Starting A New Leadership Role

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New
Leadership Role
140 Practical and Effective Actions for You to Make
a Strong Start at Your New Leadership Role
By Pam Fox Rollin
An Aha Amplifier Book

E-mail: info@thinkaha.com
20660 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 210
Cupertino, CA 95014
Copyright 2014, Pam Fox Rollin

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Published by THiNKaha via the Aha Amplfier

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http://thinkaha.com
Initial Publication: May 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61699-146-3 1-61699-146-1
Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA
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Every effort has been made to make this book as complete
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Contents
Section I
Set Yourself Up for Success
Section II
Map the Terrain
19
Section III
Show up Wisely
29
Section IV
Start Your Wins
48
Section V
Create Your Management System
64
Section VI
Stay Smart
80
Section VII
Set Up You and Your Team to Thrive
94
About the Author
111
Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role
Section I
Set Yourself Up for Success
To ready yourself for the intense months

ahead,scaleup your task management system so
you can meet commitments flawlessly. Put your
headinto the game. Make sure youre familiar
with major strategic issues facing your industry,
company, and group. If youve already started, skim
these tips to see if there are steps you missed and
want to handle right away.
Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success
1
Welcome to your new leadership role:
You have a big job in a tough
climate with very little support!
@PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
2
If youve got a personal issue to solve
in the next three months, try to get
it 80% handled before you start.
3
Losing tasks? Better to have an imperfect
solution you use all the time, than an
elegant solution you use half the time.
@PamFR #leadstart
4
Before your start, find out what
communication technologies are used
at your new company. @PamFR
bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01 #leadstart
5
Brain science proves that anything
unfamiliar takes much more brainpower.
Anticipate your learning curve. @PamFR
bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
6
Pay primary attention to your team the first
month or two. They need to experience
how much you value them. @PamFR
11
7
Dont get so caught up in fighting fires that
you forget to shut off the gas. @PamFR
8
Starting a new leadership role? No one is
going to hand you a script, so write your
own. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
9
Consider the rules, make up your own mind,
act, observe, and reflect. Repeat. Succeed.
#leadstart
13
10
Let your tone suit the culture as well as
your own leadership style. @PamFR
11
Be intensely open to changing your point of
view. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
12
There is no substitute for being organized.
#leadstart
15
13
Be eager to start, yet wise about
starting well; considerate, not spineless;
collaborative, not adversarial. @PamFR
14
From Offer Day to Start Day, never have
coffee alone. Engage with people in your
new world as early as possible. @PamFR
#leadstart
15
Go beyond any official onboarding write your own plan. @PamFR
17
16
Introduce yourself to strategically
important customers and suppliers,
and learn their priorities. @PamFR
17
Many leaders appreciate talking with
someone new to the company or
department to gain fresh perspective.
18
Make a habit of noting whats important
to people you meet; find opportunities
to be of service. @PamFR
Section II
Map the Terrain
The Ahas in this section take you from Im

looking forward to working with you, to Heres
what you can count on our team to deliver.
The Ahas provide tips on how you can avoid
common missteps at this phase of your new role.
This section also provide tips on mapping what
matters to people in your organization and how
to uncover your group in creating values and
startsetting milestones.
19
Section II: Map the Terrain
19
Determine your next actions to
delight, satisfy, or minimize damage
for your powerholders. @PamFR
20
Uncover precisely how your group creates
value. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
21
21
Inventory whos watching your team for
what factors, and what they expect to see by
when. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
22
Creating the roadmap is best done with
intense collaboration across your team.
#leadstart
23
Together sketch a quick map of how
product, people, knowledge, and money
flow through your group over time.
24
Be realistic about how fast you
can drive change. @PamFR
23
25
What are the big outputs the org is
counting on your team to deliver, and what
needs to happen fast to ensure success?
@PamFR #leadstart
26
Youd like to prove that major weaknesses
they thought you had when hired are not
so bad or youve minimized the impact.
@PamFR #leadstart
25
27
Your new role may make good use of
strengths you forgot you had. @PamFR
28
Use your strengths to do the heavy lifting
of making a strong start. @PamFR
29
Expect your new position to require you
to draw on different strengths than your
last. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
27
30
You cant have different personas for
different audiences. Rather, be thoughtful
about which areas you emphasize to whom.
@PamFR #leadstart
31
Seeing problems as they really are - rather
than as you are - is essential, especially
in your first months on the job. @PamFR
#leadstart
Section III
Show Up Wisely
Musicians have instruments, surgeons have

