.

Growth Mindset Supports Learning

Your mindset, the underlying beliefs you hold about your abilities and potential, shapes your approach to learning and development. This is important when stepping into a new role, as there is likely to be a lot of learning required to help you fully transition into the role. Embracing a growth mindset, characterized by the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through dedication and effort, empowers you to see any challenges you face as opportunities for growth. Instead of fearing failure, you view setbacks as learning experiences and as steppingstones to success.

So how might you adopt a growth mindset?

1.  Approach your new role with curiosity, asking questions rather than jumping to a conclusion or judgement. Ask questions such as:

  • What assumptions am I making?
  • How else can I think about this situation?
  • What is the other person thinking, feeling, needing and wanting?
  • What are my choices here?
  • What’s useful about this?
  • What’s possible?
  • What can I learn?

2.  Focus on adapting your approach as you go and a willingness to learn from both successes and failures. Recognise what you need to let go of to be successful in your new role. Asking ‘what no longer serves me in this role?’ This can be challenging, particularly if the things you need to let go of are parts of a previous role that you have enjoyed and excelled in. For example, when people move into the first management role their identity shifts from being an individual contributor to getting results through others. Learning to let go of tasks, delegating to members of the team can be difficult initially.

Each leadership transition requires a different identify shift and this often gets overlooked e.g. Leading Leaders for the first time, or heading up a function or business, each requires a shift in how you spend your time, what you value and the skills required to be successful. Focusing on the identity shifts required can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful transition.

3. Remind yourself of past successes to bolster your confidence as you navigate your new role. Think about a time when you felt proud of yourself, really imagine that moment and notice what happens to your body language. Try it now. I bet you find yourself sitting up straighter and find yourself smiling and making strong eye contact. These physiological changes will help you have greater impact, which in turn helps you believe in yourself. If you want to explore the mind body connection further, look at Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk on the topic. http://www.embodiedleadership.net/resources/videos/

In summary, your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs profoundly influence your actions and interactions, ultimately determining the impression you leave on others. Being clear of the shifts required to be successful in your new role, whether that be developing a new skill, recognizing and letting go of a limiting belief, or consciously managing a shift in your identity will all contribute to the impact you have.

Sources:

Change your questions change your life – 7 powerful tools for life and work. Marlilee Adams, PhD. Berrett Khoeler Publishers inc.

How to Own the Room, Women and the art of brilliant speaking. Viv Groskop. Bantam Press.

Playing Big. A Practical Guide for Brilliant Women Like You. Tara Mohr. Arrow Books.

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Creating Direction and Momentum in your New Leadership Role

How we think about success determines our direction of travel, pace of delivery and the work we prioritise and deliver against. Agreeing what success looks like in our new role assists with the prioritisation and consciously planning how we spend time.

Often job roles are not as clearly defined as one might hope. Understanding expectations, responsibilities and performance metrics can be challenging. However, for you to have an impact in your new role, creating direction and establishing momentum are critical to success. We frequently find newly promoted leaders are overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do. The root cause of the overwhelm is often lack of clarity, jumping to action too quickly, doing work they are comfortable with, rather than the work only they can do, or they aren’t clear on what success looks like.

As you start your new role (or if you’ve been in a new role for a little while and still feel overwhelmed) consider the following three areas to support you in intentionally creating direction and subsequently momentum in your role.

1.   Take time to understand the role, business and context.

As you arrive in your new role there will be pressure to take charge and deliver, you will no doubt want to ‘make your mark’ quickly. You may be coming into a role where budgets are set, you inherit a team and there’s even a plan. It is tempting to act quickly without taking time to understand the context, the culture, history, ‘undiscussables’, or understand the views of stakeholders or your team but this is often a mistake.

Without a deep understanding of the above areas, how can you either verify the plan that’s there or create vision, strategy and a plan that will ensure your success in the role? In their book “Leadership Transitions How business leaders take charge in their new roles” Richard Elsner and Bridget Farrands cite two questions a new leader can ask that elicit a host of critical information.

  • If you were in my position, what would you do now?
  • If I could say exactly what you would like to hear, what would it be?

The answers provide outstanding insights and information regarding readiness for change, expectations, assumptions and thoughts about existing approaches, to name a few. Whilst taking fast action might make you feel competent in the role, it won’t necessarily equate to success in the role. Refusing to be rushed, taking time to understand the context, background and history will ultimately enable you to set vision, direction and priorities in a conscious way, ensuring success in your role.

