Congratulations! The announcement is made across the company, you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile, maybe even moved to a new office or attended supervisor/leadership training. You have arrived since now you are leading others and in charge of more people, processes and results.

            But shortly after this achievement in your career, you discover there are a few items that your boss or mentor didn’t exactly tell you. To bridge that gap in knowledge, there are five details to be mindful of that no one tells you about leading others.

First and foremost, you are now in the service industry. No matter what business or industry you are in, your main job now is leading and serving others. Simply put, you now serve them, addressing their needs more directly and ensuring they continue to grow. While your technical acumen or other skills previously served you well, you will now spend much more time and effort focused on developing other people. This development of others includes building on their strengths, addressing their weaknesses, and providing opportunities for their growth. While you may be drawn to  re-engage with your former duties, your focus now is being oriented on your subordinates.

A second detail to be mindful of is that your leadership lessons are more caught than they are taught. Your direct reports will listen and observe all your actions, decisions, and words you say and even words you don’t say. These observations occur more informally than in a formal setting. That is not necessarily a bad thing but use caution when choosing words and making decisions. They matter now more than ever. Your team members will closely watch your decision making, both the easy choices and the more difficult ones. They will also remember how you led the team in good times and bad. You are training, teaching and developing them every time you interact with them. The good news is that you are planting the seeds of leadership, and while you may not readily see the harvest, keep planting them anyway.

Another key detail that no one tells you about leading others is that it is not a popularity contest. Your role as the leader is to make tough calls that some people on your team will not agree with. This requires a fair amount of trust from your team. Additionally, this new role of leading others is about making the right decision, not the popular one, finding the solutions with facts and not feelings. Popularity comes and goes, sound leadership lasts much longer.

Fourth, leading others is an endurance event, not a sprint. There will be moments you need to surge into action, maybe even pour into someone who needs help, or handle an emergency. Your direct reports are humans and accordingly, they are all different. Each person is motivated, excited and inspired by different things. Thus, your approach to leading others may take time to be effective and show results. Don’t fret. Find a good cadence, build a strategy for leading others, and take the time to understand their desires to develop and grow. Also, as you lead others, be aware for signs of burnout and find ways to refill your cup.

Finally, have fun. Leading others can be rewarding, tough, stressful, challenging; and all that can occur in a week. Those effects come with the title of leader. What others may not tell you is to try to make it a fun journey for all involved. Think of a good leader you have had. Someone who was demanding or firm, but with whom you worked hard and then played hard along the way. Find ways to make the challenging times an inspiration, the good times memorable, and each person’s journey enjoyable. People hold leaders in high regard that are firm but fair, celebrate the wins, debrief the losses and enjoy the journey.

Leading others is one of the greatest opportunities and honors anyone can have. Organizations and teams are made up of people and leaders will always have challenges and wins and losses to deal with.  As your leadership responsibilities expand, remember and understand these five details no one may have told you about when leading others. These can help you accelerate your leadership skills and acumen.

Authored by: Tom Dorl, Senior Director