Written by Holtby Turner
The process of becoming a leader is tough, even for those with an innate skill for leading. As the built environment becomes more dynamic, with different business divisions offering integrated products and services, when we speak to first time leaders we often hear their first foray in leadership far harder than they imagined.
As a first time leader’s rite of passage is the greatest insight into the way they will mature into CEOs and senior executives, it seems most only speak about what it’s really like in hindsight. So, I thought it would be a good idea to be straight about the struggles new managers face, and to share what we know from years of executive search to find real estate’s emerging leaders.
Leadership Basics
Individual success depends on personal expertise and actions. Those of a leader do not. Leaders need to both create and implement the strategy and the plan for their team. This is something most managers aren’t taught in the early stages in our careers. Therefore, as Toby Turner always points out, a first time leader’s new job must include weeks of unlearning a career’s worth of behaviours. An entire mind-set has to shift from “me” to “we”, and “I” to “us”, which takes a few months at least.
In Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Leading Teams, author Mary Shapiro believes one of the first priorities for a first time leader is building camaraderie, and resisting the urge to start talking about outcomes. Talking openly about what everyone would like to encourage and see as a win, along with what they’d like to avoid moving forwards is essential in connecting new teams.
It would seem, first time leaders often aren’t told this and sink because what ‘being boss’ means often seems shrouded in mystery. In Becoming The Boss, Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Linda A. Hill notes new managers get a rude awakening they have misconceptions about the level of authority and freedom their new positions will give them. Instead of gaining a new level of authority and status, Dr. Hill found those she studied felt hemmed in by interdependencies inside and outside the organisation. Their daily routines were pressured, hectic, and fragmented with relentless and often conflicting demands.
This quest for authority, coupled with a lack of control over others, prompts many first time leaders to micro-manage, believing it is the surest way to get results. The shock when they find out telling a direct report to do something will almost certainly get ignored is something almost all experienced leaders laugh about in hindsight. But at the time, it feels insulting and wounding so we begin blaming, which in turn causes resentment, and in turn, the breakdown in a team that has barely even formed. Alas, this is something we regularly see: new managers fail to see they are far from an almighty leader. Rather they get swamped managing direct reports and ignore (or neglect) building their network – the very thing that would haul them out of their panicked state.
As people form opinions pretty quickly, and these opinions tend to be sticky, says Michael Watkins, author of the global bestseller The First 90 Days, it’s on first time leaders to set a sincere vision. They need a clear intention to do what’s best for the team and the organisation, whether it’s in taking over an existing team, or starting a new one. Communication is key to being able to influence, and to building credibility and trust in the team, as he points out in The First 90 Days. “I’ve never encountered a situation where a team member says, “Gosh, I wish the boss would stop communicating with me. I’m so sick of hearing from her.” You just never hear that!”
Mary Shapiro agrees: “It’s always better to start with more structure, more touch points, more check-ins at the beginning. How you do that — via big meetings, one-on-ones, email, or shared progress reports — will vary from team to team and manager to manager, but whatever the communication method, do as much as you can”.
Without clear communication and getting the team on board, delegation is risky. Not being on board means there’s a lack of care and incentive to take initiative. If teams don’t show initiative, then how can they develop a healthy relationship with risk and change? And if that spreads, then how can an organisation thrive when transformation is heaped with risk?
By communicating your vision and values as a first time leader you show your team that you’re committed to transparency, says Michael Watkins, which in turn creates positive momentum. Unfortunately, first time leaders generally fail to appreciate this. They spend too much time with their favourites, and limit their perspectives with ‘clique thinking’.
Looks, managing complex real estate projects is tough enough today. Simultaneously delivering and challenging a system is daunting. However first time leaders must own this responsibility because it is central to improving their teams’ performance. Managing the status quo and leading change, within your team and organisation, is what the ultimate marker of great leaders.
So, explain in detail how you want your team to work, outlining in clear terms what they need to do and – very importantly – how you’ll get them there. Often you’ll be inheriting a team, which means outlining and clarifying existing commercial objectives along your own lines. Use stretch goals that push your team’s performance, and are deemed a success even if 70% is delivered. By doing this at the outset, group decision-making flourishes and one’s individual responsibility is mapped for all to see.
A first time leader is exposed to a lot of criticism and their first few months feel painful and awkward. Compounding this are misunderstandings that are born because young leaders feel unable to be themselves, and manage with authenticity. As new managers rarely see asking for advice is a sign of strength, they avoid it completely. Genuine fear that what they’ve shared will be used against them is common and debilitating. It can lead to loneliness and under- performance.
Being reassured by senior executives in the organisation that their greatest assets are the very people around them is reassuring to a first time leader. Even better is getting coaching from them, either internally or externally. Indeed, it may be best to get an outside perspective in a neutral environment: peer to peer mentoring groups are both widespread and beneficial.
Alas, external coaching doesn’t address what is key within an organisation seeking to build a purpose driven, innovative culture. Innovative organisations show a passion for continuous learning. This passion is often underpinned by humility and curiosity, empathy and encouragement for those brave enough to lead. It is only when an organisation leads from within, can they lead from without in sector, their industry and market.
