# Managing Groups and Teams/Leader Credibility

## Questions Posed

Once a team is formed, how should the team leader handle questions about
his/her ability? For example, in the case where the team has had its
first significant meeting and the leader did something to cause others
to questions his/her ability to lead the project. Along the same line,
are there particular steps a team leader can take to mitigate a blow to
the team either from external forces or internal forces (say in the form
of personal conflict or someone essential to the project leaving the
company)?

## Introduction

The question above is presented as to ask how you can mitigate questions
to your credibility as a team leader. This lack of credibility could be
from something you did wrong in a meeting or a mistake you made on a
project. The question also asks how you, as a team leader, can soften
the blow to the team from an internal or external force affecting the
team. This last question is very broad and because of this, the chapter
will focus that question and the others with respect only to
establishing, maintaining and restoring credibility as a team leader.

You can read all the books and follow all the rules about managing and
leading, but inevitably, you will find your credibility in question from
one, or a number of team members at some point during your career. It
may almost seem easier to deal with if you know you did something wrong
or inappropriate. The hard part is when you have somehow lost
credibility when you've done, pretty much, everything right. During this
chapter, we will look into a number of reasons for finding yourself
lacking credibility with your team members. We will also offer general
advice on how to keep or restore your credibility.

While there are many reasons your team may find your credibility
lacking, we will focus on a few very common ones. First, we will look at
how your credibility may be threatened simply by a stereotype attached
to you. Second, we will look at how your personality traits can affect
credibility. Then we will look into how leading your former peers can
cause credibility problems and how to alleviate them. Following these
sections we will offer advice on how to establish credibility in a newly
formed team, and finally, how to establish your credibility in general
as well as avoid pitfalls.

## Overcoming Stereotypes

Establishing leadership credibility in a group or team setting can be
difficult enough without having to battle stereotypes along the way.
This section will focus briefly on the different stereotypes that exist
within the work organization, specifically, the groups and teams within
these organizations. This section will also attempt to advise on how to
avoid the pitfalls of stereotypes.

First, we will define exactly what a stereotype is and what it is
capable of. Stereotypes occur when we assign and generalize certain
attributes, characteristics, qualities or shortcomings to a specific
group of people. For example: \"The elderly drive poorly,\" \"Women are
too emotional,\" \"Teenagers are lazy,\" or \"Men are cold and
distant.\" You may think these examples are harmless, but these are only
starting points from which stereotypes can become extreme and
irrational. Some categories which can be a target of stereotypes are:
race, religion, gender, class, age, etc.

Stereotyping is a way our brain tries to processes the endless amount of
information it is presented with daily. With so much stimulation to
account for, stereotyping is a way the brain cuts through it all in
order to make it presentable. This is often done subconsciously and is
not always linked to negative outcomes. The danger presents itself when
we are unaware of this process going on in our brain and we begin to
accept stereotypes as fact or reality. Stereotypes are far reaching and
virtually everyone is a potential victim.

Stereotypes are damaging when we assume something about someone, or
judge them prematurely, simply because we assign them to a larger group
with a predetermined set of characteristics. Stereotyping is often
linked closely with prejudice, which occurs when one makes a conscious
decision to dislike, distrust, or work against a specific group because
of the negative stereotypes associated with that group.

History is laced with stereotyping and prejudices. Modern time takes no
exception. A common place stereotyping takes place is within
organizations and teams within these organizations. This behavior can
destroy any attempts to create a collaborative environment within work
teams and can effectively prevent production or progression. So the
question presents itself, how do we keep this behavior out of our teams
in order to be more successful?

As a leader of a group/team who may be battling a stereotype while
trying to obtain credibility, you must first make it your priority to
rid yourself of any thought or behavior that endorses or exhibits
stereotyping. You must be careful not to get defensive expecting that
you are being stereotyped. Give your team the benefit of the doubt
initially. Team attitude often reflects leadership. If they see you are
relaxed and open they may adopt your attitude. This is one way to battle
stereotypes within groups.

Another way to battle stereotypes is to create an atmosphere conducive
to open communication. It is through talking to people and forging
relationships with others that stereotypes can be shattered and put to
rest. This is easier said than done, but achievable if a team leader is
determined to have a successful group.

Also, when creating a group, create groups with diversity. This builds
off the previous point of communication. We are often afraid of what we
don\'t know. A diverse group can create an environment where learning
and understanding can be achieved and stereotypes dispelled.

It may sound simple, but one final way to counter a stereotype when
leading a team is to simply work hard and prove you are a good leader
first and foremost. If you leave no doubt in your groups' mind you are
there to facilitate their success, you will begin to create an
atmosphere where attitudes can change and minds can be enlightened.

## Personality Types

When dealing with team environments, the personality of the group and
those of individuals are determinants in whether the group will succeed
or fail at its goals and endeavors. Within each group, there is the
potential for each of the members to have significantly different
strengths and weaknesses which are essential for an effective team.
Examples of these characteristics are being introverted and extroverted.
Introverts are people whose thoughts and interests are directed inward
rather than outward toward others. On the other hand extroverts are
interested in others or in the environment. Speaking in broad terms,
they are a gregarious and unreserved person. With this in mind, to be an
effective leader, you need to not only identify these traits in others,
but also identify them in yourself in order to establish leadership
credibility. Otherwise, ineffective management of your team of different
personalities, working motifs, and styles may lead to unnecessary
challenges and conflicts that could possibly lead to the demise and
failure of the overall project.

In understanding introversion and extroversion, Carl Jung (one of the
earliest leaders into the understanding and exploration of this type of
personality trait), was able to understand and develop the core
principles of extroversion and introversion. He was able to view the
behavior of humans as either habits or as personality patterns. He then
explained the differences accordingly to those unique, distinguishable,
and variable social patterns. He directed and focused his research on
the intuition, thinking, sensing, and feeling components which were
later published as major players in his psychological traits theory.

During different events in our daily lives, we tend to utilize both
aspects of introversion and extroversion. But, generally speaking, most
people rely upon one dominant expression, whether it is introversion or
extroversion, during the daily events and dramas that induce stressful
situations. The preferences that are expressed by these different types
of personalities also affect and impact social understanding and
learning of perceptions, judgments, different learning styles, as well
as sociological preferences each individual resorts to.

When comparing introverts and extroverts, with our perception of what
the team and its organization represents, there are still different view
points we hold. First, introverts might view and feel the team meeting
and discussions as draining, stressful, and (more or less) a waste of
time. While extroverts view the team meetings as productive and
energizing toward the end goal of the team.

