When you come into a new organization as the new boss, there are many things you need to consider. The logistics of your new role, the goals of the organization, and how you help them reach those goals are all important considerations. Yet you also need to consider how to earn the respect of your new team as you come in as the boss, but how can you earn respect as the new boss? There are some strategies that can help, and these nine suggestions are a good place to start.
1. Give Respect
How do you earn the respect of a new team when you’re a new boss? First, consider giving respect. It may sound backward, but if you want people to respect you and follow your leadership, then you need to give respect to them, too. When you are the new boss, it’s tempting to come in and put your foot down from the beginning, trying to make a strong stance. However, this can quickly backfire. Being too heavy-handed without giving respect to the hard-working people under you could cause them to resent your leadership, so start from a position of respect.
How do leaders show respect? It starts by understanding the people under you, appreciating their strengths, and giving them kind support for their weaknesses. It also involves treating them with dignity, especially when personal lives impact the workplace.
2. Show Your Work Ethic
Show your team members that you are willing to work hard. This action will inspire them to work hard as well because they will be willing to work alongside their leader. People tend to resent leaders that demand a high work ethic but are not willing to toss in their own hat in to help get the job done, so show your work ethic from day one.
Good leaders lead by example, and having a strong work ethic will show your team more than any list of rules and consequences will.
3. Be Consistent
As you start your role as the new boss, there’s a solid chance you’ll need to lay down some ground rules. You will probably do things differently than the former boss, and that’s fine. However, make sure you are consistent with those rules and the consequences.
For example, if you expect people to arrive on time to work or text if there is an emergency, then lay that as a rule and make sure you are consistent about calling people out if they arrive late. If you expect your paperwork to have a specific format, explain this and give the team time to adjust.
4. Be a Strong Leader
It’s possible to be a respectful new boss and also be a strong leader. Yet remember, a strong leader is not necessarily a heavy-handed one.
So, what does it mean to be a strong leader?
Being a strong leader means being able to encourage, motivate, inspire, and challenge your team. It means connecting the team, building relationships, and pushing the entire group toward the success of the organization. Learn to develop your leadership skills, so you can be a strong leader in your new role.
5. Be Humble
Good leaders that inspire people to do their best should demonstrate humility. As the new boss, you need to realize that you don’t know everything about the organization. As you come in, be willing to learn from the people under you.
How can you show humility? It starts with understanding that you are not perfect. If you make a mistake, own it and apologize. You will earn more respect from your new team with a well-placed “I’m sorry,” followed by making restitution for your actions than a proud “my way or the highway” stance. Model humility where appropriate, and people will respect you more. You may also find that they are more willing to take responsibility for their own mistakes when they see you doing it from a leadership position.
6. Seek and Be Open to New Opinions
You are the new boss. Your company brought you in because they saw the potential to make some changes with you at the helm. Yet, there are going to be people in the organization who have been there for years and know how things work. Seek their opinions. They may have ideas that you never thought of, and you should listen to their ideas.
You also may have newer team members that have ideas that bring value to your team. Let them share those ideas and opinions, and take the time to contemplate if they would work for your team. An openness to seeking and embracing new opinions is key to being a new boss that people value and respect. It also helps build camaraderie with your team.
7. Recognize Others’ Success
When people in your organization do a good job, recognize them. Rewards are great motivators and seeing their team members recognized will inspire people to do their jobs well. After all, everyone loves a good pat on the back, right? You can inspire a greater work ethic from your team by recognizing the success of others.
Consider setting up a reward structure that incentivizes and recognizes the success of your team members. If you have team members who are struggling, look for ways you can support their growth.
8. Support Your Employees
A strong leader provides support, so their team members can do their jobs well. If your team comes to you indicating they need something from the organization in order to succeed, then work hard to get it. If you have an employee going through a hard time on a personal level, do what you can to provide support and offer them help until they get back on their feet and can work their normal workload.
By supporting your employees, you will inspire loyalty. When employees are loyal to their manager, they work harder, and this creates better overall success for the team.
9. Be Open to Feedback
Finally, don’t be afraid of constructive feedback. It’s easy to take the stance that you are the boss, and therefore people need to follow you, not criticize you. However, there may be things that you could do better, so embrace feedback when it comes. Even if the feedback isn’t housed in kindness, you can learn and grow from it.
Whether the feedback comes from your new team or from your own managers, or even from other teams that see how you are interacting with yours, take it and learn from it. We are always growing in our professions, and taking the role of the manager does not exempt you from the need to grow and develop your leadership potential, so be willing to learn from others.
Consider Growing Your Leadership Skills with More Training
How do you earn respect as a new boss? The right training can help. With additional leadership training, you can more effectively inspire the people who work for you, learn how to show respect, inspire change, communicate effectively, and improve your overall leadership skills. Wilmington College Cincinnati offers a master’s degree in organizational leadership that is a good option to consider. This program is available completely online, and full-time students only need to log in once per week to earn their degree. This flexibility makes it something you can attain even while working full-time.
If you are interested in learning more about the
master’s degree in organizational leadership offered at Wilmington College Cincinnati, request information today!
