Leadership is about people.
Talk to any team leader, manager or executive and they will tell you that their issues are rarely about the “bricks and mortar”, but instead, about the people problems and these issues are many and varied and often difficult. And to make matters worse, they are all different. A far cry from the work that you previously did where there were certain themes, patterns and ways or working that you knew brought about solid results and outcomes.
And who says that because you’re good at what you do, that you’re also going to be good at the people management area? Maybe you’re simply a really great “technician” of sorts.
To top off these ironies, there is no training manual which tells you how to deal with people in a leadership role. There is no guide called “Trouble-shooting” to explain how to manage yourself as a leader as well as manage people and the different scenarios that confront any leader.
And we’re supposed to be a clever country? I think not. It’s the same in any part of the planet. I’ve seen it and witnessed it. No matter whether it’s England, the USA, Canada, Ireland or various parts of Australia, it’s the same. Get good at your trade, profession or vocation and you get “rewarded” with having to manage people without the necessary training.
Most new leaders simply fly by the seat of their pants. It’s a case of trial and error, and the errors can be embarrassing, awkward and highly distressing. Sometimes this trial and error can have serious repercussions both career-wise as well as personally. The toll on the individual can be huge. Is it any wonder that new leaders often buckle under the weight of the new role and responsibility? Is it any wonder that new leaders make serious mistakes for which sometimes there is no recourse or no coming back? And this trial and error method takes years and years to work out; up to a decade or more.
This book however, seeks to reduce the trial and error approach and reduce the pain and agony associated with learning to be a leader that usually comes with prolonged experience over time. This book seeks to stream line what you need to know as a new leader to help minimise the stress and mistakes that new team leaders, supervisors, managers and leaders tend to make.