It is essential for you, as the team leader, to not only understand the
different aspects of each team member, but also of yourself and what
impact you have in leading the group. Being able to assess your ability
and draw upon the abilities and strengths of others will provide an easy
path to a successful team. By understanding and acknowledging different
personality types, strengths and weaknesses, learning styles,
perceptions, and judgments of each group member, you have already taken
steps in the right direction to becoming an effective leader. Doing this
should dismiss most, if not all, skepticism of your leadership ability.
When you have been able to identify these aspects of your group, you can
effectively direct and coordinate the team towards your goal or
directive in the most efficient manner possible.

As the team leader, understanding group meetings is an integral
component of the development, planning of the assigned project, and
development of team unity. As previously indicated, extroverts view
these meetings as a venue for essential thought provoking discussions
and a place to surcease any problems that may arise. So to be an
effective leader, you must acknowledge and mitigate these circumstances
to the contrary of the introverts. These introverts would rather use the
time (that most meetings would use up) to research, prepare, and plan
for these meetings on a lesser scale. By understanding this, you can
handle any skepticism and quandaries about your leadership ability by
providing advanced written information about the team members,
agenda(s), reports, or possible discussion questions. This forethought
and preplanning allows introverts the necessary time to organize and
preplan their feelings and thoughts so their involvement within the
group will be more substantial and appreciated by the extroverts who, by
their very nature, will applaud and welcome their contributions.

In addressing the possible scenario of conflict from within the team
itself or from external forces, you need to address and understand the
different areas of conflict that may arise. As previously mentioned, the
different personalities may be cause for conflict within the team
environment. To quell such proprieties and demurrals from the different
team members, using the knowledge and understanding of each team member
and their strengths and weaknesses is essential as an effective team
leader. When such internal conflicts arise, being able to negotiate and
mitigate conflicts is essential. In addition, knowledge of the team
members\' personality and learning styles is important in order to show
foresight and understanding of the conflict that has occurred.

So in conclusion, as an effective and forthright leader will need to
have perception and knowledge based upon the different personality types
of each group member so any possible conflict and prejudice arising can
be eliminated.

## Effectively Leading Your Former Peers

You have spent the last few years working hard with your team, you've
seen great success together and you've been able to establish some very
positive professional relationships. You are comfortable with your team
and are satisfied with the work you have done together. Now things are
about to change, you have been rewarded for your hard work and have been
selected to lead the team you were once a part of.

After the initial euphoria and excitement of your recent promotion wears
off, you may realize the relationships with your team members is not the
same. Suddenly they look to you for motivation and guidance. Will they
buy into your ideas? Will they respect you? Will they still be your
friends? Do you want them to be your friends? How will performance
evaluations go? As managers continue to climb the corporate ladder many
of them have had to (or will) deal with these types of situations at one
time or another. This section is dedicated to helping managers
effectively manage their relationships with former peers, while at the
same time adapting to their new leadership role.

Generally speaking, two behaviors can emerge as managers begin to lead
their former peers. One end of the spectrum is trying to remain "one of
the guys" (or gals). This type of manager has difficulty making
unpopular decisions, performing disciplinary action, performance
evaluations, assigning responsibility, and holding people accountable.
At the other end of the spectrum, one morphs into an unrecognizable
individual that feels he or she must change everything the team has been
doing and make it their own. After all, the leader is ultimately
responsible for the success and failure of the team. This behavior
oftentimes results in rifts between the leaders and the rest of the
team. The following are some effective methods in making the transition
from team member to leader.

First, don't try and change everything at once. You will have plenty of
time to implement your ideas and plans for success. Now the important
part is getting your team on board with you as their leader. Second, get
the message out that you will be even handed in dealing with
subordinates. There will certainly be some subordinates you were closer
with then others. The ones you were close with may expect some
preferential treatment while others may expect to see you come down
harder on them. Ensuring your team members you will be even handed will
help them develop trust and respect for you as their leader. Next, steer
clear of situations where favoritism might be perceived. In addition,
repair rifts with former colleagues. There will certainly be some hurt
feelings and disappointment among your peers. After all, you beat them
out for the job. Some peers may also harbor ill feelings from previous
conflicts that you may have been engaged in. Take action to repair these
rifts and work towards establishing positive relationships. Finally,
clearly define your role and what your expectations are. You are the
leader act like it. Let your peers know what you expect of them and hold
them accountable for their performance.

Stepping into a leadership role involving peers can be a very
challenging situation. Difficult situations will certainly arise and
tough decisions will have to be made but that's why you're the leader.
By clearly establishing goals and expectations of every team member and
ensuring the entire team that you will not play favorites and everyone
will be treated equally you will be able to establish your credibility
as an effective leader an ultimately lead a more successful team.

## Leading a New Team

You've spent the money, done your homework, and earned your degree now
you have the job. You are now leading your own team. Now, how do you do
it? How do you establish your credibility to team members you have never
met? What are their expectations of you? How do you instill confidence
in your team about your leadership abilities? How do you handle
questions and concerns about your leadership abilities? The following
section is dedicated to assisting new leaders in managing their teams
and promoting success within their new role.

As the new leader you need to take charge. You may be replacing a great
leader who had great success and admiration from his or her team and the
shoes you are expected to fill may be great. Or you may be replacing a
leader who was despised by his or her team and the team was a
disappointment. Either way, there are several challenges leaders face as
they step into new environments as team leaders. They may be dealing
with high expectations and questions from their team such as, "That's
not how so and so would do it" or "How will this new leader be different
from the last". Despite how the team may have performed in the past it's
your ship now, the success or failure of the team is your
responsibility. Your team needs to know that you are committed to being
their leader and leading them to success. Communicate your goals and
expectations clearly to every team member. Let them know the importance
of their role in the team. Be sure to give your team the time and
resources to achieve their goals and give them the training to achieve
their goals.

Your team needs to trust you and one of the best ways to gain their
confidence in your abilities is through your example. You were hired for
a reason, obviously your boss has confidence in your abilities. Now is
the time to showcase them for the rest of your team. Your attitude and
the manner in which you perform your tasks will be infectious. The way
you act and interact with your team will ultimately reflect the way you
and your team will perform together.

Next, be accountable. Problems will arise and mistakes will be made and
at times human nature prompts us to deflect blame or try and spin things
in a better way, after all no one wants to be blamed for a major screw
up. Effective leaders know how to stand up and be held accountable.

Finally, never underestimate the power of effective listening Take the
time to get to know your people. Effective leaders must be willing to
see the team from the team's perspective. As a leader you may have your
own vision of what success is, if your team has a different vision than
you, the team will never arrive at the same point of success. Talk to
each individual team member, find out what is important to them. It is
the only way you will know how to effectively motivate them.

