Starting Off Right

Your first days in a new leadership role will be filled with uncertainty, both for you and for your employees. You may not be sure what you have gotten yourself into, and they may have no idea who this person is who will be telling them what to do. It’s important to set the right tone from the beginning, because it’s hard to go back and change the first impression you make.

There is a leadership philosophy that says it is better to be tough when you begin because you can always be easier later on, and people will respond well to that. The reverse is not usually true…the boss who is a softie in the beginning will most likely face confusion and resentment when toughening up later. It may be better to be a bit more “in control” at first, and then loosen the reins later when you see how your employees perform and figure out who is really worth listening to and who is just in it for the paycheck. You will make it harder on yourself if you are too easygoing in the beginning, trying to be everyone’s buddy in those first few days. The boss who tells dirty jokes early on has a hard time holding people accountable for sexual harassment later, so be careful about the standards you set.

If you are seen as a tougher boss, your employees will appreciate your positive feedback more when they receive it later. Plenty of bosses seem to pat everyone on the back daily from Day One onwards, and so their compliments do not really mean much. If you start out all buddy-buddy with everyone, where do you go from there?

This is not to say you should be a monster when you walk in the door. Barking out orders, putting people down, yelling at your employees before you even learn their names…none of this creates an image of a boss who is in charge, it instead makes you look like some kind of bully, and probably one who has got pretty low self confidence and is overcompensating for it. Try to establish your position firmly and professionally, not like a little kid who is getting the first taste of authority.

All of this can seem tougher to do, by the way, if you have been promoted from within the organization. You already have an image, a reputation, a style that people know. What you need to remember, and what you need others to understand, is that “the employee” is gone and “the leader” is here; essentially, a new person. Making that transition is a difficult thing to do, and it’s something that warrants its own discussion another time.