tools, engineers have software, and leaders have...
themselves. Thats it. Know what youve got to
offer, and bring out whats needed now. The
Ahas presented in this section teach you how to
deal with your strengths and weak spots, how to
introduce yourself internally and externally and
show people around you how you work.
29
Section III: Show Up Wisely
32
For every weakness you have, there are
people for whom it is a strength. @PamFR
31
33
At the start, take on work in your weak areas
only if its okay to do it badly, or it can be
delegated/outsourced. @PamFR #leadstart
34
Once most people know who you
are and what youre about, its time
to stop talking about you. @PamFR
35
(Re)introduce yourself internally
& externally. @PamFR
33
36
As you speak across the organization,
identify which themes are most critical.
#leadstart
37
Find the problems fast and tackle them
before you are seen to own their creation.
#leadstart
38
Dont blame the last guy. He knew
what you dont yet. @PamFR
35
39
View the last guy as your teacher. @PamFR
40
You are standing on the shoulders
(or graves) of many. @PamFR
41
Dont look ridiculous trying to pretend
that you are perfect. @PamFR
37
42
Show people how to work with you.
#leadstart
43
Show, invite, tell, problem-solve, reinforce.
#leadstart
44
When you tie your preferences to shared
business goals and values, youll seem
less petty and idiosyncratic. @PamFR
39
45
Dissing your team only diminishes their
influence across the company, and youll
look petty and ineffective. @PamFR
46
Focusing on yourself is a quick road to
failure as a leader. Turn it around
and focus on your team. @PamFR
47
Speak well of your team around the
company and beyond. @PamFR
41
48
Look for ways to showcase skills, wisdom,
and achievements of individual members
and your team as a whole. @PamFR
49
Your team members will give you the
goods only to the degree they trust you
to act in their best interests. @PamFR
50
You have three ways to deal with your
weaknesses: improve, punt, or pay. @PamFR
43
51
Earning and keeping the trust of your
team is one of your most important
challenges as a leader. @PamFR
52
New leaders often lack perspective;
they gun for wins instead of helping the
department transition well. @PamFR
53
Once direction is set, your fundamental job
as a leader is hunter, curator, and builder of
talent. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
45
54
Include your skeptics, as long as theyre
willing to do the work. Give them time to
become believers. @PamFR #leadstart
55
Prioritize the top five problems, and solve
two right away to earn the respect of your
team. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
56
Its a no-win to let the core business stumble
while youre chasing fast glory. @PamFR
47
57
Most leadership roles worth having require
wise decisions to build the next
years of business success. @PamFR
Section IV: Start Your Wins
Section IV
Start Your Wins
This section focuses on the soft skills that

make a real difference. Teams live and die by
the quality of their communication. What sort of
conversations will happen more often because
you are here? Who will be included, and which
voices will be heard? What fresh understandings
will be created because of how you speak and
listen? This is the most powerful time for you to
upgrade the conversations on your team. Seize
the opportunity!
49
58
Bold moves in the second and
third quarters of your tenure tend
to accelerate your career. @PamFR
59
Give yourself enough run time this year
to create next years wins. @PamFR
51
60
Research shows that your smartest team
members are the most likely
to challenge your decisions. @PamFR
61
Human brains pay attention to whats
recent, whats repeated, and whats
communicated with passion and clarity.
@PamFR #leadstart
62
What seems like a modest change to you
can be a big change to the people involved.
#leadstart
53
63
Say what is relevant in a notable way and
act with consistency to give focus to
what others say about you. @PamFR
64
What you say about yourself - if only to
yourself - powerfully shapes your
own sense of possibilities. @PamFR
65
Cognitive framing - how you describe
a situation to yourself - is your most
important lever for making change.
55
66
The most influential conversations are
those we have with ourselves. @PamFR
67
The most influential person in a meeting
is usually the one who is most clear
about his/her own thinking. @PamFR
68
STOP! Before marching fuzzyheaded into
that meeting, step back and think. @PamFR
57
69
Resist the temptation either to ramble or
remain silent. Instead, simply offer
the best of your thinking. @PamFR
70
When in doubt, get curious. @PamFR
71
Youve got to figure out when to ask, when
to tell, and when to shut up. @PamFR
59
72
If you do not explain the reasoning behind
decisions, your teams brains will be
happy to make stuff up. @PamFR
73
Rather than relying on or complaining
about your companys insufficient reports,
make your own dashboard. @PamFR
74
What will show the key factors driving
performance up or down? @PamFR
61
75
Ask for huddles with the right people on
specific issues. Make full-team meetings
short and powerful. @PamFR
76
Look for the problems that are sending
weak distress signals yet your experience
says could have big negative impacts.
@PamFR #leadstart
77
Once youve refined the framework for
your business, invite your team for a
riskidentification meeting. @PamFR
63
78
Must-make meetings have breaking news,
big questions, real POVs, dissent,
vital decisions, humor. @PamFR
Section V: Create Your Management System
Section V
Create Your Management System
Now, make the time to turn your tactics into