Individual interviews with each team member can be very effective in
helping to establish positive relationships within your team.
Furthermore, you can gain valuable insight into the nature of the team
and how you can effectively use the team's resources to achieve the
team's goals. Be sure to act upon the information you gain from your
team through your individual interviews. Involving your team's insights
will help create a culture of trust and unity within your team and their
insights may oftentimes be more profound than your own. Build up your
people, give them responsibility and hold them accountable. Praise and
recognize them when they deserve it. When they perform poorly let them
know you expect more from them. They will respect you more as a leader
and most often will be inclined to perform at a higher level for the
success of the team.

Certainly leading a new team is a challenging role filled with many
obstacles. Creating a positive environment is essential in achieving
success as a team. After all, the team\'s performance is indicative of
the leadership abilities of its leader. By taking charge, leading by
example, listening, and taking action you will be able to instill
confidence within your team. You will also establish your credibility
and, ultimately, have more success as a team.

## Establishing Credibility and Avoiding Pitfalls

Having or establishing credibility from the outset can make leading a
team easier and give more leeway in decision making while leading a team
(when it is done right). This section is easy when things go right. What
about when they don\'t?

The first thing you should never do, is try and save face by pushing the
blame onto someone else. This rarely works in the long run. You would
hope the people in your team are smart and, as a consequence, see
through this. Members of the team may play dumb at the moment to avoid
conflict, but they will not appreciate you for it. This will always be
in their mind when dealing with you. \"Will they try and pin the next
thing that goes bad on me?\"

Think about those you respect most in your organization. Not who has the
most influence or power, but who you respect. This is the type of person
who is honest with themselves and their coworkers (this includes
subordinates and higher-ups). When was the last time you were upset with
someone for fessing up to an issue they caused before someone else
mentioned it? Or graciously accepted criticism for a perceived or a real
issue they may have caused? You may have been upset with what happened
or the consequences, but think about your respect level for the person.
This is most likely a person you would go to bat for in a tight
situation, because you know they would have done their best and improved
where they could. Taking this type of stance yourself, can go a long way
in negating any issues that may happen early on in a group that question
your ability to lead a project.

Most problems boil down to communication. Members of the group may have
different interactive styles based on backgrounds or individual
disciplines. Failure to accommodate different communication styles can
lead to misunderstandings and possibly questioning abilities. One way to
help members understand you is to give them an instruction manual. Even
a cheap \$25 tape recorder has instructions, why not you? Let your
manual say, amongst other things: \"Here\'s what gets me going,\"
\"Here\'s what annoys me,\" \"Warning! Here\'s what will get you in
trouble.\" These types of suggestions are probably better suited for a
manager, but they could also work for subordinates or peers. Other
sections of the manual could include: \"Ask me to \'get to the point,\'
"If a description is not clear, please ask to be more concrete,\" \"Warn
me if I am heading down the wrong path,\" and \"I tend to refer to
statistics when I am uncomfortable with a topic.\" This type of
instruction manual of yourself can be useful as a daily reminder to
yourself on what you need to work on. Others, even timid ones, can call
you on one of your issues without fear of offending or overstepping
bounds. It will show you are truly looking to do your best and eliminate
perceived inabilities caused by communication breakdown. As result, they
will know where you are coming from.

## Conclusion

During this chapter we have touched on a few items which can affect your
credibility as a team leader. The issues we have discussed are common,
but there are many more reasons why you may have lost credibility with
members of your team. Knowing how to deal with common reasons for losing
credibility will help you when other issues arise.

Hopefully the latter part of this chapter has given you some insight
into how to, in general, establish, maintain, and restore your
credibility as a team leader. You will never be able to please everyone,
but you can certainly do your best to be an effective leader and use the
information in this chapter to help you credibility as a leader and an
example to the rest of you team.

## References

The Wall Street Journal Online, Joann S. Lublin, January 7, 2003, Job
Candidates Get a Manual From Boss: \'How to Handle Me\'
<HTTP://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1041881615563021064,00.html>

Abrashoff, Michael D. 2002 It\'s Your Ship

Career Journal Online, Erin White, November 22, 2005 \'How Some New
Managers Supervise Their Former Peers\'
<http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/management/20051122-white.html>


# Managing Groups and Teams/Managing Leadership Transitions

## Introduction

The transition period of replacing a leader within a company is often
not a very costly time for not only the company, but all personnel
involved. In the 1992 study \"Turnover and Evole Models for Family
Leave,\" researchers J. Douglas Phillips and Barbara Reisman estimate
that the cost of replacing a top-level manager is about 150 percent of
the manager\'s base salary. These costs can include: accrued annual
leave, substantial severance pay, executive recruitment activities,
interim management costs and numerous intangible and indirect costs.
This chapter examines how to successfully manage the transition from
team member to team leader. It is important to have an effective
strategy for this transition because it has a direct impact on the
future performance of the team and its leader. This transitional phase
sets behavioral norms for team members, establishes performance
standards, affects members' motivation, and creates the leader's and
members' perceptions about their ability to excel as a cohesive unit.
Data from Development Dimensions International
1 concerning leadership transitions states
that nearly one out of every five \"people managers\" rank transitioning
leadership as the most challenging life event one could experience and
at the strategic level, these numbers are even higher, often times
placing transitions above divorce, managing teenagers, moving and even
becoming a parent.

The managing leadership transitions chapter is divided into multiple
sections and is designed to be either read completely or referred to
simply as reference. The first section examines the functional and
psychological impacts that this phase can have on team members and
transitioning leaders. The second section explores the challenges that a
newly promoted team leader faces when establishing influence over the
team members who were once teammates. The best methods for establishing
influence over a team are also assessed. Section three provides
practical advice for newly promoted leaders to accelerate the transition
process from team member to full fledged team leader, while setting both
the leader and the team up for future performance success.

## Functional and Psychological Impacts of Transitioning from Team Member to Team Leader

Being promoted to a team leadership role brings many challenges. One of
the more difficult obstacles encountered is when promotion occurs from
within the team. The new leader finds him in a position of authority
over a group of team members he previously worked alongside. This can
result in struggle for both the team and the leader as roles are
reassigned and individuals adjust to the new relationship. As companies
and schools place more emphasis on teamwork, people find themselves
facing this conflict of moving from peer to supervisor more often. What
may have once been an easy relationship based on shared experiences is
now one of shifted dynamics and unease among the team. Despite the
increasing occurrence of this event, the transition rarely goes smoothly
and often is unsuccessful. In an attempt to better understand why some
individuals succeed in making the change to team leader, many studies
have been done to help identify root causes and potential solutions.
Among those concepts identified are social biases and role conflict. In
this section we hope to further explore these concepts and the role they
play in the team member to team leader transition.

