You Got Promoted To Leadership... Now What?

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So, you got promoted into leadership, now what?

When I was 18, I was put in my first leadership position.

I remember the first team I led was made up of people in their 30s and 40s.

I felt like a total baby, like a total imposter.

And I remember there was this one guy who made sure to remind me often just how young and inexperienced I was.

He questioned every little decision I made, making me feel like I was walking on eggshells.

He didn’t respect me, obviously.

And worse, the rest of the team was picking up on it.

This was one of my first tests as a leader.

After a few of these negative exchanges, I finally decided, “I’ve got to do something about this guy.”

I remember I asked to meet with him privately. I was so nervous. I remember I rehearsed what I was going to say on the front end to make sure I wouldn’t screw it up.

I remember saying, “Hey, I just want you to know that I really value and respect your ideas and experience, but I’ve noticed some negativity from you, specifically with my role, that is beginning to impact the team. I want you to know that I really care about you and this team, and I want to lead it well, but I can’t do that without your full support.”

I was not prepared for what happened next.

He broke down, started sharing some of what was going on in his personal life, and apologized.

By the end of that conversation, he was thanking me for my leadership, and from that day on, he showed me the utmost respect as a leader.

I could tell you story after story from my earliest years in leadership.

Stories where I had to face something really hard and confusing, but looking back, those experiences are often the ones that turned out to be the most rewarding and the most formative.

Since that first leadership position, I’ve had other major leadership transitions that have continued to bring ever-increasing opportunities and responsibilities.

With each chapter comes a new set of challenges, a new learning curve.

I say all of this to you because I know what it’s like to go from feeling confident to “Holy crap, I have no idea how to handle this.”

Maybe that’s how you’re feeling right now.

If so, you’re not alone.

Transitioning into leadership roles is challenging.

You’ve gone from being the person who was great at your job to something completely different.

You were promoted, but in many ways, you can feel demoted by the weight of the new responsibilities.

New leaders are often appointed because of pre-existing issues that need to be addressed.

So, when you take on leadership, you’re usually inheriting a set of problems to deal with.

Now, you’re suddenly the one everyone is looking to for the answers, for direction, for leadership.

Work used to make sense, but now it feels like you’re starting over.

What does being effective look like in leadership?

Maybe you’re starting to experience some imposter syndrome.

Maybe the pressure is starting to set in.

You’re asking the question, “Now what?”

Well, stick with me, because I’ve been there, throughout the years, my leadership roles have continued to adapt and grow, from the individual level to the organizational level.

Now, 15 years later, I feel like I can finally look back and start identifying the things that would serve new leaders like you in your own journey.

Today’s episode is going to give you everything you need not only to survive the transition into leadership but truly thrive!

So, with that said, let’s get really tactical and look at six strategies to help your initial transition into leadership go smoothly, so you can lay a strong foundation from day one.

Strategy 1: Fight Friction with Passion

The youngest CEO in Fortune 500 history was 23.

His board called him “the kid” for two years. He never corrected them.

He just made every decision before they could.

It’s hard to argue with a new leader if they’re running circles around you.

That’s some executive presence to say the least.

But it wasn’t wit and wisdom that pulled that off; it was passion.

As one of my leadership heroes once said, “Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.”

The best weapon in your leadership arsenal to fight leadership friction is passion.

So, unleash passion.

Strategy 2: Change Your Mindset

Let's be real for a minute.

Too often, new leaders think in terms of their skills and forget that leadership is all about passion.

Yes, certain skills are probably what made you a rockstar individual contributor, but those skills won’t make you a great leader.

Think about it. Your success used to be measured by your output, your work, what you could produce.

Now, your success is measured by your entire team's output and performance.

And that requires a completely different playbook, a completely different toolkit, a completely different mindset that you’ve probably not had to develop up to this point in your career.

So, let’s talk about the first big trap to avoid: failing to let go of the "doer" mindset to lean into the leadership mindset.

There's a fundamental shift that has got to transpire.

Your identity has to evolve from the “doer” to the “developer.”

You have to switch your mindset from “athlete” to “coach.”

From “musician” to “conductor.”

It’s a totally different objective and perspective with a new definition of what it means to be effective.

This can in many ways be the hardest part of this whole transition, but it’s also where the real leadership journey begins.

Your job is to keep the fire of passion burning, but not just in your own belly, but in the belly of everyone around you.

Strategy 3: Keep the Horse in Front of the Cart

Your first instinct, as a high achiever, is to prove yourself.

You want to come in, find the problems, and fix them; you want to lead meetings, unleash a new project, start a new initiative, fire underperformers, push change, and come out swinging; in other words, you want to look for opportunities to prove that you’re the leader for the job.

