March 2, 2026
How Do I Get People to Take Me Seriously as a New Leader?
If you're building your new manager leadership skills and looking for career strategies that actually work, this episode is for you. One of the most common leadership frameworks for managers getting started in a new role is to come in projecting authority, having all the answers, and proving you belong — and it backfires every time.
Through two personal stories from my own leadership journey, I break down what it truly means to be taken seriously as a leader — and why earning credibility has everything to do with how well you show up for others and very little to do with how much you know.
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WEBVTT
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[SPEAKER_00]: Are your efforts to prove yourself to your team and colleagues alienating them?
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you're coming in hot, power-tripping are even trying to make yourself look like you know it all?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You look a certain way, but serious, ain't one of them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what does it actually look like to be taken seriously?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's simpler than you think, and it has nothing to do with being the smartest person in the room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let's talk about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The podcast was Cheneetabee.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I want to talk to you about the trap that I see a lot of new leaders fall into pretty regularly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what I call the everything trap.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is essentially the pressure
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[SPEAKER_00]: that you apply to yourself to have all the answers and to show up and let everyone know that you're in charge.
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[SPEAKER_00]: As if they don't already know, and you're definitely trying to make it appear as if you have it all together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, and I'm sure that you've seen this in other new leaders.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so my question is, what did you think when you saw that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Did it make you respect them?
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[SPEAKER_00]: My guess is no, that it didn't.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so the question, the other question is, why do you think that this is going to work for you in the professional setting?
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[SPEAKER_00]: If it didn't work for them, are you any different than they are?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason why this doesn't work is because people were bail against being made to feel small and invisible.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what happens when you come in and you think that you're letting everybody know that you have all the answers and that you're the end all and be all.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just simply not true and it doesn't work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So when you're preoccupied with trying to make a good impression,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, then what's happening is that you're missing the opportunities to build trust and make a lasting impact, which I think is ultimately what you want to do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to be taken seriously, then you've got an earned credibility and that is not something that can be forced.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what you want to do is you want to show them a different way to lead than what they might be accustomed to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And the way that you do that is to make things work that we're not working before.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that is going to be one of the primary responsibilities that you have as a new leader is to put things back together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let me show you what this looks like in practice because this is something that I have a lot of experience in because I've lived through it several several times and when I've started new positions in the past, I would often focus on making introductions of myself to the interdepartmental colleagues and leaders.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I wanted to share insights with them that I had gained and gleaned from having conversations either with my colleagues within my department or even my team members.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because what I thought is that it was important to make sure that we have this bridge of communication so that we can make sure that information is flowing to the appropriate places.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And doing this is proven very effective because what it allowed me to do was to build a bridge that was not there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: that had just been completely torn down because of changes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, we know structural changes within organizations take place on a pretty cyclical basis.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so you can almost be guarantee that some type of change has happened in the past and something that was regularly provided has been cut off.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Another thing that this did in addition to allow me to build a bridge is it gave me some quick wins and that was something that was extremely helpful because it continued to motivate me to do more and to excel and it also was a confidence builder and I can tell you that in one specific instance I was working with several directors and one of them shared with me that in the few
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[SPEAKER_00]: But they didn't know who the right person was to help resolve a problem that they had been facing almost as the beginning of their tenure there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So just imagine that, that you're working with a problem and everything that you do is a work around and the work arounds do nothing but frustrate you and put you in a dead end position.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's pretty much where he was.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, the situation applied not only to him but to his colleagues and we can debate all day long on whether or not they were a part of the problem.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The fact still remains that they had this issue and they were not getting it resolved.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And when you're working in sometimes really large organizations, it's easy for that communication to flow to stop.
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[SPEAKER_00]: because of any type of change, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we can circle back to that at another time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I want you to think about the song, that's just the way it is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I think if you've heard that song, you kind of understand the gist of it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But this was his life and his colleagues' reality on a regular basis until I came along.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and what happened is I was making these introductory meetings and I was sharing with these other departments.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, these are some of the things that my colleagues are experiencing within my department and what can we do to get these things addressed?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so he went from not knowing the name of the department leader and some of the members on that team to having biweekly meetings and addressing
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[SPEAKER_00]: that they had been having for years.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, years, okay.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this was like the sun started shining again.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes it's that big of a deal, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so things were now beginning to be addressed and fixed and resolved because I facilitated it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And how did I do that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what I did was I listened for the pain points.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And another thing that I did is I mapped the landscape and then that helped me to build the bridge and then the winds began to speak for themselves.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And listen, when you talk to your colleagues or your team members and you ask them questions, what's not working, share with me your processes and experiences,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Tell me, what are your pain points?
