Leadership Excellence!
	With Mind Tools' "How to Lead: Discover the Leader Within You", learn the 48 essential skills needed to be a highly effective and well-respected leader. Click for more>>

Now You're the Boss...

Learning How to Manage Former Peers

Becoming a boss can change almost everything – and it can change nothing. Sure, you have more power. And you can influence your former peers in ways that you've never imagined before.

But you're still the same person, just with a bit more authority. Suddenly, though, the things you say have more importance, and your former teammates look to you for answers, not just ideas.

What do you do with this newly found power? It may be tempting to make the changes that you always wanted, order what you want to be done, and feel good about your new promotion. However, this type of behavior may not win you much respect or cooperation.

But you probably don't want to use the opposite approach either. A new boss who tries to remain "one of the guys" and an equal part of the team can end up frustrating everyone. When you're more concerned about relationships than results, poor decisions are usually inevitable. If you're afraid of being called "bossy," you may not hold people accountable, or you may avoid making unpopular decisions.

So, how do you manage the difficult learning curve of becoming a boss, and the delicate balance of leading former peers? There's no immediate or easy solution, and you won't be perfect. However, by understanding the challenges and keeping an open mind, you can develop ...

Full text of this article is available to Premium Members of the Mind Tools Career Excellence Club. If you're a Premium Member, please click here for full text, or sign in below.

Member Sign In: Username: Password: If you're not yet a member, take our FREE tour, and find out how much you get.       Membership has its benefits Take our free tour to find out how to get everything you need to put yourself on the fast-track to life and career success: Comprehensive management and career training with our Extended Toolkit of more than 270 career-enhancing skill-builder articles, and more than 25 Downloadable Bite-Sized Training Packs, teaching you key new skills in focused one-hour sessions. Regular career-success coaching in our Coaching Clinics, helping you explore career issues and build the mindset and motivation you need for lasting success. Completely up-to-date knowledge of the latest ideas with our MP3-based Book Insights(with downloadable transcripts), reviewing recent management and career books in detail. In-depth exploration of career issues in our in-depth, MP3-based Expert Interviews with leading career and management experts, helping you make the most of your opportunities and stay abreast of leading-edge career and management thinking. Your personal, unique, global community of excellence, in which you'll join thousands of like-minded professionals. Learn from their experience, find out what's worked for them and get help when you need it. Help and support from the Mind Tools team, totally focused on helping you make the very most of your life and career – wherever you are in the world. All this, for an introductory fee of US$1 for the first month, and a low monthly subscription! (You can cancel at any time.) Click here for our free tour! >>

Where to go from here:		Join Mind Tools		Free Newsletter
		Download & Print		Next Article

New Articles (Not included in the Mind Tools E-book.)
* Shows articles available in full only to Career Excellence Club Premium members

A Bit of Perfume - Giving praise, by Bruna Martinuzzi
Working in Virtual Teams - Team working that overcomes time and space*
Optimism - The hidden asset, by Bruna Martinuzzi
Humility - The most beautiful word in the English language, by Bruna Martinuzzi
"I Swear by Apollo" - Being accountable to yourself in leadership
What's Empathy Got to Do With It? by Bruna Martinuzzi
Cross Cultural Leadership*
Leading Equals - Motivating people effectively, without authority*
Crisis Planning - Preparing your response to the unexpected*

A full list of Mind Tools articles is available here.

return to top

Learn to manage the stress in your life with our sister site, stress.mindtools.com.

Mind Tools Store: Mind Tools Ebook, Make Time for Success
 Stress Management Masterclass, How to Lead, Design Your Life
 Relaxation MP3s

© Mind Tools Ltd, 1995-2008, All Rights Reserved

For requests to reprint or reproduce material from this site, please contact our Permissions Center.

Store · Search · Newsletter · Downloads · Advertisers · Affiliates

MindTools.com is one of the Internet's most-visited career skills resources.
Click here to see analysis.