I get it.

But you’re going to have to fight that instinct.

Because that’s not what you or the team need right now, at least not yet.

You need to direct all of your passion into one thing at the beginning, and it’s probably something you’re not going to like.

Your only job in the beginning is to listen.

I know… We’re back in preschool, baby.

“Put on your listening ears!”

Don’t blow this off, though. This is crucial.

Right out of the gates, you need to get one-on-ones on the calendar with every single person on your team.

If you have 50 or more team members, I know that’s a lot, but just have as many as you can and prioritize who you think are the key players.

You have two objectives with these one-on-ones.

First, you need to establish your leadership relationship.

The message you’re trying to send is simple: "I'm here to support you."

In other words, I’m an advocate for you now, I’m here to serve you, I’m someone you can come to for help.

Second, you should ask a series of questions that make a personal connection and provide the specific information you need for your leadership.

Here are three questions I would recommend you ask in some way, shape, or form:

1. "From your perspective, what's going well right now?" This question is powerful. It shows respect for what’s already been accomplished, and it gets them thinking positively.

2. "If you could wave a magic wand, what’s the one thing you would change about your role, our team, or our process that would make your life easier or more effective?" This question uncovers the "pebble in the shoe" problems—the little frustrations that kill morale and productivity. I sometimes will phrase it another way. I’ll say, “Is there anything bugging you right now?”

3. "What can I do to serve you?" This is the most critical question. Not only do people feel seen and loved by this question, but it also reframes your role and relationship. It positions you as a resource, an advocate, and a supporter.

Now, these are the questions, but here’s the headline: Listen.

Listen carefully.

Not only because that makes them feel valued, but because this is information you desperately need as a leader.

Your team knows the landscape.

Jumping in with solutions before you even understand the context is the fastest way to signal that you don't value them.

It basically screams, "I don’t care about your opinion, I’m here to be the boss."

That’s not leadership.

Show them you value them as people before you ever ask them to value your leadership.

Show them they matter, before you show them the mission.

Listen to them before you ask them to listen to you.

This is what I mean by not putting the cart before the horse.

Put your people first, and they’ll respect you for it.

Strategy 4: Think People, Not Projects

This is closely related to our “Doer” and “Developer” mindset shift.

Your new leadership job is not about the project; it’s about the people.

And this new “people” job has two parts.

First, you need to get the right people on the bus.

By the bus, I’m referring to the team or the organization.

When researching this, Jim Collins said, “The executives who ignited the transformations from good to great did not first figure out where to drive the bus and then get people to take it there. No, they first got the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figured out where to drive it.”

So, get the right people first; then the second leadership aspect is about how you invest in them.

This is where we come back to your identity shift.

For instance, every time a team member comes to you with a problem, you have a choice.

The 'Doer' instinct says, "Find the answer for them." Or “Just do it yourself.”

But that’s a “project” mindset, not a “people” mindset.

It's faster, it feels efficient, and let's be honest, it feels good to be the one with the ability to get the job done, right?

But that’s the worst thing a leader can do.

It's like going to the gym and having your trainer lift all the weights for you. You might get information on how to do the exercises, but you're not actually getting stronger.

The 'Developer' mindset asks a different question. Instead of thinking "How?" you think, "Who?"

When there’s a problem, you don’t think, “How can I solve this?”

A leader thinks, “Who can solve this?”

When a team member comes to you for a decision, you learn to ask questions like, “What do YOU think?"

Instead of stepping in to do the work that a team member might be struggling with, you take the time to teach them how to do it.

You’re not a fisherman giving out fish anymore, you’re a craftsman making fishing poles.

This can be really hard. It takes patience. It means accepting that a task might take longer or not be done exactly the way you would do it, at least in the beginning.

But that’s okay. Your role is no longer to be the best player on the team.

Your role is to be the coach who develops great players.

It’s about the people.

Get the right ones and invest in them.

Strategy 4: Anchor Yourself to the Mission, Vision, and Values (MVVs)

It’s absolutely imperative that you anchor your leadership to a Mission, Vision, and Values.

Because this is what provides your leadership with authority, credibility, and depth, especially when you lack experience.

The “why” behind your decision-making is not driven by you or your personal opinion, but by the collective pursuit of the mission.

This is important for any leader, but it’s especially important if you’re new to leadership.

A lot of new leaders feel they need to prove themselves and act like they have all the answers.

Don’t do that.

Just cast vision.

Bring people back to the mission.

You may have heard the old saying, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

It’s true.

Reverse engineer that, and where there is vision, the people gain life.

