Summary:  You have realized you are a manager and more importantly a leader. Where do you start? How do you create the team you want?

You have grown your business to the point where you can’t do it all yourself – congratulations! You are tasting success and you love it. You hire people to work for you and then you realize something….

Maybe you have just been promoted, you are excited as you have been working hard on advancing your career. You are enjoying the new paycheck and the new challenges and then you realize something…

In both these cases you have realized that you are a manager and more importantly….a leader. Why the distinction? Being a manager is about processes, things, inanimate objects. You can manage the flow of a project, you can manage your email however you cannot manage people. People need to be lead, they have to want to follow you and your direction. If you manage them, they will be as productive as your stapler. You guide and lead them and in return they will give their best everyday.

Sounds easy right?

How to get started and create the kind of team you want? These should get you going.

Vision. Share your vision for the team, department and company. Explain how they fit in and give them a purpose. People need to know how they fit into the big picture and how they contribute to the success.

Listen. Let them do the talking. Ask questions and listen to their response and ask more questions. People are full of ideas and suggestions, you don’t need to have all the answers. You do need to give them a voice so they want to share.

Set expectations. Let them, know what you expect. This could mean daily progress, end results, client management, sales numbers, however you will determine their success. If you don’t let them know – they can’t achieve it (or at least work towards it).

Create Accountability. Hold people responsible for their actions – the good, bad and ugly. Praise when deserved in public and consult with them in private when a change is needed. Where possible have them come up with plans and determine how to proceed – you should be their sounding board not the answer.

These four simple sounding steps will  help you start your leadership in the right direction. Simple sounding and in reality will take dedication and persistence on your part to keep moving forward.

How did you start your leadership? What leadership practices have you found beneficial?