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[SPEAKER_00]: People are quick to tell you the pain points.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're quick to tell you what's not working.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There will never be a shortage of that information.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What your objective is is to glean from that, the things that are actionable, and you have to be able to decipher the things that they're explaining to you if they are actually applicable to the job or if they're just grumbling and complaining.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And whatever information you can take from that and apply to another department or to a process even that just might simply need to be improved, you will get a win for your team, for your colleagues, for your department, and for yourself.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a big deal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And then the next part of that was even with mapping the landscape.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what I did in relation to that is I just simply used my experience that I gained in my prior positions.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I had seen things that were similar.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I understood
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[SPEAKER_00]: which type of department, which type of position within the department was the one that would typically address that type of issue.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's not always going to be a one-to-one relationship, meaning that the position that might have done it in the company where you worked last might not be the same title in the company where you are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But if the functions are the same, you should be able to get in touch with that department or with that team and figure out who is responsible for it and how can we
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[SPEAKER_00]: get these people together so that we can talk about the problem so that we can develop an action plan to get it addressed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so that was how I mapped the landscape.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I needed to understand who the players were so that I could get everybody together and let them know, look, we have a big problem over here.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because sometimes when you have these structural changes within organizations, when the flow of information stops, one department oftentimes does not know
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[SPEAKER_00]: that it has a negative impact on another department.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And part of what we do as leaders is we come in and we help to resolve those issues by getting the people together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You may not necessarily be the one who ultimately solves the problem, but part of what you do is facilitate and connect.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, I do not want you to underestimate the power and the influence of being a facilitator and a connector.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When you look at large organizations and wonder how they're able to be so successful and you look at their leader, well, they have people in positions who help facilitate
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[SPEAKER_00]: and mediate between these different departments.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And they allow them to talk it out so that they can resolve the problems.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what you want to do, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's going to be a win for everybody.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And what does that do for you?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it definitely gives you credibility because now it shows that you're someone who can come in and you can't take charge, but you don't have to do it by telling everybody what to do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can simply put people together and say that here is the problem.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Your department is typically the one that would address these kinds of issues.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How can you help us and how can we help you?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it really can be that simple, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So again, make sure that you sharpen your facilitation and connecting skills because you're gonna need those.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you can start by sharing this episode with your colleagues and friends because there are others who need to hear this kind of insight to help them in their leadership journey.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while you're doing that, make sure that you hit follow so that you do not miss an episode, and you can do that in Apple or Spotify, or you can always go directly to my website, crossroads and catalyst.com.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So, like I said, being a connector does build credibility, and in the example that I just gave you, that was being applied toward an external department.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Now we want to look at internal department, right, within your own team, within your own department.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so we want to address what it looks like from that perspective.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, sometimes you want to think a little bit outside of the box, because when it comes to dealing with your own team, you got to recognize that there are going to be some things that come up that are going to be uncomfortable.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And your team is, they're going to need to know from you, can they trust you and will you have their back?
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[SPEAKER_00]: can they count on you to support them?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And definitely when you're in a new position, the pressure is on to want to gain friends and gain them quickly and show everyone that you have their back.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes if you have
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[SPEAKER_00]: one person's back, it might pit them or pit you against someone else.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is an example of what I mean.
