EVEN the most gifted individuals may find the process of becoming a leader, albeit rewarding, an arduous one laced with opportunities for continuous learning and self-development. The transition from individual contributor to supervisor represents a profound psychological adjustment as supervisors contend with their new responsibilities.

Managers often find themselves in a tussle trying to meet the demands of their leaders while also fulfilling their responsibility of managing a team or work group. New supervisors must learn how to lead others, motivate, win trust and respect while striking the right balance between delegation and control. Lack of experience and poor training are determining factors in professional blunders habitually made by leaders.

Being thrust into a new arena, facing subordinates that were once called colleagues or even friends, makes it difficult for new managers to execute the type of leadership style they think is suitable for their work environs.

I will share with you two short, but equally important, lessons that will make your transition much easier. The first one is, never forget what it was like before you became a supervisor. With this, it makes the job of a manager much easier as you have direct experience of what it is like in the shoes of your team members. Never ever forget that; it will go a long way in making you a great and effective leader.

Transition is reciprocal and the changes that affect you will also affect your subordinates. It is important that you understand your own feelings and emotions as this helps you to better understand the emotions of your team members. Leaders who are poor at perceiving their emotions may unknowingly miss important emotional signals from their staff. Similarly, leaders who are poor at managing emotions may allow their feelings to interfere with effective action.

Transformational leaders are aware and in tune, this makes them capable of adequately dealing with strategic matters more efficiently and, in turn, are able to build commitment in their employees, thereby advancing the visions and objectives of the organisation.

Tameka Hill operates a résumé business called Make your Mark, and has been creating professional profiles and résumés for the last five years for people across the world. You can reach her at makeyourmarkjm@gmail.com.