First Impressions in Leadership: The Make or Break Moment
How New Leaders Can Captivate and Unify Their Team from Day One
If you've spent any time in the workforce, encountering a new leader is a familiar scenario. Often, this happens in a group setting, where the team, filled with mixed emotions, anticipates what’s ahead. My experiences from both sides of this equation has taught me the importance of these introductions, highlighting their power to either unify or demoralize a team.
The moment a newcomer to leadership steps forward to introduce themselves, they are inherently setting the stage for how employees will perceive their ability to lead. It’s truly a make or break moment. I will forever remember the entry of an entirely new leadership team which was installed shortly after the previous team was unexpectedly bounced. Imagine an open office concept backdrop on a Friday morning, the entire team surrounding the 3 new leaders eagerly awaiting their direction. Sadly, it ended up being a lackluster introduction leaving the team with more questions than answers. Each of the new leaders made comments that will forever remind me of how not to handle these moments.
Paraphrasing but you’ll get the gist:
New Sales Enablement Lead - “I was a sales trainer 10 years ago and look forward to dusting off that experience.”
New Revenue Operations Lead - Made the mistake of calling a department by the wrong name forcing that department head to correct him in front of her entire team.
New Department Lead - “I’m looking forward to learning what your team does.”
The apparent lack of preparation before this initial engagement led to over 50 people leaving the meeting without clarity about what lies ahead. It was a massive missed opportunity. An opportunity that could have instilled confidence in our new leaders by simply being human and communicating the vision for a better and brighter future.
I’ve thought a lot about this leadership lesson over the years and while not a positive one, it solidified the importance of these moments as a leader.
Maximizing The First Impression Opportunity
Leveraging a Captive Audience
Stepping into a new leadership position naturally secures you a captive audience. Your perceived authority, whether good or bad, ensures that you’ll have the team’s full attention. This moment of focused attention is a golden opportunity to foster a deeper connection and establish a climate of openness and trust. Starting with a personal story that resonates with the moment is a great way to demonstrate your vulnerability while also bridging the gap between leader and team, making your message more relatable and impactful.
This captive audience gives you a chance to articulate your vision and strategic plans clearly, emphasizing how these changes will benefit the team and what they can anticipate moving forward. It's vital to transparently communicate both the potential challenges and opportunities. This clear, upfront communication will mitigate uncertainty and serve as the starting point of team alignment.
Communicate Your Plan With Clarity
Strong leaders will arrive ready to present a solid yet flexible plan intended to drive change and advance the organization. Although the plan will require further refinement and input from across the organization, a clear initial framework illustrates that you behave in a thoughtful and strategic way. It's important to use this time to communicate the direction openly, acknowledging that adjustments may be necessary as we learn and grow.
If you show up without a clear plan, your credibility will be immediately lost. This move implies that you’re OK with learning on the job and figuring it out as you go. People want to be inspired and led by those with passion and vision. When you embody these attribute, your team will gain confidence in your ability to both lead and elevate them.
Put Yourself In Their Shoes
Before your initial team meeting, it's important to shift from seeing things solely from your viewpoint to embracing your team's perspectives. Understand that your interpretation of events may significantly differ from theirs so take a compassionate approach and show that you are flexible in your leadership style. This approach will not only underscore your commitment to their well-being over mere outcomes but also establishes a solid base of trust and mutual respect.
Always be sure to acknowledge that each team member brings their life outside work to the office daily. For instance, one individual might have caregiving responsibilities for a sick parent on Fridays and might worry about maintaining this necessary flexibility under new leadership. Another might be apprehensive about informing their new leader of an upcoming honeymoon vacation requested months ago. Regardless of the magnitude of their concerns, prioritizing their personal needs is key to fostering an inclusive and understanding work environment.
Inspire & Energize Your New Team
As a new leader, these initial moments should be used to inspire and energize. While there's no need to pull a “Tony Robbins” and sprint into the room, bringing a positive and upbeat energy to the meeting will lift the team. The energy you project is contagious and will invigorate your team, setting a tone of optimism and motivation right from the start.
Practicing your message by recording yourself is invaluable to fine-tuning your energy and delivery. This preparation allows you to assess your tone, pace, and body language, ensuring your message is not only heard but felt. By meticulously crafting how you present your vision, goals, and expectations, you communicate confidence and inspire your team to embrace the future. Over time they will start mirroring the same enthusiasm and commitment that you convey.
Encourage Openness
Prioritizing an openness to input and feedback is also something to keep front and center. It's essential to encourage an open forum at the outset of your initial team meeting. By asking questions and actively engaging with your team, you signal that openness is not just acceptable, it's encouraged. This approach demystifies the hierarchical barriers often felt between leadership and team members, inviting an open and honest dialogue.
Facilitating open communication is a proactive strategy for de-escalating concern and lessening anxiety. It will allow the team to surface questions that help to drive clarity around how these changes might impact them personally. The more freely ideas and concerns are exchanged, the smoother the path to mutual understanding and collaboration becomes. This will quickly begin fostering a culture where challenges are surfaced openly and in turn solved much faster.
Wrapping It Up
Assuming a new leadership position comes with the critical responsibility of making a strong first impression, an opportunity that holds the potential to either unite or demoralize a team. Based on years of observing leaders and my own experiences stepping into leadership roles, I can affirm the significant impact these initial introductions can have when conducted appropriately. It's crucial to leverage these moments to demonstrate your employee-centric approach to leadership. When this initial meeting is managed effectively, your team will depart feeling excited and confident in your capability to lead them.