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      The Bottom Line

      The journey to being an excellent leader is a long one, and the road can be rough. However, the rewards along the way can be very satisfying if you've chosen to be a leader for the right reasons. A few years back, we asked over 1,200 employees around the world what they thought about their managers. One question we asked was, What differentiates the best boss from the worst boss you ever worked for? Sadly, only 22 percent of employees feel they are currently working for their best boss ever. As you might expect, they rated their best bosses as two to three times more likely to use catalyst behaviors. Nearly 68 percent of employees who are currently working for their worst managers ever are looking at leaving. And, more surprisingly, only 11 percent of employees working for their worst boss ever are motivated to “give their best.” Compare that to the employees working for their best boss. The percentage jumps to 98!2

      In another piece of research, we asked employees how much more productive they could be if they went back to work for their best-ever boss. One in four said they would be anywhere from 40 to 60 percent more productive.3

      Reflection Points Explained

      Throughout this book we'll be prompting you to think about where you are on your leadership journey. If you keep a journal in any form – Moleskine®, Evernote, digital recorder, whatever – consider memorializing your thoughts. Use these reflections to chart your progress, clarify next steps, and examine the emotions that might be undermining your effectiveness. Use your observations to help you gather useful feedback from trusted sources, and share meaningfully with others online and in real time. They'll also make excellent fodder for your best-selling memoir when you become a Big Shot.

      3

      Navigating the Transition to Leadership

      When Mary described how she felt about her first leadership job, she repeatedly used the same term: “off-center.”

      Occasionally, she adjusted it to “totally off-center” or “completely off-center.” But the outcome was the same. Mary's first eight months as a leader made her realize how unprepared she was. She had moved from a production job to a sales function, with no prior sales experience, and she was managing others for the first time. An all-male team of 12! A female leader was a rarity in the male-dominated culture of chemical engineering, though Mary didn't have time to enjoy the sound of the glass ceiling shattering. Instead, she found herself eye-to-eye with an unhappy rival. One of her new team members had been groomed for the job she now had, and was none too happy about losing out. To make matters worse, the previous boss had been beloved by the team. How could Mary possibly fill his shoes? That dizzy, off-center feeling was her constant awareness of being in a totally unfamiliar landscape without the tools to navigate clear.

      In Chapter 1 we mentioned our research on the stress associated with transition to a leadership role. Remember? Stress levels ranked somewhere between personal illness and raising a teenager. Do any of Mary's stressors sound familiar? Almost all leaders we interviewed found their first few months full of what we call transitional challenges. What are yours?

      Later in this chapter we'll dig deeper into transitional challenges, but let's start with your decision to become a leader in the first place. Maybe you struggled to decide if it was worth giving up a job you were good at – and maybe even loved – for an uncertain role rife with new risks. Typically, there are two circumstances surrounding this decision. The first is voluntary – you identified an opportunity and went for it. If this describes you, then your challenge is to make sure your leadership heart is in the right place. Examine your motivations. Did you make the leap for more power, money, or fringe benefits? If so, you could find yourself unhappy. Although there may be material rewards associated with a promotion, leadership is about giving up power. A good leader dedicates himself to seeing his team grow and making a difference to his organization. If you aren't prepared to do a leader's work, then no money will ever be enough.

      Then there's the other scenario: You might have been asked to fill a leadership gap. Stepping up in this way can make you feel off-center for entirely different reasons. Maybe you felt pressured – worried that refusal to step up would signal a lack of ambition or dedication. Or, maybe you were afraid that you'd be passed over for special assignments or future promotions if you waved off the opportunity or changed your mind later. These are all valid concerns.

      But consider one simple fact before you say “yes” to a leadership job thrust upon you. In our leadership transitions study,4 we asked over 600 participants whether they voluntarily chose to take a leadership position or were pressured into it. Then we asked how it worked out. The people who caved to the pressure eventually did make a decision.. to head for the door!

      Our study showed that these people were three times more likely to be dissatisfied and twice as likely to consider quitting as those who voluntarily sought out the position. That's strong evidence that you should think more about your true career goals than the social pressure of your company environment when you leap into leadership.

      What's in a Question?

      So, are you ready? Let's unpack the question first. What you really need to ask yourself now is whether you have the mind-set or potential to lead. What's the difference? As we discussed in Chapter 1, leadership is a career journey that can span years. No one we have ever encountered had all the needed skills, experience, and knowledge when he stepped into his new positions. Good leaders are learning to lead every day. What you need to ask yourself is this: Do I have the potential to become a good leader over time?

      Consider Jack, who was an excellent technical specialist. He loved working with clients and was very, very successful. His outstanding reputation soon earned him an offer to lead a small team. He accepted the position and immediately hated it. Although he gave it some time, he asked for his old job back about a year later. Recognizing his

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