Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020 - 19

s is to get their own bosses involved in their leadership
p personnel. Participating in developmental conversatio
evidenced-based topics that bosses of new leaders sho
ed mindset" - avoiding challenges, giving up in difficult s
takes and failure on the job are part of being a leader, a
h new leaders should address the following questions: W
uld you have done in my situation? So this situation did
et for you direct reports, so they are not afraid to make
skills are key, such as communication and influence. Th
t the same as your team members? If not, how will you
uenced using logic and data? Are they influenced by valu
p One of the biggest challenges for new leaders is unde
d their new work relationships, and teach them to navig
Center for Creative Leadership research: direction, alig
with team members to understand how each prefers
es your team members? Who does public praise work f
y new leaders are unable to stop doing the work, which i
peak with new leaders about the importance of develop
best piece of feedback you've ever received? How time
turn, you will understand that your direct reports need
ive means turning one's attention from the work and to
zation. It's not positive; it's not negative. It's neutral and
ls, missions and motivations? How can your team's goal
win-win mentality when working across departments an

A Different Perspective
Having a different perspective means
turning one's attention from the work
and toward the many constituencies,
stakeholders, departments, functions
and all the politics that come with
them. Bosses should let new leaders
know that politics are a natural part of
any organization. It's not positive; it's
not negative. It's neutral and part of the
everyday circumstances of companies.
These conversations should include
the following:
* Tell me what you have noticed about
other departments or functions.
What are their goals, missions and
motivations? How can your team's
goals, missions and motivations fit in
with theirs and vice versa?

* Usually, when things go wrong, it's
because people have an "I win, and
you lose" mentality. In the future,
how might you promote a win-win
mentality when working across
departments and functions that still
promotes friendly competition?

Emphasizing a Focus
Being genuine, authentic, ethical and of
good character shouldn't be something
new. It should be an expected quality
of leadership. Bosses of new leaders
should emphasize this sentiment in their
conversations.
* Think about leaders in the organization
who have thrived because of their
authenticity and character. What can
be learned from them?
* Think about leaders who have failed
at the organization due to their lack
of integrity. What happened, and why
did it happen? What lessons can be
learned from these failures?

Conclusion
New leaders often struggle, but their
bosses can be a great resource to them.
By showing new leaders vulnerability
in sharing their struggles, experiences,
failures and success, bosses can let
new leadership know they are not alone.
Take the time needed to have great
developmental conversations about the
mindset, skill set, relationships, attitude,
perspective and focus needed to be
the type of boss everyone wants to
work for.
William (Bill) A. Gentry, Ph.D. is an
industrial-organizational
psychologist
and leadership researcher, specializing
in researching and helping new leaders.
Bill currently serves as the director of
career and professional development
and the Siegfried Leadership Fellows
program at High Point University.
Email Bill.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH
The six developmental conversations in
this article are based on research from the
author's book, "Be the Boss Everyone Wants
to work For: A Guide for New Leaders."
Data was collected from 297 new leaders
who participated in a three-day leadership
development program hosted by a third-

party, nonprofit executive education
and leadership development vendor. On
average, leaders were in their mid-thirties,
were evenly split in terms of gender (55.2%
men and 44.8% women), approximately
two-thirds lived in the United States and
almost 80% worked in the private sector.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - MODERN LEADERS 2020 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020

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