Managing others, especially for the first time, isn\u2019t all it\u2019s cracked up to be. First-time managers face common challenges<\/a>, such as balancing multiple demands, leading a team, and motivating others.<\/p>\n Ileana Starwood knows this firsthand. She went from a highly structured corporate role to a management job at a smaller firm where she manages 21 people. Some of her strengths \u2014 such as speaking up, being decisive, and thinking analytically \u2014 combined with her blind spots, were getting in the way of building relationships, managing conflicts, and building a team.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t see myself clearly, or understand the perceptions other people had of me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n As a new manager, she knew how to be a boss, but not yet a leader.<\/p>\n This was understandable.<\/p>\n Moving from individual contributor to manager is the biggest identity shift most employees make<\/a> in their careers \u2014 and 60% of first-time managers don\u2019t get any training for how to do it. Our research has found that when money is<\/em> budgeted to support first-time managers, it\u2019s typically 2\u20135x less<\/em> than what\u2019s budgeted for leaders higher up in the organization or further on in the talent pipeline.<\/p>\n This lack of preparation has huge implications. First-time managers \u2014 whether early in their careers or long-term professionals taking on team or project leadership \u2014 are on the front lines, and make up the biggest population of managers at most organizations. They directly lead the most people. Their effectiveness as leaders directly affects just about any organizational metric you can measure:<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical your organization invests in your first-time leaders to maximize their chance for success.<\/p>\n There are many ways that organizations can help new managers understand the difference in merely being a boss vs. being a leader.<\/p>\n Encouraged by her boss, Starwood took our first-level manager training program, Maximizing Your Leadership Potential<\/a>. This program helps new leaders get a solid grip on their own leadership style and learn a variety of tactics for getting the best performance out of others. Training focuses on influencing, conflict resolution, and communication, as well as self-awareness and the ability to understand the perspectives and needs of others. Program elements include:<\/p>\n \u201cI decided I was going to get everything I could out of the CCL training, then give it my all at work,\u201d Starwood recalls. \u201cThe assessments \u2014 both the positive and negative feedback \u2014 were so helpful. I took it all in and really learned things that were directly related to the issues I was having at work.”<\/p>\n Starwood left with a new perspective and a clear idea of how she needed to focus at work.\u00a0\u201cOf course, it\u2019s not like everything has changed overnight, but now I\u2019m confident I can improve \u2014 and I\u2019m working to become a leader<\/em>, not just a boss.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a similar story from another program alum: Like many first-time managers, Alisha Atlas-Corbett was promoted because she was successful as an individual contributor and was tackling a range of new challenges in her new role.<\/p>\n But she found that leading people required additional skills, like coaching. She wasn\u2019t sure what to do.<\/p>\n This is common. All too often, new managers don\u2019t fully understand the essential roles that every successful professional must play<\/a>, which require a different skillset and mindset.<\/p>\n Like Starwood, she took Maximizing Your Leadership Potential<\/a>,\u00a0too.\u00a0For Atlas-Corbett, learning about different working styles and having the chance to talk to and learn from others going through similar experiences had great value.<\/p>\n The personalization was important, too.\u00a0\u201cThe CCL focus was on knowing who you are,\u201d she says. \u201cWe learned how to use our existing strengths and energy and repurpose them, and to try new things to better handle our challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n First-time managers need to hear this overriding message: What got you promoted won\u2019t make you successful at the next level. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Developing leaders, not just bosses, requires that organizations help new managers to increase their self-awareness and understand the behaviors needed to lead a team of others. It\u2019s all part of helping set first-time leaders up for success<\/a>.<\/p>\n If your organization is serious about ensuring your new managers understand the difference in a boss vs. leader, then explore our new manager courses<\/a> for this leader level, including and most especially Maximizing Your Leadership Potential, our core program for first-level managers<\/a> to help them develop the self-awareness and skills required to effectively lead people and projects.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New managers must understand the difference in being a boss vs. a leader, because their leadership effectiveness affects the success of their whole team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":51973,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51964","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-leadership-skills-competencies","categories-self-awareness","audience-hr-consultants","impact-level-first-time-frontline-managers","region-global","article-type-leading-effectively-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Managers Must Understand the Difference in Being a Boss vs. Leader<\/h2>\n
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Being a Leader, Not Just a Boss, Requires Self-Awareness<\/h2>\n
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Ready to Take the Next Step?<\/h2>\n