The newly promoted team leader may find them struggling with role
conflict. He/she must learn how to balance the relationships built as a
peer and the new responsibility of acting as the boss. Maurice B.
Mittelmark's editorial \"Social ties and health promotion: suggestions
for population-based research\", comments on studies which examine role
conflict and its adverse psychological and functional impacts. As
applied to transitions from team member to leader, the article supports
the proposition that new leaders will be less successful at managing the
team and more psychologically stressed if the leader tries to maintain
multiple roles, as teammate and team leader. "The Role Conflict
situation is that in which multiple roles... are perceived to demand too
much time and attention\..." The article places "emphasis on multiple
roles as the stress factor, not on too low capacity to perform as
expected (although P \[the team leader\] may nevertheless take blame for
not being able to manage somehow)." A real world example of the
significant impact of leadership transitions occurs at a US Freightways
hub in Holland, where they have been able to study the effect of
transitioning terminal managers. The US Freightways hub in Holland has
59 terminals and regularly sees a 20% annual turnover in terminal
managers, thus nearly 12 transitions per year. Taking the 12 transitions
per year and multiplying that by the average effective time of 4 months
per transition, US Freightways calculated that at any time, 4 terminals
or nearly 7% of their hub were consistently operating ineffectively. The
calculations performed by US Freightways follow:

```{=html}
<center>
```
$(59-Terminals * 20\%-Annual Transitions = 11.8-Transitions per Year)$

$\begin{matrix}&(11.8-Transitions per Year * 4-Months per Transition / 12-Months per Year\\
&= 4-Terminals Consistently Operating Ineffectively)\end{matrix}$

```{=html}
</center>
```
When a team leader proves ineffective at managing the team member and
team leader role, the psychological stress of trying to juggle multiple
roles and consistently meeting deadlines will ultimately cause the
leader to fail. The failure is more often a result of this stress than
the increased functional workloads associated with performing the tasks
of team leader.

Role conflict can also occur because of commitment and the brain's
strong tendency to want to be consistent with prior actions. For
example, employees may lock themselves into certain roles by telling
coworkers "they'll always be there to support them." However, when those
employees are promoted the roles change. The promoted employees may find
themselves stuck in certain roles because they want to remain consistent
with what was said beforehand. In the example where a supervisor has to
layoff a previous coworker and friend, dissonance is created and will
interfere with the supervisory role. One of the first steps a new leader
must take in order to increase their chances of success is to establish
a policy for assessment and accountability. The role of each team member
should be assessed along with a focus on accountability for each role.
The leader is accountable for his team\'s results; each team member
should know his or her roles and responsibilities. By establishing clear
expectations from the team, the leader will be better positioned to
lead. Most importantly, with proper planning and training on the part of
the new leader, role conflict can be managed more successfully.

While there may be resistance from group members for a variety of
reasons, whether it is resentment of being passed over for the promotion
or doubt of one\'s leadership skills, it is probably in the best
interest of the new supervisor to deal with those people on a
case-by-case basis. Initially both the new leader and former peer may be
hesitant to continue a social relationship outside of work; this does
not have to be the case. As long as both parties are able to recognize
and acknowledge that work stays at the office. In addition, the
transition may be helped if the new leader is able to focus on the
opportunity of the new position, not just for him, but the team. This
will help in 3 ways:

1.  Provide framework to help separate coworkers from the leader
2.  Make the promotion and new leadership more of an uplifting goal
3.  Encourage new associations to be created for the promoted employee
    and the new set of peers (other leadership members)

## Challenges and Methods for Establishing Influence over the Team

Imagine that you have been part of a team that has been working on a
project. Having worked closely with each other for some time, each
participant has become familiar with the skills and competencies of the
other members and the team dynamics have been such that all consider
themselves peers, having equal skills and knowledge to bring to the
table. Now suppose that management is unhappy with the disappointing
results that have come from this team effort and they have asked you to
lead the team to the desired outcomes for which it was first
established. Would you expect this new appointment to be met with
resistance from your peers?

Actually, team members who transition into a managerial or team leader
role in the midst of an ongoing project can face a wide array of
challenges in asserting their newfound influence. Most likely the new
leader is now in charge of his/her peers and it may prove difficult for
team members to take direction from someone whom they still consider as
an equal. The transition period for a new leader is encumbered with a
variety of resistive tendencies that may not only cause delays, but also
a significant loss of focus which will lead to even greater problems
down the road.

Once the group dynamic changes, already existing social biases can be
augmented or new social biases can arise that can further complicate the
matter. Underlying social biases like false uniqueness, recency biases,
and stereotyping can begin to emerge and become a prevalent part of the
team atmosphere. According to Gerardo Okhuysen in his article "Managers
and Social Processes" these biases have the definitions described in the
table below.

  Social Biases                                                   Definition
  --------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  False Uniqueness                                                The false uniqueness effect refers to the tendency we have to underestimate the number of people who do what we do, and like what we like.
  Recency Biases   As we gather information about others or about situations, we give much more weight to information that is acquired recently, sometimes completely forgetting all the things that happened before.
  Stereotyping         This is a tendency we have to simplify the world by putting people into a category, and then fitting the individual into the stereotype of that category.

These definitions take on life when put in the context of practical
application. Returning to the scenario at the beginning of this section
we can show how these social biases are applied to real situations.

  Social Biases                                                     Situation
  ----------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  False Uniqueness                                                  As you begin to lead your group of peers false uniqueness may arise when your team members respond to your leadership by thinking that if they were chosen to lead the group they would have handled it differently, when in reality if given the same circumstances they would have acted exactly as you have.
  \|Recency Biases   While leading the group you may react to any negative feedback you are getting from your team by labeling them as inherently difficult or unyielding in spite of how agreeable they may have been in the past. Your bias is a response to their most recent behavior and you have nullified all prior knowledge.
  Stereotyping           As you take on your new leadership role the team members may now attribute characteristics to you that they feel are possessed by all managers. They may attribute to you characteristics of pride, arrogance, and self interest rather than an interest in the group, whether or not you actually display these characteristics.

While the competitive nature of many companies can certainly increase
the likely occurrence of the above issues regardless of the influence
the leader has; often these disruptions are signs that the newly
assigned team leader's authority is not properly recognized.

Interestingly, problems stemming from a lack of leadership authority are
much more likely to surface when promotion occurs from within a team. An
example of this occurred in a small defense company in California. The
generation gap between the two main engineering levels was quite vast.
As the project moved forward, inconsistencies in the management style of
the senior project manager resulted in a prompt changing of the guard.
The most qualified individual was of the younger generation and was well
liked by his peers for his outgoing and fun personality, but the project
manager position was not all fun and games. The six months that followed
where riddled with faulty product development, severe lapses in judgment
and many test series that were absent from oversight by project
management. Being promoted from within caused the new project manager to
be put in the difficult position of having to be in charge of the same
co-workers he amused just the day before.

