Now that you are a manager the biggest difference is that the definition of success changes. It is no longer about delivering yourself, but delivering through others and giving others the opportunity to shine.

Typically as an individual contributor, it is simple, you are responsible for your own results and performance. If you are not getting the results you need, typically it means working harder and working smarter. However, now as a manager your role is to get your team to become high performers and you don’t lift your team’s performance by working harder yourself.You lift the performance of your team by making your team better and faster. Something else to consider, your team goes as fast as the slowest team member (and this is not necessarily negative just referring to a disengaged underperforming team member, this could als be a new, sick or overloaded team member).

Also in this example you don’t make the team better by working harder yourself, or by pushing harder. Here it is important that you get a really good understanding of your weaker team members and the reasons behind it. They might need some coaching, teaching or it might indicate that this team member is not a right fit for the role and you’ll need to think what is the best way to approach that.

Ultimately if you want a high performing team, you need to create opportunities and projects where your team members can stretch themselves and get the recognition and visibility of the results they deliver. This will help you develop your brand as a leader where the best candidates line up to work for you, because you give people opportunities to develop and learn, give them the honest feedback and support and ultimately give them the platform to be successful.

What will you do with all the extra time on your hands I hear you ask? Well, here is usually where you can lift your head out of the weeds, establish strong alliances and strategic relationships in the business to bring more impactful projects for the business towards your team.