Aside from the two questions above the following are useful ways to gather information and establish the current position:

  • Think about what you already know about the expectations for the role and note these down. How was the role ‘sold’ to you? What has been shared about priorities and key areas of focus as you went through the hiring process.
  • Consider the documents that exist that provide context regarding the business priorities and direction and therefore what your leadership responsibilities might be.
  • Have a discussion with your leader to find out their expectations and priorities for the role? How will they measure your success in the role? It might be different to what you think.
  • Talk to your team, find out what they are working on and why? As well as asking the two questions above.
  • In your introductory meetings with key stakeholders, functional leaders and peers take a little time to understand their priorities and expectations and how your role fits with theirs.
  • Undertake a SWOT analysis or capture your findings from your initial meetings using the SWOT categories to help you organise your thoughts.

We hear a lot about 90-day or 100-day plans however our experience shows the duration of transitioning into a new leadership role can vary depending on the organisation, the role and the individual. According to a study by IMD, 57% of executives attending their events said it took them six months or more to effectively assume their last new role. In our experience it takes a minimum of 6 months to transition and in fact often up to 12 months if the transition isn’t planned and intentional. McKinsey senior partners Keller and Meaney suggest leaders should take stock and then act, so having spent time understanding and making sense of the lay of the land then move to creating your plan.

2.   Create a Plan

Define goals and objectives.

a.    Clearly define short-term and long-term goals for yourself and your team.

b.    Ensure the goals align with your plan and the overall goals of the organisation.

c.     Break down the larger goals into smaller, manageable objectives.

Prioritise tasks.

a.    Identify tasks that only you can do and that align with the overall goals and consider delegating the remaining tasks.

b.    Prioritise based on urgency and importance.

c.     These steps combined will help you schedule and plan how you will be spending your time and the impact this is having.

Develop the plan.

a.    Create a strategic plan including your vision and outlining the steps to achieve your goals. Think about who you want to involve in this process, members of your team perhaps and where appropriate, key stakeholders.

3. Build Momentum

While direction sets the course, momentum is the force that propels you forward. It is the energy that enables you to transform the plans into action and results. Here’s how you can build and maintain momentum in your new role.

1.    Share the plan with your leader, team and stakeholders. This is an important step in gaining alignment and agreement to what success looks like.

2.    Monitor progress – think about how you will review progress toward your goals. Regular progress checks are useful in identifying when you may need to adjust strategies or tasks as necessary to stay on track – be prepared to adapt as required.

3.    Celebrate achievements and milestones – success is often a series of small wins, celebrate your achievements and those of your team. Recognising and appreciating progress positively boosts morale and helps create a positive feedback loop that sustains momentum.

Our research shows that success requires a dual focus on Creating Direction and Gaining Momentum which is pillar one in the Elevate Leadership Transition Framework. Establishing a clear direction provides purpose and alignment, while maintaining momentum propels you towards success.

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4 Ways to Leverage your Strengths

If you are moving into a more senior role or taking on broader responsibilities, leveraging your strengths is a great way of making a smooth transition and having an impact quickly. Having a learning plan and consciously focusing on the actions will help you take steps in the right direction and accelerate your transition into your new role.

Here are four ways you can leverage your strengths:

1. Focus on Your Core Strengths

Take some time to reflect on what already makes you effective. If you excel at building relationships, use these skills to quickly establish credibility with new stakeholders. If you are great at strategic thinking, focus on setting a clear vision for the role or project.

The key is to be intentional about applying strengths to new challenges.

2. Use Strengths to Overcome New Weaknesses

Every promotion or responsibilities brings new demands and gaps in skills, experience or mindset. You can use your existing strengths to compensate. For example, if you are naturally strong in communication and are leading functions you haven’t worked in before, you can use your ability to ask insightful questions and connect with the leaders of those functions to learn enough to offer support, whilst letting the experts take the lead.

3. Adapt Strengths to the Next Level

A strength that worked at a lower level might need to be adjusted. For example, a leader known for being hands-on with their team may need to shift toward empowering others rather than solving problems themselves. The challenge is recognizing when to recalibrate rather than overuse a strength in a way that becomes a limitation.

Being conscious of your approach will help you adapt in the moment.

4. Develop Others Using Their Strengths

Taking on broader responsibility or a more senior role isn’t just about your own growth, it’s about bringing others along with you. You can use your strengths to develop your team, coach others to step up or delegate responsibilities based on your team members motivations. If you are strong in vision-setting, involve the team, inspire and align your team around that vision. Use the broader skills of your team to create a powerful implementation plan.

As you start a new chapter in your career, don’t be afraid to let people know who you are and the strengths that you bring to the role and the team. Developing as a leader is an ongoing activity and leveraging what you're naturally good at helps you feel more capable, which builds confidence. It also reassures your team and stakeholders that you bring expertise and value to your new position.

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