Are you looking forward to a change of role, but are not really sure about what needs to change? Are you considering how best to relate to colleagues in your new role?
After the euphoria of getting that internal promotion, the reality sets in. How will I establish myself in my new leadership role? How will my relationships change?
The reality is that relationships will change when roles change. You may be shifting from being a peer, or a friend, to a line manager. You may have been promoted to a role in a different workplace – or across a variety of settings - and will have to return to work with the new leader that took on your old role.
These are some of the questions that my clients, who find themselves in this position, have been considering. They have been trying to find the right answers for them, in their context. The answer will undoubtably be very personal, but in my experience, some of the following guidelines may be useful:
As a leader, you must embody the vision and values of the organisation. The way that you lead and relate to others will affect the culture. Therefore, you need to be really mindful about your interactions with everyone.
Part of a senior leader’s role is to hold others to account in order to achieve strategic goals, and uphold the culture of the organisation. You have to find a way of doing this which aligns with your personal values, but still allows you to lead effectively. I have found that an effective strategy for doing this is to ensure that the conversation stays professional, and doesn’t veer into anything personal. Susan Scott’s brilliant book, “Fierce conversations” is a really helpful guide for this.
You need to treat everyone the same – regardless of their prior relationship with you - or you will compromise your integrity with your team. For example, a friend might ask a favour, e.g. leaving work early for an appointment. You need to be sure that you apply the same principles to all your team. If you allow your friend this benefit, you have now set the precedent for all, and need to ensure that you do the same for future requests from everyone in the team.
You will probably need to quality assure standards across your team, or across your organisation, and you will need to find strategies that will collect data from across your organisation. You need to be mindful about avoiding an unconscious biased view when working with colleagues. Ensure that all colleagues are listened to equally with openness and respect.
You may find that a colleague, or the new leader in your old workplace, puts barriers up to avoid working with you. Try to remain curious in this situation, rather than annoyed or upset. Perhaps they feel insecure about working with you? Perhaps they are concerned that they will let you down? You will have to find a way of understanding and overcoming this barrier, so that you are able to carry out your role effectively.
In my career, I have been promoted several times within one organisation. This includes when I became a Headteacher in the school where I was previously Assistant Head – and also a promotion across the wider multi-academy trust, where I was leading across a much bigger team as Director of Education, which involved line managing the new Headteacher at my old school. I would like to think that I successfully navigated these changes, but I am in no doubt that these promotions inevitably had a significant impact on my relationships.
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