And here's something that you're probably not going to want to hear,
but it is the truth.
Not everybody on the team is going to be happy about this promotion.
Hey there,
welcome to Mak TV where we of course believe that the transformation from going
from manager to leader is such an important one and that's because our leaders
well,
they change lives and they are the ones that are having a profound effect on our
working environment today.
So today's topic is a little bit of a sticky one.
We're going to be talking about going from being a peer or a team member to
being the one that is actually leading the team's activity or directing their
activity. So since I have literally been in your shoes before,
I'm going to give you some real advice in terms of what to expect,
what you can do and what you definitely do not want to do. So let's get started.
Now,
one of the first things that you got to do when you are transitioning from being
a peer to a manager, actually no,
I'm going to back that up a little bit.
When like from the moment that you have that discussion with your manager or
with your boss about the fact that you're getting this promotion,
you have to get it in your head that things are going to change.
It's going to change not just for you but also for your team members.
And here's something that you're probably not going to want to hear,
but it is the truth.
Not everybody on the team is going to be happy about this promotion.
I know that's like the craziest thing, right?
Because you were probably one of them. You were one of the girls,
you were one of the guys,
and so you expect that they're going to be super excited that you're getting
this opportunity.
But unfortunately people are people and they come with so many different ideas
in their head or whatever the case might be.
And so not everyone is going to be happy that you're getting this opportunity.
So having this realistic outlook and knowing that of course not everybody is
going to support you in this role is really important,
because it will allow you to take certain precautions or to make, you know,
different decisions than if you were to just go into it naively.
Now I say this to you because I was once very naive about the situation.
Now even though I personally actually didn't have to deal with this,
when I transitioned from being a peer to the leader of the team,
I did actually watch it happen to another team member of mine.
So when you know when I promoted one team member to supervisor over another,
what ended up happening was the one that didn't get promoted. Well, you know,
jealousy took over.
There was a lot of drama and gossip and it caused like low morale on the team.
And so I think it's really important that you recognize that, you know,
this could happen,
that people are people and not be so naive to the fact that um,
not everyone is going to support, um, the decision or like I said,
the opportunity that is given to you.
Which brings me to my next point in terms of, you know, my recommendation,
I think that had I had an honest conversation with that team member of what was
going to happen then the drama would never have happened.
Now I know that this isn't exactly the same situation because I'm talking about,
um,
one of my team members getting promoted over another and that team member having
an issue and not necessarily me being the person that's getting promoted.
But I think the concept is basically the same. So yeah, I would suggest, um,
calling out the awkward size elephant in the room.
So once you have the green light from your boss to go ahead and let people know.
One of the first people that you need to talk to,
or the first people that you need to talk to would be your peers.
So go in a non work setting, sit them down and let them know what's coming,
let them know what's around the corner and be as open,
as honest as you possibly can be.
So one of the things that I think is really important to note is that sometimes
the lack of support isn't really about you or your promotion.
And it's really about the fact that they feel like they're not going to have
this friendship with you anymore. You know,
sometimes people feel like they're going to be losing out on something and so
that causes a reaction.
So I think it's really important that when you have this conversation with your
team members, especially the ones that maybe you're a lot closer with.
I think it's important that you let them know that yeah,
the relationship is going to be different.
You probably won't be talking about a certain thing about certain things that
you would have before or there are certain things that you can't discuss with
them. But that does not at all mean that the,
that you won't have a friendship anymore.
And I think that in itself will put them at ease and help you to transition into
the role, um,
in a much more smooth manner than you would have had you not had this honest
conversation.
The other thing I will say that's really important for you to note is that now
more than ever, your communication is going to have to be on point.
Because it's really easy for people to make up stories in their head,
especially if they're your friends. And so, you know,
commit to communicating in a real and authentic manner.
And dealing with things as soon as they arise because you really don't want this
to affect your friendship or your working friendship or relationship in any way.
So commit to having a really good communication plan. Like I said,
as soon as things come up,
just like talk about it and do so in a very real and honest manner.
The next thing I'll say is that you should probably resist the urge to change
things right away. I know that you've been, you know,
a part of the team for awhile and so you probably know what needs changing.
And fixing and you want to be the hero for the team.
But you know you're going to have to navigate this change curve for them in a
very slow and controlled manner because this is a big change, right?
It's a big change that you are now leading their activities.
So you want to be sensitive to that and make changes as slowly as possible.
The last tip is to involve them in the process as much as you possibly can.
So this is a transition that like I said isn't just new for you,
it's new for them.
So when you finally do decide to address something that is a pain point that you
know is a pain point for the entire team, I would ask them for their input.
Um, get them to be part of the plan. It will make the change that much,
much easier on them if they're part of the, um, of the outcome. Now,
before I go, I want to address something that irks me to no end.
And it's this old school like mentality and HR thing where they say that like
once you become a manager you have to like have a conversation with your
teammates and basically break up with them,
letting them know that you can't be their friends. Well,
I think this is complete malarkey. That's a word from friends.
And I just don't think that that's true at all because some of the best teams
out there, whether that be in corporate, the military or whatnot,
they all run like a family. Now I will say that teams like this, you know,
that operate like a family. I don't think that this just naturally occurs.
I think it's done very intentionally.
And they do have a few key ingredients that make that help it to work or make it
work, I should say. So you know, there's respect for the role,
there's respect for each other and there's good communication.
I would say another thing is that they have a team purpose and that each and
every person understands what their role is and what they need to do to push
that team forward.
So those would be some of the key ingredients that you would find on teams that
operate like a family or that are able to maintain friendships. Now,
is this going to be hard? Absolutely! But I think it is so worth it.
I know for our team, you know,
I thought it was great that everyone operated like a family and it actually
enhanced our work because people were going above and beyond for each other and
that's because they had actual real friendships outside of work.
I do really hope that you found this mini lesson to be valuable to you and if
you had any questions at all,
feel free to drop it in the comments below or just send me a DM.
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Thank you. Thank you so much for watching.
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Don't forget to keep smiling and I'll see you in the next one.