In order to lead effectively, a manager's authority must be well
established. In Robert Cialdini's book, *Influence, the Psychology of
Persuasion*, he determines "authority" to be the most effective method
for leaders to influence team performance and describes the various
aspects of authority as encompassing perceptual cues, such as titles,
positions and appearance, concrete knowledge and expertise.

In general, superficial cues such as formal titles or a list of
accolades that may lend to the authoritative image of an
_unfamiliar_ manager cannot serve an individual
promoted from within a team who is already well known to the group.
Managers who are promoted from within an existing team face a unique
challenge with respect to establishing their influence primarily as a
result of the perceptual components of authority.

The logistical and social components of leadership transitions also
provide a unique challenge to any new leader, whether he/she is from
inside the company or an external hire. Just as a strong functioning
team can be one of the greatest assets to a manager and the entire
company, an ill performing entity can rapidly bring a process to a
screeching halt.

It is almost certain that the new leader of any team will be different
than the previous leader, be it in management style, attitude or vision.
These qualities, however good or bad, must be accepted by the entire
team in order for them to collectively move forward and maintain a
strong status. In retaliation to change, a vault of resistive pressures
may be unleashed toward the new leader ranging from severe lack of
urgency and distraction to jealousy and animosity towards all
management. ![](Crime.svg){width="120"} Project meetings can quickly
become less orderly, employees can lose focus and general chaos ensues.
Many social biases including false uniqueness and stereotyping can
create a wall between the new leader and his/her subordinates. The
reoccurring ideas that \"I could have done that better\" or \"he is a
typical suit that does not know what is really going on here\" can
slowly begin to implode the team environment. Although many of these
examples seem extreme, transitions in leadership often do cause
logistical delays leading to a temporary rise in social bias among
subordinates.

In a recent article by Sotiriou and Wittmer, "Influence Methods of
Project Managers: Perceptions of Team Members and Project Managers\",
the authors present the findings of three separate studies that attempt
to measure the importance of various factors relating to managerial
influence. "Expertise" was examined as a separate factor in the project
management studies but showed almost identical ratings to the
"authority" component, suggesting that these components are very closely
related. The studies also provided evidence that knowledge, when used as
an influential method, is highly correlated to a project manager\'s
overall effectiveness. It is evident that newly promoted managers are
therefore best served by leveraging their knowledge and expertise, to
help establish authority within their new role. Robert Cialdini however,
identifies "liking" as an important factor in enabling people to
influence others and he endorses a persuasion technique that leverages
"liking" or friendship as a way for leaders to influence team members.
In a situation where a colleague is promoted to a leadership role, the
new manager might hope to rely on friendship ties with former peers to
help motivate the team and encourage them to take direction. Managers
choosing to use \"liking\" as a strategy for empowerment should be aware
that often times team members adopt a familiarity with the new manager
that is consistent with his or her collegial or "friendship" role and
therefore do not properly respond to the new supervisory role.

Once a proper blend of expertise, knowledge and \"non-liking\" has been
established, management becomes further complicated by the familiar "us
vs. them" mentality that is quite common in organizations. While it is
not always appropriate to rely on friendships to motivate and direct
team efforts, it is still necessary to eliminate adversarial
relationships between team members and team leaders. Cialdini identifies
"contact and cooperation" as valuable methods of unifying groups that
may originally perceive themselves to be at odds. "Conjoint efforts
toward common goals" can help to overshadow contentious relationships
and leaders often benefit from incorporating the inherent team
challenges into a strategy focused on the major goals of the project.
This approach is echoed by Sotiriou and Wittmer's project management
studies that identify the "work challenge" as the overall most important
factor contributing to the positive influence of project managers. These
results further support methods of motivation that emphasize creating a
meaningful and challenging work environment to help transitioning
managers become effective team leaders.

Managing leadership transitions is a very difficult thing to do, but
there are excellent strategies that can help ease the burden on everyone
involved. A well rounded combination of expertise and knowledge will
foster an authoritative position for the new leader. The \"liking\"
factor, often present when an in-group employee is promoted, can be very
valuable in establishing strong positive influence. However, one must
always be aware of the potential social biases and resistive tendencies
of once peer, now subordinate employees. Strong leaders should work
toward creating a challenging and satisfying work environment that not
only focuses the team on common project goals, but also demonstrates
that the leader\'s influence can and will lead the team to produce
effective and positive outcomes. In the transition period for a new
leader, the window of opportunity is short and he/she must be willing to
make great strides toward establishing a solid influence over their
team.

## Practical Advice for Accelerating a Leadership Transition

A change in leadership of a project team requires a period of transition
for everyone involved, especially the new leader. One of the best
resources for practical and applicable advice about how to manage this
period of transition is *The First 90 Days: Success Strategies for New
Leaders at All Levels* by Michael Watkins. This book offers a structure
and framework to help new leaders manage and accelerate the transition
process that comes with their new role.

The book identifies ten key challenges for any new leader. We have
adapted these ten challenges which can be applied when a project team
member transitions into a team leadership role; later we will discuss
the challenges we feel are most important for this particular situation.
The ten challenges are as follows:

1.  **Promote Yourself**: Change your mindset to reflect the realities
    of your new position. Don't assume that what has been successful for
    you in the past will work for you today. Your new position may
    require you to acquire and develop new skills in order to guarantee
    success for you and your new team.
2.  **Accelerate Your Learning**: When transitioning into a leadership
    role within the same company or team, the learning curve will be
    less steep, but an open mind is vital to any new leader's success.
    As a member of the team, you were probably familiar with the
    industry, the company, your competitors, and the market, in addition
    to your own specific functions and responsibilities on the project.
    However, as the new leader of the team, you may not know the exact
    details of your teammate\'s responsibilities, so learning about
    these from your team members will be essential.
3.  **Match Strategy to Situation**: You need to understand the current
    business situation, and identify its unique challenges and
    opportunities. As a member of the team, you should have a good idea
    as to what the consequences and implications of transition will be,
    as well as a good sense for the team dynamics. A clear grasp of the
    situation will help you to develop a winning strategy in managing
    and accelerating the transition.
4.  **Secure Early Wins**: Building credibility will be essential to
    establishing your new role on the team, and securing early wins is
    the best way to achieve this. Formal authority over your former
    peers will only carry you so far before your team members start to
    think, "I could probably do a better job." Securing early wins will
    demonstrate to the team that you can plan and achieve tangible goals
    for the group, and they will probably be more willing to follow your
    lead.
5.  **Negotiate Success**: Perhaps the most important relationship in
    your new leadership role will be the one between you and your new
    boss. It will essential that you plan and execute a series of
    conversations with your new boss regarding his/her expectations; ask
    what resources will be available to help you develop your team.
6.  **Achieve Alignment**: Ensure that your goals, your team's goals,
    and the organization's goals are all in alignment.
7.  **Build Your Team**: Inheriting a team can produce a variety of
    interpersonal issues. Depending on the nature of your transition,
    you may or may not be given authority to make personnel decisions
    immediately or at all. A thorough and careful assessment of the
    situation will help when making recommendations to your boss, and
    assist you in your own decisions as how to restructure your team for
    optimal performance.
8.  **Create Coalitions**: Your success will greatly depend upon your
    ability to influence people outside your direct line of control. As
    the new leader of the team, you are the voice of your team to the
    organization at large. You should not only build and maintain
    alliances with the people on your own team, but also with the key
    individuals within the organization who are necessary to the
    ultimate success of your team.
9.  **Keep Your Balance**: Transitions are extremely difficult to
    manage; it is easy to lose perspective, become isolated, and make
    bad decisions. To help maintain a balanced perspective, you need to
    develop a strong advice and counsel network both within your team
    and within the organization.
10. **Expedite Everyone**: You need to not only accelerate your own
    transition, but the transitions of everyone you work with -- direct
    reports, bosses, and peers.