systems. The Ahas in this section will help
you define your processes for managing risk,
communicating up/down/sideways, managing
performance, and developing talent.
65
79
Ask for data & thoughts that argue
against the position developing in your
meeting. Invite dissent! @PamFR
80
At meetings end, run quick plus/delta
to find what worked (to do again) and
what to change next time. @PamFR
67
81
Adjust your behavior to help other people
get what they need to be more productive.
#leadstart
82
Make reasonable accommodations
to respect your team members
preferred ways of working. @PamFR
83
Value comes when your team
members use their varying experiences
to think divergently. @PamFR
69
84
Do not take over your teams challenges,
and certainly not their opportunities.
#leadstart
85
Your greatest power as a leader is to focus
your people to work on the right things.
#leadstart
86
Theres no substitute for private, thoughtful,
uninterrupted, minimally-structured
time with each team member. @PamFR
71
87
Rather than counting on luck, lets see
how you and your team can survive screwups. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
88
Ban the blame and lead the learning.
#leadstart
89
If you develop a reputation as a great
boss, youll have a steady supply of great
people who want to work for you. @PamFR
#leadstart
73
90
Your job is to make other people
even more successful. @PamFR
91
Focus on doing what you do best, and
find support for the rest. @PamFR
75
92
Ask yourself how a smart business rival
would react if they knew of your plans.
#leadstart
93
The advantage of being an outsider is fresh
eyes. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
94
Befriend academics, policy wonks,
and good thinkers. @PamFR
77
95
You want to stay smart about where youre
going, not just where you are. @PamFR
96
Give yourself a budget of a few hours each
week for building relationships and doing
some in-depth reading. @PamFR #leadstart
97
Dont swap ignorance with people who
know what you know; find people with other
skills and build valuable relationships.
@PamFR #leadstart
79
98
Notice early when you are in the crosshairs,
and take wise action. @PamFR
99
Any two people in your organization are
likely to have competing agendas. @PamFR
Section VI: Stay Smart
Section VI
Stay Smart
This section is all about you.

If you neglect to set targets, hire staff, and meet
with them, your boss or team will remind you.
If you neglect to stay smart, seek feedback, and
build your network, no one is likely to mention
the gap. Youll just become less and less
valuable. This section will provide you tips on
how to build your insight about the future of the
business as diligently as you manage current
work.
81
100
Create a safe atmosphere and frequent
opportunities for your team to challenge
you and each other. @PamFR
101
If ever you start to think of your
market, tech, or channels as fairly
stable, catch yourself. @PamFR
102
The higher you go, the harder you must
work to become aware of and challenge
your own reasoning. @PamFR
103
Ask questions that cultivate healthy
paranoia and lead to good business
decisions. @PamFR
83
104
Leaders need more feedback than ever - and
theyre less likely to get it. @PamFR
105
Initiate upward feedback yourself - dont
wait for an annual process to receive it.
#leadstart
106
You need to know when your
well-intentioned behavior is having
a negative impact. @PamFR
85
107
Ask friends, find websites, or watch
YouTube videos to prep you for whatever
tech migration youll need. @PamFR
108
Fastest way to kill your feedback channel:
downplay the feedback, even slightly.
#leadstart
109
Drive toward exceptional value for time,
and drop low-yield activities. @PamFR
87
110
Mentor team members in building
skills, expertise, and networks to
help accomplish their goals. @PamFR
111
Wouldnt you rather work for someone wellnetworked & industry-savvy than a supergreat boss who focuses only on the team?
@PamFR #leadstart
112
Very few people thoughtfully manage
the scope of their job. @PamFR
89
113
Leaders who insist anyone who mentions
a problem provide a solution find
they dont hear about problems. @PamFR
114
Moving faster than your team feeds a cycle
that destroys morale and initiative and
keeps you working weekends. @PamFR
115
When team members have been kicking
it hard, give them some meaningful
downtime. @PamFR
91
116
Be thoughtful about which stressors to
let roll to your team, and which stop with
you. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
117
If youre feeling rigid and panicky, your
team will pick up on this. @PamFR
118
When a leader fidgets, others
wonder whether he or she is
confident and committed. @PamFR
93
119
A little bit of stress can improve
performance by making you alert,
excited, ready to act. @PamFR
Section VII: Set Up You and Your Team to Thrive
Section VII
Set Up You and Your Team to Thrive
How long do you want to do this work of

