From Peer to Supervisor | Episode 183

Scott McCarthy [00:00:00]:
Episode one eighty three of the Peak Performance Leadership Podcast. I go solo again. In this episode, I’m gonna teach you how you can go from a peer to a superior. That’s right, folks. It’s for you folks who’ve been promoted ahead of your peers and now are in charge of them. Are you ready for this? Alright. Let’s do it.

Podcast Announcer [00:00:32]:
Welcome one. Welcome all to the Peak Performance Leadership Podcast, a weekly podcast series dedicated to helping you hit peak performance across the three domains of leadership. Those being leading yourself, leading your team, and leading your organization. This podcast couples my twenty years of military experience as a senior Canadian army officer with world class guests bringing you the most complete podcast of leadership going. And for more, feel free to check out our website at movingforwardleadership.com. And with that, let’s get to the show. Hey. Hey.

Podcast Announcer [00:01:17]:
Hey. Yes.

Scott McCarthy [00:01:18]:
It is your chief leadership officer, Scott McCarthy. Thanks for coming out to another episode of the podcast. It’s so great to have you here. And you know what? It’s so great to be solo behind the mic yet again this month. Something new recently, not something new completely. But I’m trying to bring you guys, you leaders out there, a solo episode every month, because I love just talking about leadership and more importantly, directly going after the issues, the questions, the concerns, the thoughts that you all have out there. And this one has been popping up in our leadership group on Facebook. Leadership skills for managers who want to be leaders, not bosses.

Scott McCarthy [00:02:08]:
You can find that at movingforwardleadership.com/group. Alright? If you want to join, you’re not a member there, please come by right now at the recording of this episode. We got, like, 4,200 leaders in there, and we’re talking about leadership issues such as this one every day. Now, before I dive into the content of today’s lesson or episode, I should say, I got a major announcement. I have a major announcement and that is something which has been discussed. Few listeners and members of the Facebook community are asking for it is coming. It is coming ladies and gentlemen and that is our leader growth mastermind. This is going to be a eight week program we’re going to kick off for you leaders out there who want to level up your leadership skills and leadership abilities.

Scott McCarthy [00:03:11]:
We’re gonna have weekly zoom calls. We’re gonna have accountability built into a group. We’re gonna go deep dive into some key leadership areas. We’re gonna enable you to unlock the potential that’s in you right now. So this is of interest to you. It is time to act now. I am having building the content and the program right now as I record this episode, and then mid September I’m going to open up registration. So in about two weeks from now, I’m gonna open up registration.

Scott McCarthy [00:03:46]:
We’re only gonna take a handful of people. We’re gonna keep the group small. So if this is of something interest to you, you want to jump on the mailing list specific to the leader growth mastermind. And that is if you go to movingforwardleadership.com/leader-growth. And that’s movingforwardleadership.com/leader-growth. That’s gonna bring you to a page where you can simply fill out the form and get your email put on to the email list. And when we go live with registration, I’ll let you know first. I’m so excited.

Scott McCarthy [00:04:25]:
I can’t wait to bring this to you. It’s gonna be great. We’re gonna be can’t wait to interact with you face to face in this program. That is it. Alright. So, let’s set the stage, shall we? And I’m gonna be open and transparent. I am in this boat that we’re talking about today. This has recently happened to me this past summer.

Scott McCarthy [00:04:50]:
And that means I was a peer, and then I’ve been promoted, and now I am a superior to people who were my peers before. Alright. So it can be uncomfortable. It can be a bit challenging, but we’re gonna help you get around that. So the first thing that you need to think about when you’re in the situation is, you know, are you going through some impostor syndrome? A lot of people when they get picked for positions to get promoted, they kind of go through a bit of impostor syndrome. Wow, why me? There’s so many other great people out there. I’m not experienced enough. I don’t know enough, etcetera, etcetera, you know, all these negative thoughts around there.

Scott McCarthy [00:05:36]:
And if you find that you are going through imposter syndrome, remember, the organization picked you. You didn’t necessarily pick yourself for the job. I yes, you applied for it. Right? But the organization picked you. Someone outside other than you decided that you were the right fit for that role. You have the skill set needed to fulfill that role. You can do this role. Okay.

Scott McCarthy [00:06:12]:
This should help with your impostor syndrome. Now, that being said, I do have a great episode and that is episode one six two with Chris Kelso. We’ll go deep into imposter syndrome and most importantly how to get away from imposter syndrome. So you can check that out at movingforwardleadership.com/16two. And that link as well as the link for the leader growth mastermind will be in the show notes for you. But the moral story is this is that, you know, imposter syndrome is common. It happens to all of us, happens to myself. But remember that you applied for the job, but the company is the one that picked you.

Scott McCarthy [00:06:53]:
So they believe in you. Alright. So what happens though if you believe you lack training and clarity for the role that you’ve been promoted into? This is where you need to be open and transparent with your supervisor that you lack some skills and together develop an action plan for yourself and you can even do this before you go in and meet with your supervisor. Right? You can self identify some gaps that you have that you need to be brought up to speed on, that you need a little bit extra training. Maybe it is in accounting. Maybe it’s in business planning, budgeting, etcetera. Maybe it’s in leadership skills. But regardless of the skill that you find that you’re lacking, developing a plan, bringing it forward is the best way forward.

