Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020 - 18

is critical to the work of any boss. This
article highlights six evidenced-based
topics that bosses of new leaders should
coach on and points to consider when
having developmental conversations.

A Different Mindset
Bosses should help new leaders
move away from what psychologist
Carol Dweck calls a "fixed mindset"
- avoiding challenges, giving up in
difficult situations, and ignoring criticism
and negative feedback - to embracing
a "growth mindset" where they accept
challenges, feedback on shortcomings
and failure. Bosses can reinforce that
mistakes and failure on the job are part
of being a leader, and no one is perfect.
They can also create a developmental
culture of learning and encourage new
leaders to implement what they learned
in the future. The conversations bosses
have with new leaders should address
the following questions:
*	 What are you most afraid of in your
new role as a leader? What can I do as
your boss to lessen those fears?
*	 Let me tell you about the mistakes I
made when I was new to leadership.
What would you have done in my
situation?
*	 So this situation didn't quite work out
the way you wanted. What did you
learn from it, and what are you going
to do the next time you are in a similar
situation?
*	 As a leader, how will you cultivate
a growth mindset for you direct
reports, so they are not afraid to make
mistakes?

A Different Skill Set
New leaders are often promoted
because of their technical skill.
Continued reliance on those skills will
leave them struggling in their leadership
role where other skills are key, such
as communication and influence. The
developmental conversations bosses
have with new leaders should address:

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*	 How often do you like to be
communicated with in terms of emails,
status updates, meetings and the like?
Is it the same as your team members? If
not, how will you have to accommodate
to make sure you are fitting their needs
in terms of the mode, method and
timeliness of communication?
*	 Think about the people you work with.
Do they like to be influenced using
logic and data? Are they influenced
by values and ethics? How can you
become more aware of how people
are influenced, and how can you adapt
your approach to influence to best fit
their preferences?

Bosses must
teach new leaders
to navigate the
transition from
being part of the
team to leading
the team.

A Different Work
Relationship
One of the biggest challenges for new
leaders is understanding that their
relationships with their colleagues
has changed from peer - and possibly
friend - to boss. Bosses of new leaders
must have conversations that help
new leaders understand their new
work relationships, and teach them to
navigate the transition from being part
of the team to leading the team. Focus
these conversations around three
fundamental concepts that emerge
when effective leadership occurs,
according to Center for Creative
Leadership
research:
direction,
alignment and commitment.

*	 Direction - What is the goal and
mission of your team? How has your
team been involved in establishing
those goals?
*	 Alignment - What conversations
have you had with team members to
understand how each prefers to be
managed? Do they know what their
exact roles and responsibilities are
in fulfilling the goals and mission of
the team?
*	 Commitment - How have you gone
about learning what motivates your
team members? Who does public
praise work for? Who does private
praise work for? If you don't know,
how can you find out? How can you
keep each of your team members
engaged in their work?

A Different Attitude
Toward Work
Many new leaders are unable to stop
doing the work, which inevitably
gets them in trouble. They fail to
understand that they must stop
doing the work and start delegating,
coaching and developing their direct
reports to do the work. Here, bosses
can speak with new leaders about
the importance of developmental
conversations:
*	 How do you delegate work?
How can you delegate work that
challenges others and, if done well,
allows them to succeed?
*	 How do you feel about feedback?
*	 What's the best piece of feedback
you've ever received? How timely
was it? Was it positive or negative?
*	 Could you give me feedback on how
I am managing you? That way you
can feel comfortable knowing that
I can take and implement it for the
better. In turn, you will understand
that your direct reports need to feel
comfortable giving you "upward
feedback," and you can start to
instill a climate of open feedback
and development for your team.
Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020

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