If you’re stepping into a leadership role for the first time, now is the best time to learn what it takes from those who have gone before. In this episode, guest Alli Murphy offers 7 insights for new leaders, all from her greatest challenges in transitioning from contributor to leader.

GUEST AT A GLANCE

Alli Murphy is the Director of Events and Program Development at Engage for Good. She is a successful podcast host, having interviewed thought leaders for 12 seasons and over 400 episodes.

A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST

🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR

🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws

📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

#1

Delegating isn’t a bad word.

“When you make the change from individual contributor to being a people leader, […] there’s this sense of not wanting to pass things off. Maybe I could do it better or I could do it faster. Or if it’s something I don’t like, maybe they’re not going to like it either, and therefore I don’t want to stick it on their plate. But in order to move up and in order to grow, you’ve gotta hand things off. […] Handing off work builds up their skill set and their responsibilities and shows that you have confidence in your team, so you have to do it for yourself, but it is also good for your team. And it is something that I’m still learning little by little.”

#2

Connect about more than just work.

“We are all more than just who we are at work. There are different components that make up who we are, and our teams are the exact same way. So if you only connect about work, you’re not going to understand where there are some highs or lows in their life or what might be impacting their work this week. And there’s so much more about connecting on different levels that build deeper relationships and trust.”

#3

It’s important to create systems that work for your direct reports.

“But there are other things that might be nice for you as the leader that really don’t help your direct report. An example from my own experience is when I was first stepping into this role, I needed to figure out what the heck was happening. I wanted to have enough insight to be helpful, and so I’d seen somewhere that somebody sends a team update email every Friday — this person would email their leader and the other people on the team a kind of a ‘status update’ about where projects were, and if they have any roadblocks, help they need, etcetera.”

“But instead of saying, ‘Hey, we’re doing this,’ I asked, ‘What do you think about this? Is this the best way for you to communicate this information or would there be a better way? And the answer was, ‘That doesn’t sound great to me. I think it’d be better to have those conversations one-on-one.’ This way, [my direct report] is communicating on her own terms as opposed to something that I kind of forced upon her from the top down.”

#4

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“I will have conversations with people frequently that say, ‘Look, I don’t have all the pieces figured out. Here’s where I’m at.’ […] Talking about those pieces says I’m human. Being honest about it means that I’m authentic — that I’m showing up in the way that I want to be as a leader — but it also means that I’m giving space for those on my team to not be perfect either. Because none of us are.”

#5

Tailor your feedback to your team members’ preferences.

“In the beginning, I said, ‘How do you like to receive feedback? […] Do you like recognition? Do you like having that in a conversation together? Do you prefer something over email? Would you enjoy having a team shoutout or does that make you recoil? I worked at an organization back in my UC Berkeley days where there were two people on that team that did phenomenal work. But having public recognition in that way — whether it was in an email, on some Slack channel, or in person — would make them want to leave the room. And that’s okay, but it’s so far removed from what I would’ve assumed. And so it’s really important to know those pieces.”

#6

It can be easier to advocate for your team than it can be to advocate for yourself.

“Making an argument on someone else’s behalf that I can typically tie to a business goal — I can do that for myself, but it’s different when you’re doing it for somebody else. […] So I think being responsible for other people and saying, ‘Nope, this is important and I’m going to take care of my team, whether it’s budgeting, finances, et cetera.”

#7

You don’t have to solve everything.

“It’s so important to step out of your own way and step out of their way. Give them the tools and resources to start making those decisions. And maybe they watch you make some in the beginning. Your decision process doesn’t have to be the same, but if they’re a newer employee or maybe first time out of college, they may need some examples, and that’s okay. But getting out of their way and pushing people a little bit past their comfort zone — not throwing them off the deep end — is going to go a long way.”

LEARN MORE

Interested in stepping up your leadership game? Listen to the entire episode above.