Nobody is New to Leadership

A great deal of literature in the field of leadership development is dedicated to so-called “new leaders.” This category generally refers to people like frontline managers–those who previously had no direct reports, and are suddenly responsible for leading others to success. “New leaders” might also be those occupying executive roles for the first time in their careers; because they’ve never had a fancy corner office before, they are presumed to be “new to leadership.”

But I think this paradigm does these individuals a disservice. By focusing on their newness (sometimes with an undercurrent of skepticism, or a “prove it” mentality), the idea of a “new leader” ignores the life-skills and leadership experiences that have gotten these people to their new station.

That’s the rub for me…almost nobody is promoted to a position of leadership without having already proven their ability to lead. What’s really new is the role or position; had a supervisor or hiring manager not seen their already-demonstrated leadership talent, along with potential for growth, they wouldn’t have gotten the promotion! We all know this intuitively, back to our earliest days in the workforce. When the boss isn’t around, which of the workers are willing to step up, make a plan, give instructions, raise morale? These people are leaders, whether they’re working a checkout line, washing cars, or answering phones. They may not have direct reports, but they are already developing and exhibiting the qualities of leadership.

So as to not turn this blog into a rant, please allow me the liberty to suggest a reframe:

1. Separate the role from the person. A slight change in language can go a long way in guiding so-called “new leaders” into their new role. Instead of calling them “new leaders,” call them “leaders in a new role.” This distinction facilitates what comes next…
2. Build on all of their life experiences, many of which are leadership experiences. These experiences may have been in high school or at university. They may have taken place in sports, volunteering, or community organizing. I often watch my middle school-aged son leading, simply through how he interacts with his peers, without a title or “role” other than “trusted friend.” Investigate and co-discover with your newly-promoted leader (see what I did there?) all the places and situations in which they have acted as a leader. Then, use these conversations to identify…
3. Transferable leadership skills and traits. They are abundant in this person… I promise. You would not be tempted to promote them if there wasn’t a rich history and latent ability informed by all the great things they have already done. If they are young, they (or you) may have been brainwashed into believing that their lack of formal leadership experience automatically makes them less capable. Give them a huge boost by celebrating them as they are and by identifying and encouraging all of the transferable skills and traits they have already been honing for this new role!

Want to learn how to better fill the leadership pipeline in your organization? Give us a call (315.635.6300), email (bill@getemergent.com), or send up a smoke signal (we’ll see it) and we’ll be happy to co-discover with you!