Challenge accepted: How to go from being a popular colleague to a good boss

Done! It's finally official: You have been awarded a leadership position in your own company. But along with the euphoria, a second feeling quickly mixes in: uncertainty. How will colleagues react when you suddenly become the boss? Can you still make plans with a colleague for sports? How will the relationship develop with another colleague who also sought the position? At the same time, you are put to the test. Will the set goals be achieved? Can you make the transition from being an employee to an authority figure? In numerous seminars, I have accompanied people in taking this leap and succeeding. Such a transition varies in every company and at every hierarchical level, yet there are some simple guidelines that can help in every situation. Stay calm! You know a lot about the company and see it from a different perspective. Coupled with the expectations of the management, a short circuit can easily occur, and before you know it, you might find yourself wanting to overturn existing structures. Wasn't there that one project where seemingly two employees were doing the same work? Wouldn't it be wiser to assign your former office neighbor to organize an event that urgently needs to be coordinated? Well-intentioned actions to quickly increase efficiency often create chaos - and thus more problems. So, before you start making decisions over the heads of project managers, shuffling former colleagues back and forth, and filling your own workday with impulsive and unsystematic decisions, take a moment to pause. As a new boss, take the time to understand your team, decipher it, and then restructure. Change your perspective and assess from your new view. Perhaps your office neighbor seems the most suitable for a task simply because you are used to interacting with them? The two employees mentioned might not actually be doing the same thing but have their own system of division of work that you, as a colleague back then, might not have noticed? Understand how your team operates as a new boss. Try to comprehend how different work processes evolved. Once you have an initial overview of your work field, you will realize that it's often the small inconspicuous adjustments that can optimize your team in a short time. Listen! Unlike in your previous role as an employee, your success is now not only defined by your personal performance. Now you need to lay the foundations on which your employees can work successfully. Put yourself in the shoes of your first feedback meeting with the management. Consider to what extent a decision you are about to make is relevant there. Would you be able to argue for relocating an employee by stating that a project will progress better as a result? Will sanctioning a habitual coffee break lead to the desired higher output? Do not prioritize and listen to all employees equally. Recognize the advantages from your previous position as an employee. Many colleagues already know you. However, do not rely solely on what you already know; expand your assessments. Gather as many opinions as possible to better understand where resources are needed and where time is being wasted. You will quickly realize which changes are truly useful and necessary. A short coffee break can often be more effective than a large brainstorming session. Two colleagues might be passionate about each other's tasks and could be better suited for them. You will find out all this most quickly by staying in constant communication with your team. But do not succumb to the temptation of only listening to those who were already part of your inner circle as colleagues. There is nothing wrong with maintaining good relationships, but be careful not to create a sense of favoritism for others. Especially with those who applied for the same position, a sense of appreciation and respect should be fostered. Say what you want! Even if you, as a new boss, start off calmly, listen, and ensure that the new team's work continues smoothly, your former colleagues will have similar questions as you: Are we still on a first-name basis? Will I keep the project I am currently working on? Will my known habits like smoke breaks or phone calls now be viewed negatively? Therefore, create clarity and express from the beginning what is important to you. Send signals that you are not treating anyone differently. If you address some colleagues informally, offer the same to other colleagues at the same level. If you socialize in your free time with some employees, try to foster a sense of togetherness among others through shared events like an after-work drink. The more transparently you make decisions, the easier they are to accept. Even more important is clarifying your relationship with your entire staff. Focus on what matters to you as a boss: Where is the journey headed? Key point: transparency! Of course, you will not be able to answer all questions, and not everything you dictate as a new boss will be accepted by your former colleagues. However, the clearer you communicate to your team why you make decisions, the easier it will be for them to accept them. It is also beneficial for you to outline your "battle plan": If you cannot explain a decision to your employees, you should reconsider whether it has been thoroughly thought through. Do not hide As a superior, you will not be able to be as present as you were as a colleague. Whether it's shared lunches, project-related meetings, or a brief chat in the kitchen - such interactions will likely occur less frequently. Instead, you will now be seen more often with leaders from other departments, or you may not always be directly approachable for your former colleagues due to meetings in other locations. Therefore, it is important to take your presence in the office literally. Be approachable for your team. Do not make former colleagues feel like they have been "overtaken" or left behind. Leaders who only meet their employees to present them with accomplished facts breed discontent in the team. "Too good for us," "Pride comes before a fall," "Mr. Important." It is quicker than you think to be labeled as an unapproachable boss. Removing that label, however, will be considerably more difficult. Therefore, take time for your team right from the start. Consider planning a weekly team lunch at the beginning. This way, you can maintain contact with your team in a more relaxed atmosphere and get a sense of the overall mood. Changing locations and creating a relaxed environment will make it easier for your team to address a difficult relationship with a client or critical points in a business matter than in a one-on-one conversation in the boss's office. The most important lesson for your relationship with former colleagues is a simple one: It's up to you. Think figuratively, see yourself as the captain. You are expected to know where you are going, how to navigate or weather storms, and what motivates your "crew." You may not be able to plan the exact path, but with the above tips, you will make the leap and settle into your new role as a boss.