Leaders, managers, and supervisors cannot afford to wait for their organizations to develop them. Not in today’s world.
Congratulations. You’ve recently been promoted into a new supervisor, manager, or team leader position.
You’re excited. You’re enthusiastic about taking on new challenges. This will be a great way to further showcase your value to your organization. And hopefully you will see some pay increment as well. 
There’s only one problem. The skills and talents that made you a highly successful individual contributor are not the skills and capabilities you need to become a successful new leader.
And, if you are like the majority of new leaders, your promotion did not come with training, coaching, or mentoring. You have effectively been thrown into the deep end of the pool, told that you’ll do a great job, and left to sink or swim on your own.
This is one of the main reasons why nearly 60% of new managers and supervisors fail to make an effective transition from an individual contributor into a leadership position. You definitely do not want to be part of this 60% segment.
Transitioning from a successful individual contributor role into a supervisory or manager position is fraught with challenges, concerns, and worries. This is a profound change and comes with high risks of failure, personal dissatisfaction, and team disenchantment or disengagement.
Additionally, there are dozens of transition traps you can fall into as a new supervisor or leader. I have highlighted ten of the video Transition Traps That Derail First-Time Managers and Leaders.
You Are Now A Leader
Make no mistake about it. As soon as you take on the responsibility of achieving results through others (whatever title you are given), you are now a leader.
And that means you have to quickly start learning:
- What it means to be leader
- How to juggle the hats of leader, manager, individual contributor, coach, mentor and others
- How to communicate as a leader
- How to build and maintain trust with your team members
- How to motivate others (and yourself)
- How to develop others (and yourself)
- How to prioritize work for your team, individual team members, and yourself
- How to delegate
- How to make more mindful and better decisions to produce more optimal outcomes
These are not the skills you can learn naturally through osmosis and observing other leaders. To get you started on the right path, watch the video Foundations of Great Leadership.
Online Leadership Development and Education
I once heard April Arnzen, the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Micron Technology tell a group of leaders at this Fortune 500 organization, “Don’t ever wait around for someone else to tell you how to develop yourself.”
That is sound advice for leaders at any level of any organization. Do not wait for your company to develop your leadership skills. Start leading and controlling your own personal and professional development. 
For more on this, please read the article I published recently on LinkedIn titled Leaders, Managers: Invest in Yourself.
To develop your leadership skills, seek leadership education, not a training program.
That is what I have developed in the 8-part The Art of Great Leadership online leadership development program. This program includes eight video modules centered on the skills you need to become an effective leader in today’s challenging environment, my personal review of your practical exercises, two bonus videos, 24 months of small-group coaching sessions, and an autographed copy of my book 8 Keys to Becoming a Great Leader: With Leadership Lessons and Tips from Gibbs, Yoda, & Capt’n Jack Sparrow.
For more information, please see The Art of Great Leadership website.
My goal is simple: to help you make an effective transition into your leadership role and improve your current skills as a good manager or supervisor. I want you to become a leader who is admired and trusted. A leader who produces results. And a leader that people look to for motivation, coaching, and direction.
If this appeals to you, let’s talk. Let’s discuss your personal needs, challenges, opportunities, and desires for your development as a leader. Here’s a link to my appointment scheduler. Please select a day and time that is most convenient for you. Together we can make sure The Art of Great Leadership program covers everything you need to shift from being a good manager to a great leader.
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