The most important challenges that pertain to a team member stepping
into a management or leadership role relate to those challenges
described in numbers 1, 3, 4, and 5 from above. What follows is a
detailed description and how the challenges apply to each situation.

**Challenge 1:** "Promote Yourself," relates to the psychological
transition that a team member must make when promoted to team leader. As
discussed in section one, newly promoted leaders must change their
perception of themselves and re-frame their roles within the team. While
it may seem that the re-framing would be most difficult for the leader's
former peers, in reality it is the new leader whose own behavior must
change. For example, team leaders will have to forgo the informal
chit-chat and chumminess they may have formerly enjoyed with their
peers. Also, managers probably won\'t be included in all of the
after-hours fraternizing or social activities of the team.

**Challenge 2:** "Matching Strategy to Situation," is arguably the most
important challenge for a team member transitioning to a team leader.
Without fully understanding at what stage the project team is in, a new
leader will be unable to tailor the correct managerial approach to the
team's current situation; as a result the team will fail to achieve.
Watkins recommends using the STaRS model (Start-up, Turn-around,
Realignment, and Sustaining Success), as a framework for helping to
diagnose the team's current situation. A transitioning leader must
identify the challenges and opportunities facing the team in order to
recognize the structural implications underpinning their team's ability
to perform. Those who move from team member to team leader likely do so
as a result from an organization\'s need for realignment. Often in a
realignment situation, the leader's challenge is to revitalize a team
project which has deteriorated. In this situation, the leader must
challenge engrained norms of behavior, convince team members that change
is warranted, as well as restructure and refocus the team. These
challenges are offset by potential strengths already inherent in the
team; team members' prior success serves as motivation for wanting to
achieve future success.

Watkins' assertion that transitional leaders must match their strategy
to the team's situation is in line with Hersey and Blanchard's
Developmental Theory of Leadership. This theory matches leadership style
to group maturity. Group maturity is a function of time, and leadership
style matches relationship-orientation and task-orientation to the
group's stage of development. In the case of transitioning leaders, the
group may be mature when the teammate is promoted to team leader, but
because the dynamic of the team is now changed, the leader may need to
adapt his/her leadership strategy to fit the formative stage of team
development. In the formative stage, the new leader should first focus
on the team's tasks. After this initial phase, the leader should then
heighten his/her relationship-orientation, while maintaining equal focus
on task-orientation.

**Challenge 3:** "Secure Early Wins," is essential for establishing
credibility as the new leader of the team. These early wins should be
"team wins" as opposed to wins for the new leader. This will help build
the perception that the new leader is effective not just in managing his
or her own work, but more importantly getting the team to work together
toward common goals. Watkins asserts that a new leader's "earliest
actions will have a disproportionate influence on how they are
perceived" New leaders are perceived as more credible when they display
a specific managerial style. This style, according to Watkins, consists
of six components. A new leader must be (1) "demanding but able to be
satisfied" (motivating members to commit to and achieve realistic
goals,) (2) "accessible but not too familiar" (establishing
approachability without compromising authority,) (3) "decisive but
judicious" (communicating the ability to take charge without making
hasty big decisions,) (4) "focused but flexible" (establishing authority
but consulting team members and encouraging team input,) (5) "active
without causing commotion" (building momentum without overwhelming,) and
(6) "willing to make tough but humane calls " (ensuring decisions are
fair and preserve team members' dignity.)

**Challenge 4:** "Negotiate Success," is another challenge that is
essential in almost any situation. Ultimately, your boss is the main
person who will be evaluating your team and your individual performance,
which are directly tied. So establishing criteria and tangible
objectives with your new boss is essential. Also, keep in mind that
these goals may have been set for you by your predecessor, but as part
of Challenge 3, you must evaluate these objectives and determine if they
are still realistic given the transition period required for the change
in leadership, this and other factors which your predecessor might not
have taken into consideration.

  Leaders in Transition   Additional Time Spent
  ----------------------- -----------------------
  Communicating           64.7%
  Planning                60.8%
  Building A Team         60.0%
  Strategy                58.2%
  Influencing             57.1%

As seen in table to the left from Paese and Wellins - \"Leaders In
Transition: Step Up or Step Off\" of Development Dimensions
International 2, communication and planning
consume vast amounts of time from transitioning leaders. In a study
performed by Evolta
3 , 60
--65 % of all transitioners make their transition without special
support from transition-based help firms. Often due to the fact that it
takes transitioners 6 - 9 months to become fully effective and efficient
in their new positions, a startling 35 - 40% of transitioning leaders
fail.

Although the change in leadership of a project team requires a period of
transition for everyone involved, the transitioning leader has many
tools available to make the journey as pain free as possible. Following
proven strategies for smoother transitions and possibly seeking the
advice of leadership transition training by companies like Evolta,
transitioning leaders can not only reduce the time involved, but also
increase their likelihood of success.

## Conclusion

This chapter focuses on how to manage the transition from team member to
team leader, when working in a team-based organization. With the reality
that \"internally sourced leaders are failing 33% of the time\" and
\"very few leaders feel that organizations are doing the right things to
prepare their future leaders\" (Paese and Wellins), the pressure on
transitioning leaders seems insurmountable. Although the mountain is
high, a key aspect of a successful transition is an effective strategy.

