Moving into a leadership role? Don’t be caught off guard. Here are three things that surprise many new leaders

​So it’s time for a well-earned promotion. You are rewarded with additional responsibility and a larger team. The transition is seamless at first, but you realize that you wish you had known a bit more about how to manage your focus and time. Some aspects of leading a large team have surprised you.

Three Things that Surprise New Leaders

Over the course of many years of leadership coaching, as I helped people navigate the transition from being individual contributors to a strategic leaders, I have spotted some clear themes. Here are the three most common surprises.

1. People leadership becomes your job, not an add-on. When moving into a leadership role, many leaders have unrealistic expectations of how much time they will need to invest in connecting with staff. Most people come into the role managing their calendar around projects but don’t realize the time needed for people development activities. For example, one-on-one meetings with direct reports, team meetings, assessments, etc., can take significant time, and in some organizations, such as consulting firms, the time is above and beyond your targeted "40" hours.
2. Your identity shifts. If your identity is tied to your work, and if your job satisfaction is derived from crafting deliverables, you will need to make a mental shift. Taking on a leadership role means getting work done through people. In order to elevate, you will need to take pride in facilitating work, removing roadblocks, and connecting ideas. Your days of being heads-down on a task are over.
3. Accountability does not mean responsibility. New leaders will receive requests from their senior leadership team about solving a difficult problem, or tacking a new initiative, or creating a new product. These requests are often misinterpreted by new leaders that they, themselves, must take on the majority of the work. However, successful leaders remain accountable for the output while encouraging others to take responsibility for the multiple tasks involved. It’s not a request for the leader, it’s a request for the team.

A Leadership Contract

In Vince Molinaro’s book, The Leadership Contract Field Guide,
​he outlines four aspects of the leadership contract.

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These are:

• “Step up,” leadership is an obligation
• “Get tough,” leadership is hard work
• “Connect,” leadership is a community
• “Make it,” leadership is a decision

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These four elements set the stage for new leaders who may not be fully aware of what’s expected. It also opens a conversation. What would you add?