Jennifer Newman: How to transition into a leadership role at work

Everybody wants a pay raise.

But sometimes that can mean assuming a new position at work and taking on more responsibilities.

Workplace psychologist Jennifer Newman says it's common for workers to become overwhelmed when being promoted into a leadership role, which often means watching over staff and taking on a more professional persona.

Newman joined host Rick Cluff on CBC's The Early Edition to discuss how to make the transition smoothly.

Rick Cluff: What kinds of things tend to take new leaders by surprise?

Jennifer Newman: If they've come up through the ranks, they often find their friendships change. They may lose friends or have to find new one's among other supervisors.

They can't be a buddy-leader, or a boss who still thinks they're just one of the gang. It leads to lots of problems, like appearing, or actually playing favourites and asking staff to do their jobs as if it's a favour for the supervisor.

What else can happen?

Most recognize they're responsible for employee physical safety, but underestimate their role in workers' psychological safety.

No one expects to come to work and get hurt, and this is especially true when it comes to psychological injury.

It means giving feedback well, intervening early when things are going sideways between staff, keeping things confidential and following policies and processes.

It's important to be aware of how you are coming across, what you are saying to staff.

There are no more off-the-cuff remarks. Leaders have to think things through before speaking or acting.

Even seemingly small things can have big effects, like body language and non-verbals. 

You mentioned leaders need to watch what they say?  Why is that?

Some truly underestimate or downplay the power they have, which leads to saying and doing things that cause issues to escalate.

For example, I worked with a struggling manager. One of her staff was upset about a conflict with a co-worker.

The staff person approached her about it, and, the manager said: "I can't deal with this right now".

The worker got more upset and left early.

The manager was amazed — she thought she was just telling her subordinate it wasn't a good time to talk.

Are there any other surprises new leaders should know about?

Many are shocked by the amount of time they need to devote to nurturing staff relationships. You'll hear them say, "Why should I thank people? It's their job," or, "They should get along, I'm not running a daycare!"

They forget the only way work gets done is by staff doing it. And the leader's job includes helping staff do their jobs.

What advice do you have for new leaders and their organizations?

Develop and support your leaders constantly. Don't suddenly start when they begin to flounder.

New leaders adopt the attitude that there's never enough to know about being an effective leader.

Learn all you can about yourself. Emotional reactions, not thinking before speaking or making decisions without looking at the consequences first can spell disaster.

Recognize leaders wield power. There are no off-the-cuff comments; you can't say, "I was just joking," or, blame the staff, or make excuses or turn a blind eye.

It's actually a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility, and it'll only increase because workplaces are becoming more and more complex.

With files from CBC's The Early Edition

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: How to transition into a leadership role at work