The importance of a successful transition not only lies with the leader,
but also with the future performance of the entire team. The
psychological impacts of the transitional period may include role
conflicts and the animosity and personal doubt of other \"passed over\"
teammates. Stress and impaired functionality are often negative outcomes
that commonly arise from role conflict and often the best way to
overcome such role conflict is to simply relinquish the prior teammate
role and frame the leadership role as a definitive new challenge. Once
the new leader has successfully changed his/her perception from team
member to leader, the leader must establish influence over the team.
Although this may be extremely difficult at times and require the entire
team to overcome strong social biases, the results of a meaningful and
challenging work environment are well worth the effort. One of the best
ways to influence a team is through a combination of leveraging
knowledge, expertise and \"liking\" to focus the team around a common
set of goals. This combination of techniques not only establishes the
leader's credibility within the team, but it also primes the group to
visualize accomplishing future goals under such leadership. Finally,
even with extensive training and a thorough understanding of the social
biases that may be present during your transition, it is the actions of
the **leader** that matter most. We discussed topics like how to
\"promote yourself\", \"match strategy to situation\" and \"negotiate
success\" as excellent ways to accelerate your transition period. By
opening your mind and following some of the aforementioned guidelines
for leadership transitions, anyone can successfully transition into a
coveted leadership role with confidence and finesse.

## Links

<http://www.ddiworld.com/>

<http://www.evolta.org/ngcms/v2/htdocs/index.php?cat_id=1000137>

<http://www.patrickmckenna.com/PatrickJMcKennaBrainmatterArticlesWhitepapers11.aspx?ID=50&NavID=40110>

## References

Briles, J. 2004. Changing from Peer to Boss has its Challenges. The
Denver Business Journal

Cialdini, R. Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion

Dickey, M. 2002. Tips for Making a Leadership Transition Run Smoothly.
The Chronicle of Philanthopy

J., G. 2004. Training: Helping People and Business Succeed-Sink or Swim.
Training Magazine

Mittelmark, M. 1999. Social ties and health promotion: Suggestions for
population-based research. Oxford University Press

Monaco, L. 2004. What changes when you\'re the boss?. Business Training
Library

Perets, A. 2002. Who\'s the boss? Tips for managing friends and former
peers. Tech Republic

Sotiriou and Wittmer, Influence Methods of Project Managers: Perceptions
of Team Members and Project Managers

Watkins, M. The First 90 Days: Success Strategies for New Leaders at All
Levels

Wellins, R. Leaders in Transition: Stepping Up, Not Off\" Matt Paese


# Managing Groups and Teams/New Leaders

## What are the basic roles that a new team leader needs to know?

Four of the key roles that a new manager must master are that of
planning, organizing, directing and controlling. Especially when the new
supervisor is being promoted from team member to team leader, the new
supervisor will be forced to learn these roles in order to be successful
in his new role.

### Planning

First, it is essential that the new manager become proficient in
planning for his team. Failure to effectively plan can create problems
that require a great deal more time and effort to correct than would
have been required to develop a good plan.

To plan effectively, the new manager must address the following
questions:

1.  What is the task?
2.  Who will perform the task?
3.  How should the task be performed?
4.  When must the task be completed?

In considering the above questions, the new manager must take the time
to identify and evaluate all of the possible alternatives before making
a decision. Involving team members in this part of the planning process
can yield a greater variety of possible solutions and factors that need
to be considered.

Once the manager has developed the plan by answering the above
questions, it is critical that the manager effectively communicate the
plan with the team members. No matter how well thought out and perfect
the plan, it must be understood by the team.

### Organizing

In order to accomplish the goals and objectives set forth in the
planning stages, the new manager must learn to effectively establish the
structure of the team and the people that are part of the team.

In organizing the structure of the GROUP, the manager must determine how
to best align the resources at his disposal to reach the team's goals.
The manager must make good decisions in creating formal job descriptions
and accountabilities for his team members and develop processes that can
be improved upon. By giving team members enough structure to help them
understand their roles and accountabilities, team members are clear on
what is expected of them and understand how to be successful at their
jobs.

Secondly, the new team leader must organize the people within his team.
Some of the important steps in organizing the people on the team
include:

1.  Understanding the factors that make a team member successful in his
    job
2.  Interviewing to find the right candidate to join the team
3.  Establishing and providing effective training for new team members
4.  Ongoing training and development of team members

By providing sufficient structure to team members, selecting the right
members for the team and training team members, the new manager can
effectively organize the team and increase the probability of success.

### Directing

The most difficult and complicated role that a new supervisor must learn
is that of directing. Once the manager has planned for his team, set
forth structure within the team, and selected and trained team members,
he must then develop the skill necessary to direct his team in the work.
The main skills that must be mastered are leading, communicating, and
motivating.

Although leading is a difficult skill to teach, there are several skills
that a manager can develop to become a better leader. Some of the key
skills that can be developed are:

1.  Empathy and the ability to listen and understand others point of
    view
2.  Understand own strengths and weaknesses and how they affect the team
3.  Show team members a willingness to work
4.  Show and spread excitement within team
5.  Show willingness to take on responsibility

Another key skill that a new manager must develop to become proficient
at directing his team is communication. Effective communication is
centered on the receiver of the communication receiving the same message
as was intended by the sender. A new manager must take initiative ensure
that the communication within the team is achieving the necessary
results.

### Controlling

The final role that a new team leader must learn to perform is
controlling the team. Once the roles of planning, organizing and
directing have been fulfilled, the manager must be able to control the
work to be completed by the team. The steps that are involved in
establishing control over a team are:

1.  Establish a means to measure performance
2.  Measure results against established metrics
3.  Make corrections to performance to meet established performance
    goals

By following the above steps, the new manager can gain a means of
understanding the team's strengths and opportunities for improvement, as
well as identify best practices within the team that can be shared with
the other team members. Along with following these steps, it may become
necessary to discipline employees who are unable or unwilling to change
their behavior in order to meet established requirements.

By learning the roles of planning, organizing, directing, and
controlling, a new manager can acquire the skill necessary to quickly
become effective at his new and important role.

## What are some of the key roles a manager needs to take on to be effective?

Must have authoritive manners but still remain open and slightly passive
to gain ideas, opinions to help in decision making

## What Are the Best Options for Arranging a Team and Assigning Team Role?

A primary reason for forming and working in teams is that the combined
skills and expertise of the full group can be more effective than the
contributions of individual members. The team needs to act in tight
coordination with each member performing his or her task correctly and
at the right time. When it works, it is easy to forget the team leader's
role in making it happen.

Team leaders have many challenges to overcome before the team can
fulfill its purpose. Before a team can start work toward reaching its
objective, the team leader must identify shared goals and outcomes and
align a group of individuals them, identify the resources that the team
needs and make arrangement to provide these resources, make assignments
that help improve the skills of each individual while still benefiting
the team, help the team run smoothly, and ensure that the team
accomplishes the task at hand.

It is like the old adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts. You have to get the right mix of people. To do this you have to
understand what each person brings to the group and match those people
to the right roles. Once this is accomplished, the leader's job is to
help the assigned individuals function together as a team. It is
important not to have too many or too few member. To be effective, there
needs to be a balance between the number of member and the number of
role and responsibilities assigned by the team leader. Too many members
can result in a team that is hard to manage, too few members and there
may not be enough resources to complete the task.