Vision is kind of like a bucket with a whole in the bottom. It’s constantly leaking.

You have to keep filling the bucket back up.

People forget the vision at an alarming rate, and it’s the leader's job to keep the vision alive and well.

Similar to passion, it’s the fire you never let go out.

The leader is constantly fanning that flame.

If you, as the leader, can’t articulate the mission, vision, and values, then you’re screwed.

If your team can’t articulate the mission, vision, and values, then you’re screwed.

Seriously, you can guarantee failure.

So, go to work on that early and aggressively.

Get laser-focused on what the vision is, and get really good at articulating it in the most inspiring and passionate way you possibly can.

Sneak it into meetings, coffees, emails, bulletins, signage, scream it from the rooftops, plaster it on the walls if you have to.

There's no such thing as too much vision casting.

Strategy 5: Action

I once read of a new leader who really struggled early on in their leadership journey.

He faced failure, rejection, controversy, and long seasons when his judgment was dismissed.

Still, he kept working. He studied, wrote, spoke, prepared, and held to his convictions even when his influence seemed to be fading. He understood that leadership is not built only in moments of applause, but often in seasons of criticism, obscurity, and disappointment.

He had this saying: “Action This Day.” It was his personal motto, representing his drive to move with purpose, to refuse paralysis, and to act before circumstances were perfect.

Many of you might know that I’m referring to Winston Churchill.

For new and struggling leaders, Churchill’s story is a reminder that setbacks are not always the end of the road. Sometimes they're the training ground. It’s what forms you into a great leader.

I recently visited the Churchill War Rooms in London.

It’s an inspiring place to visit.

Churchill understood that leadership demanded action, even when it’s hard.

Choosing passivity is the path that most people take.

But not a leader.

Listen, if it hasn’t happened already, it won't be long before your first leadership test arrives.

It might be something as small as a missed deadline, a conflict between two teammates, or someone who publicly undermines your leadership authority.

Or it could be something as big as a financial crisis, an economic downturn, or perhaps a global pandemic.

In that moment, I guarantee you, everyone is watching. How you respond will set the tone for your entire leadership.

There’s only one right choice for a leader.

“Action This Day.”

Strategy 6: SELFLESSNESS

I want to tell you a story.

There was this young professional who was walking home late after work one night.

His phone had died, the trains were delayed, so he decided to take a shortcut through a back street.

Halfway down the block, there was a group of people who swarmed him.

They took his wallet, laptop, and coat, then left him brutally beaten near an alley entrance, lying on the ground with serious injuries.

A few minutes later, a really well-known leader walked by.

And he saw the man on the ground.

But he crossed to the other side of the street and kept walking.

Not long after, another person came down the same street.

This woman was actually a leader at a nearby church.

She also noticed the injured man.

She was worried about him, but she also crossed the street and kept walking. She said, “Oh, I hope someone helps him.”

Then a delivery driver came by.

He was an immigrant from a country that many people in that city often looked down on.

His accent was mocked. His neighborhood was avoided. People frequently treated him like he didn’t belong.

But when he saw the injured man, he stopped.

He got off his bike, knelt beside him, and asked, “Hey, can you hear me?”

When he realized how bad it was, he called emergency services, took off his own jacket to keep the man warm, and stayed with him until help arrived.

When the ambulance arrived, the delivery driver rode along to the hospital to ensure the man was admitted safely.

At the hospital, he gave the nurse his own contact information and said, “If he needs help getting home, call me.” Then he even left money for the injured man so that he could get food and a ride home.

The next day, the injured man woke up and asked who had helped him.
The nurse said, “It was this delivery driver. I don’t think he knew you. He just refused to leave you all alone.”

The hero of this story was not the person with the right title, reputation, or social group; the hero was the one who showed compassion in action.

If this story sounds familiar to you, it’s because it probably is.

It’s the story of The Good Samaritan in the Bible, only I put a little modern-day spin on it.

But the leadership takeaway is clear, isn’t it?

The parable teaches that leadership is not proven by position, status, or public image. It's proven by something deeper.

The good Samaritan had no title, no platform, and no recognition, yet he demonstrated true leadership by noticing need, taking responsibility, and acting with courage.

Great leaders don't ask, “Is this my problem?”
They jump into action and ask, “What can I do to help?”

Leadership begins when we're willing to cross the road toward someone else’s pain instead of walking past it.

Leadership is not about receiving; it’s about giving.

Leadership is about dying to ourselves for a greater good.

True leadership is selfless.

True leadership is sacrifice.

I’m cheering you on, and I’m also praying for you. I pray over this community every day.

As always, keep fighting the good fight.

And I’ll see you again real soon.