Lead by Letting Go

One of the biggest mistakes a newly promoted leader can make is to act as if nothing has changed.

“Congrats again on the promotion, Bob. How’s the presentation for your first executive offsite coming along? Can I answer any questions?”

“Yeah, about that. You see, I’ve been super busy doing all the stuff you USED TO pay me to do. I’m hesitant to dole out my old work to my former peers, so I’ll probably just try to do my old job AND my new job at the same time. This will come at the expense of my work/life balance, wellness, and general happiness, but…”

“Walk with me, Bob.”

In fairness, that conversation never happens.

In reality, it should.

It can be hard to let go of the activities and attitudes that led to your being tapped as “next level” material.

In order to realize your full potential, you have to let go of the past and fully step into your new role.

EXERCISE

1. Grab a sheet of paper and a pen and write the words STOP and START at the top.
2. Make a list of the activities you need to STOP doing—even if they’re comfortable for you or you don’t know how they’ll get done otherwise.
3. Make a list of the activities you need to START doing—even if they're uncomfortable for you or you don’t know how to do them just yet.