Before building a team you must define the capabilities your team will
need to be effective. The team leader must be clear on the objectives
that need to be met. Start by identifying the type of work the needs to
be performed. Define the team's objectives. Then look at those goals and
desired outcomes and list the skills, certifications, expertise, and
talents that will be needed to accomplish those goals. Some of these may
be very specific while others are of a more abstract nature.

The following five-step analysis, as outlined in the book "Building
Effective Teams", Duke Corporate Education, can be very beneficial when
trying to identify the resources available and the roles where
individuals may be most effective.

1.  Define your team's current responsibilities. Make note of what skill
    sets are utilized to make the team work now.
2.  Define the tasks that the team will be responsible for a year from
    now. Make note of the skill sets that will be needed.
3.  Take an inventory of the team members and the skills that they have.
    Make note of any dormant skills that team members have the potential
    to enhance and bring to the group.
4.  Compare the tasks in step one and step two with the skills that your
    team has. Are there any gaps? Do you have back-up for each person?
    Where can cross functional roles help provide redundancy?
5.  Consider readjusting the team. Are there areas that need
    development? How quickly do they need to be developed? What
    capabilities should you look for in seeking new members?

When assigning roles you must also look at how the members work
together. Personal challenges can have a definite affect on how the team
works and how quickly tasks are completed. Make a list of the norms that
you want for your team. If you want everyone to finish work at 4:30 the
night before a meeting, don't look to someone who is a last minute type
of person. If you want a casual working relationship where ideas are
shared easily, don't look to a person who always wants sole credit for
work done. Look for and find people who can fit into your list of norms.

Members of the team need a clear understanding of what is being asked of
them. They need to know that if they are unclear they have someone to go
to. They need support and direction at every step. It is the leader's
job to find out the goals of each team member. If a team member feels
that their personal goals are being met they work harder for the team.
There is no "I" in team but there is a "Me." Team members want to
continue to grow and will grow with the team if they feel like their
goals are being recognized.

The following is a checklist, again derived from "Building Effective
Teams", to help identify the roles each member may be capable of
performing.

-   Make sure you start with a clear understanding of the work to be
    done.
-   Complete a gap analysis as previously described to identify
    individual talents and how best to employ them.
-   Learn your team members' aspirations as well as their current skill
    sets and align their roles to support these objectives whenever
    possible.
-   Understand your organizations strategic direction and structure the
    team so it has the flexibility to make any changes necessary to stay
    aligned with corporate objectives.
-   Determine your overarching priorities. Make sure the objectives of
    the individuals are not allowed to interfere with the objectives of
    the team. Individual roles may have to be adjusted over time to help
    keep the team priorities at the forefront.
-   Scope the work to match the capabilities of the team members you
    have to draw from as much as possible. This often involves
    negotiation to shape the roles to the members and the members to the
    roles.

Keep in mind that there are a number of roles that can be formally
assigned within teams in the interest of helping workflow proceed as
effectively and efficiently as possible. It is the team leader's
responsibility to perform an inventory of the resources they have to
draw from and align those resources with identified team roles. While
there may be some roles that are fundamental to most teams, each
objective is different and therefore each team is unique. It is the
process of identifying which roles are necessary in a given situation
and which individuals are best suited to perform those roles that
determines the effectiveness of a team leader.

## What Relationship Aspects Can Be Defined in Advance to Assure Success?

When given an opportunity to grow within the company, there are
challenges that come with the excitement of moving up the corporate
ladder. These challenges are centered in the relationship "baggage" that
one can bring with them into their new position. So what aspects of this
baggage can be defined early so as to avoid any problems and assure the
type of success that brought you into this new position? John C.
Maxwell, in his book, The 360 degree Leader, suggests that the aspects
fall into two categories. First, there are leadership principles that
one must develop while still part of the body of the team before the
promotion. These are 1) avoid office politics, 2) let the best idea win
and 3) don't pretend your perfect. (Maxwell, 2005, Thomas Nelson) Second
are a group of principles that need to be developed after the upward
move is made. These are 1) develop team members as people, 2) place
people in their strength zones and 3) model the behavior you desire.
(Maxwell, 2005, Thomas Nelson)

Maxwell feels that the development of leadership from inside of a team
can be a very difficult challenge. Mostly the relationship baggage the
new leader brings is the months or years of established interaction with
co-workers. This baggage can be minimized with some concerted effort
when interacting as a team member.

First, Maxwell defines playing politics as "changing who you appear to
be or what you normally do to gain an advantage with whoever currently
has power." (Maxwell, 2005, Thomas Nelson) Many organizations drive
people to feel that they must play these politics to get ahead. The
suggestion made by Maxwell is that once a person participates in these
politics, their reputation among their peers is one of trying to get
ahead without merit. As this person moves into leadership roles, based
on performance or not, that reputation among his peers will follow him
and his leadership will be largely ineffective.

Second, in competitive corporate environments many middle managers are
fighting to have their ideas heard and recognized. Many will do so at
the expense of the larger company or at the expense of others around
them. As a team member, before promotion, a reputation of fairness and
open mindedness needs to be developed so that once the promotion does
come that reputation will be useful. This is done by listening to all
ideas, don't take rejection personally, don't let personality overshadow
purpose and finally, protect creative people and the ideas they
generate. (Maxwell, 2005, Thomas Nelson)

Finally, while working within a team, one should never put on the air of
superiority, even in success. The way to combat this is to be real when
dealing with oneself. Be quick to admit faults, ask for advice and worry
less about what others think. People who are real draw others to them
and are easily trusted.

Once the transition has been made to the leadership role, the
relationship baggage is still there and still needs to be dealt with.
The person in this role is no longer seen as a team member but an
ex-team member. With that said, there are still the relationships that
one has brought with them. These relationships can continue to develop
on a personal level. First, each team member must feel that the leader
is interested and willing to help them continually develop. The leader
must understand that each team member is different and needs to be dealt
with differently. Additionally, by establishing organizational goals
that help each person develop outside of the work environment they will
feel that the leader is helping them move toward personal progression.
(Maxwell, 2005, Thomas Nelson)

Second, many leaders fail in finding the "sweet spot" of each team
member is essential as a team leader. Many people feel under utilized
when they are performing tasks that do not challenge them. By spending
the time to understand strengths and then allowing team members to
maximize those strengths, new leaders can develop successful teams.

Finally, good leaders will always lead by example. Leaders that move up
through the corporate ladder by performing at high levels, achieving
goals and being real can then expect the same behavior from the teams
they now lead. This principle may be the most important. (Maxwell, 2005,
Thomas Nelson)

## References

-   Building Effective teams, Duke Corporate Education, Dearborn Trade
    Publishing.