Typically, advancing a career involves a shift to a leadership role, even when an employee's area of expertise is unrelated to managing a team. But here’s the thing. Going from being a technical expert to a team leader requires a completely different set of skills.
When people are promoted based on the technical or functional skills that enable them to perform well in their technical role, we can’t expect them to perform to the same level in a role where the job description is significantly different.
This is important to consider.
Being a leader requires an entirely new set of skills. Team leaders, shift leads, supervisors and managers need to deliver results through their team. Rather than being the experts, technical leaders need to provide purpose and drive engagement. They need to transfer their technical expertise to the team, motivate good performers and support those who are yet to thrive.
The ability to do so is not based on a leader’s depth of technical knowledge, but rather on their ability to build relationships and communicate. What becomes important is leaders' ability to make decisions for the good of their team and the organisation — shifting their emphasis from self to others.
When there is no understanding of this, or when new leaders are not supported to develop these new skills, managers, team leaders, shift leads and supervisors can struggle. Teams will fail to get what they need to thrive and contribute to the success of the organisation. Ultimately ineffective leadership can erode performance and well-being — not a good position for organisations that are navigating change and facing increased competition!
Fortunately, with the right understanding and support, the skills and experiences that most technical leaders already have can be leveraged to grow the people skills they need.
So how do you fit ‘leadership training’ into an already busy schedule?
Let’s be realistic — most organisations don’t have the time to send new leaders off to a training course. But what we can do is provide learning options that employees can dip in and out of when it works for them and the team. Organisations can put in place micro-learning (or quick learning bites) that can be completed on a break, on the commute to work, or during a morning meeting. What’s better — when we do this and embed workplace learning into the flow of work, we are more likely to see results.
Understanding your organisation's challenges and capability needs is the first step on this journey. Take a look at this short interactive module to uncover what you can do to realise the potential of your people.
If you would like to hear about how we can help support your team members with the transition to leadership, check out our effective leadership package or get in contact with us today.