Scott McCarthy [00:07:47]:
K? So do your research. Do your homework. Do yourself, you know, check. Think about what it is that you feel that you’re missing. Then do the research. Okay. How can I fill this gap? What courses are available out there? What resources are available out there? What are the cost of them? What are the time commitments? And build the action plan and present that to your supervisor. Are they gonna go for it all in? Probably not.

Scott McCarthy [00:08:11]:
Absolutely not. But at least you’re thinking about it and together you can work with them for something that works for not just for you But your supervisor as well and that will enable you to get those skills But we’re not here to talk about just you and your supervisor, but more importantly how do you make that transition from being a peer to being now a supervisor? And there’s two different scenarios. Right? So often, you may be a peer, I e, you’ve been promoted from within the company. Or maybe you’re someone completely new and you’ve just been promoted but into a new company. So you may not be a known entity. Okay. We’re gonna go a little bit into both of these, but let’s go with the one that is most common I. E.

Scott McCarthy [00:09:04]:
You’re part of the company and you’ve been promoted within the company. And this is exactly what happened with me recently. So one of the things that you need to do right away is show to your people that You have not changed nor should you your core values shouldn’t change your beliefs shouldn’t change the way you approach people shouldn’t change. Just because you’re now a supervisor or leader of this organization, this team, this section, whatever, those types of things should not change. And if they do, you need to have a really good deep look within yourself, so when I started in my new role, there’s someone who works directly for me who I’ve known for fifteen years now. You know, I would even tell you that this person is a friend of mine. We’ve been out and had drinks together and talked and social and etcetera etcetera. But now I’m their direct supervisor so when I first got in the role and they showed up You know I had a meeting with them face to face closed the door and said alright.

Scott McCarthy [00:10:21]:
Let’s have let’s have the awkward conversation and That is listen. I am still Scott. I am still the same guy. I Am just now your supervisor our relationship. Yes, it’s changed a bit, but it doesn’t ultimately have to change per se. I have your my job. You have your job. Ultimately, I’m providing guidance and direction for you to achieve your job and your goals and your aims.

Scott McCarthy [00:10:55]:
I am here to support you. And when I had that conversation, I tell you I could see the instant relief in them. Everything just relaxed. Why because I provided a sense of psychological safety that I am not out for heads here. I’m not going to change. I’m now a known entity Etcetera, etcetera this person now felt safe knowing that not everything has changed Just a little bit has changed so what I suggest to you is if you know some of your new directs for quite some time, you know, years, have that conversation with them and most importantly, establish some boundaries like I did. I told them I said, you know, listen, We’re both we’re we’re in the military, so there is a rank thing I have a higher rank than they do so I say listen You know we’re in public. Let’s play the game.

Scott McCarthy [00:11:56]:
Yes, sir No, sir three bag full sir When we’re when you reply to emails to me which are most likely going to go outside from both of us, you know, please do the sir thing, etcetera. But when it’s just you me, we’re in this office, it’s a message back and forth. I don’t need to have all this yes, sir. No, sir stuff. I know that you respect me. I know that you, are going to follow my direction. I don’t need all these formalities. Okay? We can still have an adult conversation and that goes a long way with your people So make sure that you do that make sure that you have these conversations with people who are you know, basically people you’ve known for a long time.

Scott McCarthy [00:12:48]:
And make sure you have boundaries from within work and then boundaries out of work. So if you know these people at work and you’re friends with them, you can still have that friendship relationship. You just need to set a boundary around it. So when you’re out and you guys are enjoying each other’s company, just set a boundary say we will not talk work when we’re outside of work. We will not have any conversations and when we’re at work, we won’t talk about our social life. We will avoid it. You know those could be a couple boundaries. Now the risk of that is people may say well you’re now choosing favorites and That’s a viable risk.

Scott McCarthy [00:13:29]:
You know that can totally happen in that people perceive you as picking when you’re now Subordinates who is a friend of yours as a favorite. And you just have to balance that. And the way I suggest balancing it is by through your actions. Making sure the others feel like they’re getting ample or ample opportunities to prove themselves for overtime, to take on projects, for professional development, whatever the sticking point is. Just make sure that keep to the moral high ground and that the opportunities are given to everyone appropriately. I’m not gonna say equally, but appropriately. Right? You can’t necessarily just go one one one one. It doesn’t work like that.

Scott McCarthy [00:14:15]:
It has to be done appropriately based off of some kind of analysis, needs analysis, and availability, ex the all those different factors. Okay? So moral story with friends who were once your peer and now you’re their supervisor is remind them you are the same person, but remind them of the boundaries both in and outside of work. And then finally, the expectations. You know, how do you expect them to operate? How do you expect them to, report to you, get back to you, you know, just like you would with any other subordinate. Just set these expectations. Okay? Now let’s talk about peers that you may not know for quite some time or a common common theme, which is, peers in your organization who also applied for that job that you now have. You have to validate them right as your subordinates and the best way to validate them is ask them for their input and understand their role, you know, ask them to fully explain to them the role. And you may not pick up on everything as their peers, what you do and now as their supervisor.

