DEAR COACH: I've worked in marketing for an insurance company for nearly five years, and during that time, I've had a few people to supervise. I also headed up various projects from time to time and got some visibility that way. My boss recently left, and I've been promoted to marketing director for our unit. That means I go from three direct reports to about 15. How can I get ready for this new assignment?

-- Larry

DEAR LARRY:

Congratulations! It seems your excellent leadership work on projects was noticed and rewarded. You must also have impressed people with your interpersonal skills, which is what you're going to need to rely on in this new position.

First of all, I'd suggest that you start the job by really listening. Forget the take charge stuff; the best way to get people working together, and respecting you in the process, is to ask them what they know and then give them a chance to tell you what's working well -- and what's not. That's the irony; most of what you need to know about getting work done better is in the heads of the people who've been doing the work. Schedule individual and small group meetings with all your new reports before you do anything. You'll have plenty of time to come up with your own plans, but you'll get greater cooperation from the folks who'll be implementing them if these plans are not dictated.

I'd use the next four weeks to do some reading. Here are some resources I suggest:

• Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
  This is full of good ideas about what skills you'll need to enhance in order to lead effectively.



• The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge
  This old-timer will help you see the big picture and how the little things you might do as a director will have such a tremendous impact on your results. It's a little hard to read, but it's really good stuff.



• The Harvard Business Review
  You can impress your new boss by quoting from these articles, and HBR will keep you apprised of what's happening on the cutting edge.



• Fast Company
  Edited by two ex-HBR editors, this magazine is a must-read if you want to know what's really happening in business. The many articles about innovation and effective management will also be really useful.

Finally, you might want to look into finding an executive coach. Many companies have them on board for the people they want to develop, so you could inquire in HR as to whether you could get one through the company at no cost to you. If that's not available, ask around at professional meetings about who in your geographic area is good and knows your field. Good coaches are best found through word of mouth.

Good luck,
CAREER COACH

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