This study examined the transition to a new leader in terms of expectations, preparation, challenges and obstacles, and areas of improvement/adaptation that new leaders face. Previous studies in the literature on authentic leadership and the leadership transition process are discussed. Qualitative research is conducted through interviews with nine respondents working in managerial positions from various industries in Thailand.
It is concluded that there is a difference in expectation, preparation, challenges and obstacles and area of improvement between the new managers and professional managers with experience. However, there are similarities in the area of improvement and recommendation that both groups have in common. Kickstarting a career path in the organization is not only about committing to individual achievements, but also a place where everyone tries to contribute to a common goal.
In order to take a step forward in career advancement, some people in organizations will change from subordinates to leaders. The reason for choosing this field of study comes from the researcher's personal experience when he moved to a new company and became a manager with four subordinates in his team.
LITERATURE REVIEW
- Authentic Leadership
- Self-leadership
- Leadership Transition
- Leadership Identity Development
- Leader’s Contribution to Better Performance
Social awareness: this can be described as how the leader can sense other people's emotions and feelings and take their concerns into account. Moreover, the leader must read and navigate organizational situation to identify how to get through it. Social skills: this can be described as how the leader can inspire the vision of the team, send a clear direction and message and build a good relationship within the team to work together.
With these actions, team members will be able to feel and gain a level of trust with the leader. New beginnings – the development of new skills and the perspective of new leaders will emerge during this phase. During the fifth stage, the leader will develop his own leadership identity and can become a mentor to other new leaders.
Finally, the leader will be ready to claim the identity of the leader in the final stage. To make the best contribution to team members, the leader must be able to manage their subordinates' perception of acceptance, stress and opportunities. Determine the level of group commitment: the leader should discuss openly with each member to see the potential value within a group.
Don't try to be a team all the time: the leader must learn the difference between team effort and the single leader working in a group. Go beyond your "favorite" leadership approach: the leader can send in and out for team behavior and change the role play for each member. Get the right skill mix: the leader must rotate members in different situations to fit the organization's purpose and goal.
Focus the team's efforts where they matter most: the leader must pay attention to the team and ensure that everything is implemented for better performance.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Primary Data Collection Method
Interview Method
Sample Selection: For this study, the interview will be conducted with nine interviewees who can be divided into two groups; First, five of them will be the new leaders with less than a year of experience who will be team members for the first time. Second, four of them will be experienced leaders with relative work experience of more than two years. Open-ended questions: To understand what the leaders need to overcome for their transition experiences, open-ended questions are given to the interviewees to give them the flexibility and ability to answer the questions.
Survey technique: To be able to collect and analyze the data more accurately, survey technique will be used to get more detailed answers from the respondents. The next question will be asked from the current answers to probe and get a deeper level of information. Interview: The interview will be conducted through a face-to-face discussion between the researcher and the interviewees.
The place of the interview will be chosen according to the convenience of the interviewees which will lead to a comfortable environment. The researcher will observe the gesture and body language during the interview to reflect. The approximate interview period will last about one hour for each person with an introduction to the topic, questions and research technique.
The researcher wants to study the transition to leadership with a young leader with less experience and experienced leaders who have worked with subordinates and know how to deal with them, which will be shown through experience, expectations, preparations, obstacles (self and subordinates). ) and how to improve (adaptation). The box shown below shows the process a leader must go through in terms of adapting to the new leader and his/her leadership techniques. Next, preparation will refer to how the new leader has prepared to be ready for the new responsibility.
And the last part concerns self-adaptation, which will be further explored in the findings of this study.
DATA ANALYSIS
- Background Information of Interviewees
- Expectations
- Expectation for Becoming a Leader
- Preparation
- Lack of Prior Preparation
- Preparation by Self-learning
- Leadership Training
- Challenges and Obstacles
- Stress and pressure at a new position
- Age gap is the major challenge among the new leaders
- Toughest situation for the new leaders
- Concern with cross-functional teams
- Area of improvement and adjustment
- Skills to develop to be a leader
- Sharing personal experience to gain trust with subordinates
- Being a role model for subordinates
- Receive feedback from subordinates
- Recreational Activity
- Recommendation to be a good leader
However, they have mentioned that they can learn it by doing it practically. Eight out of nine respondents mentioned feeling stressed and under pressure due to uncertain emotions and transitioning to new roles at the beginning. If someone complains, I accept it myself." Mostly, the group of respondents mentioned that they had to play the role of a role model for their subordinates.
Personal issues: Miss B mentioned that she had to go through a difficult time during her transition. Expectations for the company's performance: Mr. You mentioned that he went through difficult situations when the company's sales were falling and had intense moments with the management team. Leadership, five out of nine respondents mentioned that they want to achieve this.
Miss B mentioned that at first she worked alone without any team members. Miss B mentioned that she needs to find the personality of her subordinates; how it can prepare a person for a good career path. G mentioned that he expected to know more about it so that he could effectively manage the organization's budget.
Five out of nine respondents mentioned that they always shared "Personal story or experience" with subordinates. Teacher H mentioned that she always had a good solution for her teammates when they faced problems. A mentioned that he will discuss about entertainment and topics related to hobby to improve the relationship with his subordinates.
Nine out of nine respondents mentioned that they received feedback from their subordinates either about work management or emotional commitment. Seven out of nine respondents mentioned that they always participated in recreational activities with their subordinates to create a better relationship and reduce the intensity at work; for example, they always go out for dinner in the evening, go shopping and hang out together to build a good relationship. Few of the respondents mentioned that there was a team building activity for their companies to join every year.
RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
Conclusion
Most of them have shown commitment to guide their members to the right path in their own ways. I have to motivate my team to understand the situation – communicate with them to avoid resignations and turnover.” I would like to see my team members happy in what they do and engaged in.
I must achieve the sales target to enable my subordinates to see it as an example. Some of the leaders have their own personal style to develop their leadership thinking and behavior as discussed below. However, he used behavior-focused strategy to elevate himself to better fit into a new position by reading books on management, listening to the podcast – how to manage subordinates and listing what he needs to do every day to keep track of everything.
Researcher may feel that they all faced similar problems and obstacles in going from being a team member to becoming a leader. Teacher H also did not get much support from her supervisors when she was promoted to leader. He had to be punctual to be a good example followed by their subordinates.
However, he will use his experience to teach and supervise his subordinates, and listen to the problem – and ask if the subordinate would like to learn something from him. C has the clear mentality that a good team needs a bipartisan commitment between a leader and subordinates. A good leader must demonstrate how to do good work, not just assign work to the team.
The research can be conducted with more respondents to see more accurate results according to the literature.
Recommendations
From the researcher's point of view, every leader has his own personal style to contribute to his team members as follows;. But he would look for the skills that the organization needs and get closer to his subordinates by establishing a friendly relationship. He would learn specific skills and personalities from each of his subordinates and give them the power to make decisions.
To get more diverse perspectives of leaders, respondents can include interviewees from different industries. Sharing your leadership experience with other colleagues is a good way to exchange different perspectives to tackle the situation. If a problem arises, new leaders can consult and discuss it with supervisors to get guidance on how to handle the situation.
Apart from work, sharing personal stories is a good approach to improve relationships and make your subordinates feel more relaxed.
Recommendations for Companies
