The New Sheriff in Town?

Last time we looked at some of the challenges we may face when we move into a new position of authority, and leadership responsibility, for a team of folks who had previously been our peers. But what if that’s not the situation we’re in? What if our first day with the organization is also the day we have to start managing processes and leading our new team?

If you’ve more than a few of these posts, you’ve likely seen me quote John Maxwell as saying that “Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership!” Since leadership is so critical to achieving results through a team of people, someone new to an organization really needs to be prepared to flex their leadership muscles from day one, right?

Before we jump right into showing everyone that there’s a new sheriff in town, we should probably consider what I’ve heard John share just as frequently, “Leadership is Influence. Nothing more, nothing less!” And it’s highly unlikely that we’ll earn the kind of leadership we need to lead our team effectively long term by jumping right in and barking orders… If we’re really set on being that new sheriff in town, we may consider taking more of an Andy Griffith approach rather than taking a page out of the Roscoe P. Coltrane playbook!

Being willing to earn influence with a new team is critical, and it doesn’t have to be a daunting task that takes years to accomplish. We just need to be intentional about developing and practicing those essential qualities of leadership we looked at recently!

There’s often a balancing act we’ll need to engage in when we’re new to an organization and expected to deliver results even before we’ve earned a lot of authentic influence. When we can manage the processes we’re responsible for overseeing by appropriately using our positional authority while investing the time and energy to serve the team members performing each of the tasks, we can begin earning that influence right away. As we continue to learn about them and their respective roles, while looking for opportunities to help them grow, we develop strong relationships, build buy-in around what the team is working to achieve, and create an engaged atmosphere!