Scott McCarthy [00:15:41]:
So this is a great time to really go in-depth and have an understanding what they do, how they fit into organization, what their deliverables are, you know, what their pain points are, etcetera. You really want to get a good understanding role so that you can look at them and say, okay, I would like your input and then how you can take their input and implement. You need to have an understanding of how they can help you, right? And you can help them. So with this, you want to make sure that you validate them and, you know, listen to what they thought about how the team should be run. You know, they competed for that position as well. They have some ideas, some insights, some type of vision for that team or organization. Well, give them an opportunity to tell you. You may not have thought at all.

Scott McCarthy [00:16:43]:
Yes. You’re the one with the job, but you don’t have all the answers. In fact, I always say, us as leaders, we don’t have the answers. We’re the ones with the questions. So ask the question and go, hey, what was your vision for this job anyway? And listen to them and take notes now does that mean you have to take and implement everything that they say heck no, but at least you’re giving them validation by asking the question and listening to them and not cutting them off and taking notes showing them that you’re generally interest in their thoughts. So make sure that you get to know what they thought and that’s gonna enable them to ease the burden of that I applied for this job never got this job and actually feel included with the team still and include it within your thought process and show them that yeah You may not get picked for this position, but you’re still a valuable team member here. I still value what you have. I still value you.

Scott McCarthy [00:17:50]:
I still believe in what you think. Alright, and who knows maybe in the next time a role like this one pops up, you’re next in line or What? How can we? Polish you to get to be the next in line. Okay, maybe that’s doing some acting’s while I’m away Maybe that is getting some new qualifications Maybe that’s simply you know what? It’s just a matter of time, But keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll get there okay, but basically validating them and who they are where they come from and Reason why you believe in them will go a long way another thing which often pops up in this transition period is both respect and trust Now, those are two completely different topics, but I would suggest to you that you go about earning them in the same way. You cannot basically take respect and trust You have to earn them and remember regardless that you’re our peer and now You’ve simply changed jobs to become a supervisor you’re still new to them. They’re not going to know how you operate. Alright. Go back to my story there with my friend who is now my subordinate. That person didn’t know how I was gonna be as their boss because I’ve never been their boss before.

Scott McCarthy [00:19:30]:
They don’t know how I operate as a supervisor. This is the first time ever for this. Right? So I needed to earn their trust as their supervisor, as the respect as their supervisor as well. So you are quote unquote new to them. So therefore you have to earn both trust and respect through actions By doing things which support them by showing them that you are trustworthy By showing them that you take care of them that you deserve their respect This is how you’re gonna earn their respect and trust now that being said Do you allow people to be disrespectful? Do you allow people to be not trustworthy in your organization? Depends on your organization’s values, but I would suggest probably not. So with that being said, you cannot condone subordinates who are disrespectful, who are not trustworthy within your organization. You have to deal with that right then, right away. But end of the day, you may not have the respect and trust of your subordinates immediately, especially if some of them are basically bitter over the fact that you got the role and not them.

Scott McCarthy [00:21:00]:
It’s going to take a lot of time. But what I would tell you is if these people act out, have a conversation with them one on one and remind them what I told you at the beginning is that you didn’t pick yourself for this job. The organization did. Therefore, they’re lashing out at the wrong person. You’re there to help them. And if they really want this role bad enough, then you will set them up for success the next time that they apply for that role or similar one. But if they continue to act like this, it’s not gonna be possible. You have to nip that in the butt right away.

Scott McCarthy [00:21:47]:
Okay, ladies and gentlemen and when all boils down remember this when we’re taking on people’s advice input any suggestions You don’t have to follow it. End of the day, you are the leader. You are a supervisor for that organization. You’ve been picked. But the simple fact of asking for it definitely goes a long way. So let’s have a quick recap, shall we? Remember, if you’re imposter syndrome, you didn’t pick yourself. The organization picked you, therefore, they believe in you. And if you have imposter syndrome or you think you do, check out episode one sixty two.

Scott McCarthy [00:22:33]:
Again, that’s at movingforwardleadership.com/16two. We’re in the show notes for this episode. Remember to speak to your supervisor to basically get clarity and develop an action plan for yourself for any gaps that you feel like you’re missing. Okay? Be open and transparent with them. When you’re meeting with your now form, your friend who is now a subordinate of yours, you know, break that whole awkwardness right away, set some boundaries, set expectations, Meaning with your your people. Make sure that you validate them and that you’ve listened to them, but ultimately understand you do not have to do everything that they said. And the final thing is is always that you have to know respect and trust are always earned, never taken. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is this week’s episode on how you go from peer to superior.

Scott McCarthy [00:23:44]:
Remember, as always, lead, don’t boss. Take care. Have a great week, and we’ll see you next time.

Podcast Announcer [00:24:03]:
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Podcast Announcer [00:24:53]:
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