So You Want To Be A Leader?

                You’re sitting in the break room at work one afternoon drinking that beverage that’s going to power you through the rest of your afternoon.  Someone from human resources puts a notice up on the bulletin board that they are opening a new supervisor position in your company, and you think about applying for the position.  After all, your boss has your co-workers go to you for technical questions and he does leave you in charge when he goes on vacation or is out of the office.  You have been reading articles and going to seminars on becoming a supervisor.  You walk over to the bulletin board and read the job description.  Now you begin to weigh the pros and cons of becoming a leader.

The Title:  You’re the man (or the Woman).  You have all the answers.  You are the go-to person in office when something needs to be done, and you get it done right, on time, and under budget.  You get the pat on the back.  You and your team bask in the glory of being in the good graces with your boss and upper management.

The Perks:  Gone is the day of sitting in a cubicle and listening to everyone complain about things.  You have your own office that you can finally hang up those certificates and other accomplishments and work on your short game in golf.  Gone is the day of having to work overtime to get something done, you can pass it on to one of your subordinates and he can finish for you.  You can go home at a decent hour, so you don’t make the significant other angry.

The Money:  With the promotion comes the raise, with the raise you can start saving for that vacation that you have been dreaming about or that car or house that you have always wanted.  You can get caught up on bills or start saving for college for your children, or just starting the road to a more secure financial future.

The New Ideas:  You are fresh from the trenches of the workforce and management wants to know what the employees think of what they are doing so you are getting a lot of questions from your boss and his bosses on how to improve things.  You are the idea man for them, and they may value what you have to say.

Now you look at the downside of what becoming a leader entail:

Higher Expectations:  Your bosses are going hold you to a higher standard.  What you did to get to your current position will no longer be good enough to them.  You will have to raise your standards and demand that of your subordinates.  Which will also lead to.

Your Friends No Longer Your Friends:  In leadership, they say it’s lonely at the top.  Being a leader is not about doing what’s popular, it’s about doing what is right for the company.  You new subordinates who may have been your co-workers can no longer complain about management to you because you are the management.  You may have to settle a dispute between two people that may have been your friends before, but your decision may affect them both negatively and you must live with that, and not having them as your friend anymore.  Can you live with that?

Accountability:  You will have successes, but you will also have failures and you will have to take the brunt of those failures when they occur. When your subordinate makes a mistake, it will be also your mistake because it will be magnified because it was in your control to stop the behavior that lead to the mistake.  Your lack of follow up or not being sure the employee knew what was asked is on your shoulders.

Can No Longer Say “That’s Not My Job”:  If you’re a leader now, you can no longer “pass the buck” to someone higher in the chain of command.  You’re a leader now because you have the education, the experience, and the training to solve the problems within the company and with customers with whom you do business with.  People want to know that that person they are dealing with knows what they are doing, and if you don’t know what you’re doing or don’t know something, people will not have a lot of confidence in you as a leader and your leaders will probably not move you up the ladder of leadership.

So, you have weighed the pros and cons of being a leader and contemplate applying for the supervisor position.  You see the pros of being the go-to person, having your own office, the money for that vacation, and being noticed by the upper management as a possible asset.  But then you also look that your boss is going to raise his expectations of you, and you will also do that of your team.  You may not have many friends that were your former co-workers when you must make a decision that is the best interest of the company rather than what popular opinion dictates. You can no longer say “that’s above my pay grade.”  Other employees, upper management, and administrators can not have you become indecisive because it does not instill confidence in them that you’re a good leader or that you don’t want to be a better leader.  You continue to think when you look down at your watch and discover that your break is over, and you need to get back to work.