leadership? What do you hope to accomplish?
Many people can drive themselves and their
teams to exceed expectations for a quarter or
two. The real challenge is to build a teamand
a lifethat sustains high performance, and to
know, at the end of some very long days, that
your hard work was worth it. Read this section
for the refinements that separate superb leaders
from the so-so, and balanced careers from
burnouts.
95
120
If youre feeling confident in your ability
to handle what comes, your team will
reflect this sense of calm. @PamFR
121
See what happens to the quality of
your thinking with just one extra hour
of sleep each night! @PamFR
97
122
If you push until you break, then break
you will, with lousy consequences for
all. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
123
If crisis mode is your norm, schedule
time to find a more sustainable way to
manage your work and life. @PamFR
124
Create an environment where your team
can thrive as people, and youll set
yourself up for high performance.
99
125
Stop waiting for quiet periods between
major initiatives, and design your life
to be sane nearly every day. @PamFR
126
You cant tackle everything as a leader;
decide what changes have meaning
for you, and go for it! @PamFR
127
If youre willing to be courageous and
patient, you can make change while
maintaining professional credibility.
101
128
Look for company priorities that match your
personal goals, and offer to lead initiatives.
#leadstart
129
Rather than passively respond to requests
you receive, find or CREATE opportunities
that matter to you. @PamFR
130
Gain energy from purpose: what do
you want to experience in the time
youre on the planet? @PamFR
103
131
Extend a hand to the next round of leaders
by sharing what youve learned. @PamFR
132
When you care about something, say
it often. Even better, ask about it often.
#leadstart
105
133
Strengths overused or applied at the
wrong time are no help at all. @PamFR
134
Your team cant function without the basics...
Where are we going?, How will we get
there?, Who will need to do what? @PamFR
#leadstart
135
If you plan to show up and do your
best, youre still thinking like an
individual contributor. @PamFR
107
136
Musicians have instruments, surgeons
have tools, leaders have...themselves. Thats
it. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
137
Teams live and die by the quality of their
communication. What conversations will
happen more often because you are here?
@PamFR #leadstart
138
Go for the win in a way that leaves your
team more capable of delivering future
wins. @PamFR bit.ly/PamFoxRollin-Aha01
#leadstart
109
139
Bold moves in the second and third
quarters of your tenure tend to
accelerate your career. @PamFR
140
Build your insight about the future
of the business as diligently as you
manage current work. @PamFR
About the Author
Pam Fox Rollin coaches executives to succeed at the next level. She specializes in
helping functional leaders who are taking on broader roles with greater strategic
opportunity and management responsibility. Pam is also known for expert work
with assessments (personality, leadership, 360s) and for designing and facilitating
unusually productive leadership offsites. Her company, IdeaShape Coaching &
Consulting, advances leaders and teams at top and emerging Silicon Valley and
Bay Area companies in biotech, technology, and consumer products. Before
founding IdeaShape in 1999, Pam consulted with Bain & Company and Accenture.
Her MBA is from Stanford, where she often serves as a Guest Fellow, helping top
MBA candidates develop their leadership skills.
Books in the Aha Amplifier are social media

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The Aha Amplifier helps you increase your
influence by amplifying quality Aha moments!
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important idea or statement with thousands (if not
millions) of people. Its a win-win-win: you benefit,
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Check out other AhaBooks at
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Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New

By Pam Fox Rollin

An Aha Amplifier Book

Copyright 2014, Pam Fox Rollin

Please pick up a copy of this book in the Aha Amplifier

Published by THiNKaha via the Aha Amplfier

About the Author

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

To ready yourself for the intense months

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section I: Set Yourself Up for Success

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

The Ahas in this section take you from Im

Section II: Map the Terrain

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section II: Map the Terrain

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section II: Map the Terrain

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section II: Map the Terrain

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section II: Map the Terrain

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Musicians have instruments, surgeons have

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section III: Show Up Wisely

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section IV: Start Your Wins

This section focuses on the soft skills that

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section IV: Start Your Wins

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section IV: Start Your Wins

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section IV: Start Your Wins

Pam Fox Rollin on Starting a New Leadership Role

Section IV: Start Your Wins

Please pick up a copy of this book in the Aha Amplifier