Supporting Newly Promoted Managers

This week I'm in conversation with  Jacqui Jagger who is a leadership and mindset coach. She shares the reasons why she’s passionate about supporting newly promoted managers. Why we need to ensure these people do not get their confidence knocked, rather than built up the difference between a people focussed organisation and a performance focussed organisation What is needed for people who are newly promoted? The one question Jacqui asks all the people she works with.   Jacqui’s tells us a little about being promoted in her first director role and having the benefit of being supported by a coach.  She shares how she loved to opportunity to lead, how she felt supported and was loving life.  Later she recognised that for a lot of newly promoted leaders the reality can be different if people don’t get the support for what they need.   People who are great at what they do and get promoted can have their confidence knocked (rather than built) because of the expectations of leadership.  All too often they can be knocked off their pedestal and talent is wasted as a result.  For businesses and individuals Jacqui’s passion is to help them understand the practical steps they can take to embrace the leadership and be confident.   Emma talks about her frequently used phrase of “there’s no middle management manual” and that often people get promoted.   What is it that makes Jacqui really passionate about supported newly promoted leaders?   For so many they get promoted relatively young or for a lot of the organisations I work with might be SMEs or founder led so that the person leading the organisation may not have had that support themselves. What that lead to is that they know what they don’t want to be like as a leader.  They don't always start from “what do I want to be like”.  If they don't build those relationships and that network early in their leadership then it can be hard to go back and redo.  It’s much easier if you can get off the blocks running.  Having a role model and being able to ask key questions right at the beginning of their leadership is great.  I love seeing times when people start to make that shift and ask themselves those questions rather than trying to be someone that they’re not.   Emma talks about how leading with authenticity is helpful to ensure there is less stress and anxiety and that we sometimes have pre-conceived ideas of needing to be a certain way as a leader.  She shares a story about the British Army changing the way they lead and that it’s good for businesses everywhere.   Jacqui shares a conversation about the difference between a people focussed organisation and a performance focussed organisation.  The difference is not that they don’t care about performance, it’s that they recognise that performance comes from stretching people and by providing resources and ways of working that don’t add to chronic stress and promoting burn out.  The old model of leadership that looks at results only, promotes a sense of fear that means people end up with a lack of confidence but struggle to put their hand up and say they need some help.   Listen in where we talk about how praise and encouragement is one of the undervalued skills of leadership.   It can often feel soft and fluffy and in Jacqui’s experience, when people are encouragers rather than critics the impact is enormous.  Jacqui shares a story of her brother’s achievement and how big the impact was when he was sent a thank you email from the CEO.   Emma shares experience of recognition schemes in corporate environments and whether that’s about the team and their abilities or the manager who has taken time to use the recognition system and processes in place.  This is where a look at culture across an organisation is needed as well as support for leadership and management.   What is needed for people who are newly promoted?   Jacqui shares one of the things that doesn’t get done is the setting of expectation.   “You can’t beat someone up for failing to meet an expectation that you haven’t set”   So often there’s an assumption that a person understands what is expected of them.  If it’s not tested and checked that that is the source of frustration and disappointment and can stem from thinking you’ve been clear that they know what to expect.   Have I been clear? Do they feel they have permission to take action or show initiative?   As a leader it’s so important to focus on the important and not get confused with urgent where a timeframe can move.   There’s one question that Jacqui asks all the people she works with:   “What do you want to be remembered for?”  and from that, will come out some of those behaviours and ways of being that will make it possible.   Connect with Jacqui on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-jagger/ On her website www.beyondboundariescoaching.co.uk Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.     If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.   Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected] or head over to my website at emmalangton.com