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[SPEAKER_00]: In one particular scenario, I worked in a department that had a long stand in policy of
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[SPEAKER_00]: performing transactions in a particular way.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And by that, let me rephrase that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They had a long-standing practice of ignoring a policy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The policy was there, of course, to provide the appropriate guidelines as to how to handle
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[SPEAKER_00]: this particular issue.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And there was a clerk who was responsible to review These documents that would be submitted to her and then she would determine hey We need additional information and she would just reiterate the policy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She was just doing her job But she did not have the authority or the power to enforce it So I'm sure you can already tell where this is going
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[SPEAKER_00]: when I was hired, part of my job was to enforce the policy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm the new leader and I'm being told that I have to enforce a policy that no one was being held accountable to for years, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So when she would receive some documents, she would interpret the policy and even though her interpretation was correct, it was not always well received and so then she would receive pushback.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, that means that there was some tension there, so I had a choice in those moments.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I could do the bend the rules and try to curry favor with the leaders in an attempt to bolster my own reputation or I could back her up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So in the instances where she would receive the push back and defer to me, well then in those moments, I politely, yet firmly held the line and what I did was I reiterated what she had already interpreted and that was the end of that in my opinion and in my estimation and what does she do in the aftermath of that she thanked me for supporting her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that meant a lot to me because I wanted her to know that I trusted her judgment.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And if there was an issue, I was able to have a conversation with her and she with me.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But it was a it was a big deal for her because for so long when she would interpret the policy accurately and correctly, she would often be dismissed and people would go around her to override the policy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And what did that show to those other leaders?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it showed them that I valued this person and that I also had integrity, that we have a policy and the policy is here for a reason.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's really designed to protect all of the parties involved.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that we were going to adhere to that, unless we received some other information that told us that we had to change it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so some of you are going to come cross some scenarios that are going to put you in a situation where you have to decide, am I going to follow the policy, am I going to follow and do what's right and support my team or am I going to go out of my way to be liked by some of these people?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you have to work with them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But again, the decision is up to you, what is it that you really want?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because I can tell you, you just heard these two stories and there are two different situations.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But there's a common thread.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They were other centered.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while it is important, I think it's wonderful to be liked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's just as important to be respected.
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[SPEAKER_00]: you want people to respect you and in these scenarios I just show you ways that you could build credibility by helping other people be successful in their work okay and everyone everyone can win.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then, as you can also see, credibility is a natural result of solving problems and supporting real people, because it doesn't have to be the things that you hear about on social media or on the radio, it's something that is major.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you're making these small incremental changes and improvements in the work lives of your colleagues and your team members,
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[SPEAKER_00]: you really are going to make a difference and people will take you seriously.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what you should do is you should take the time to listen for the problems and facilitate the problem solving.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is going to be how you can go about getting people to take you seriously.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what I want you to do is this week, I want you to find one bridge to build or one person to back up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and if they know that you have their back, they'll have yours and this might take some time depending on how new you are with an organization or how steeped in an organization you are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes it does take a little bit of time to reap the benefits, but if you start now, you will be ahead than rather than if you don't, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: and if you want to talk through this, if you want to talk about how you can move forward in your leadership journey, then go to the notes and click the link so that you can reserve some time on my calendar, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I will definitely look forward to hearing from you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And another way to stay connected with me is to sign up for my newsletter, the catalyst.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You can do that at crossroads in catalyst.com slash newsletter, or you can also click the notes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Excuse me, click the link in the notes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that will help you to get signed up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So I appreciate that you listen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I know that you've gained something from this and I would love to hear your feedback.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So go to my website crossroadsandcatalyst.com and click the voicemail icon and leave me some feedback because I want to hear from you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Catalyst shape who you become, every decision matters.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So make it count.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk to you next week.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Are your efforts to prove yourself to your team and colleagues alienating them?
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you're coming in hot, power-tripping are even trying to make yourself look like you know it all?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You look a certain way, but serious, ain't one of them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what does it actually look like to be taken seriously?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's simpler than you think, and it has nothing to do with being the smartest person in the room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let's talk about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Crossroads in Catalyst.
00:27.062 --> 00:28.404
[SPEAKER_00]: The podcast was Cheneetabee.
00:28.564 --> 00:29.485
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host.
00:29.505 --> 00:36.754
[SPEAKER_00]: This is where we discuss how a thoughtful, wise, and strategic perspective at a crossroads can be the catalyst for change in your leadership and career.
00:37.695 --> 00:42.061
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to talk to you about the trap that I see a lot of new leaders fall into pretty regularly.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what I call the everything trap.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is essentially the pressure
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[SPEAKER_00]: that you apply to yourself to have all the answers and to show up and let everyone know that you're in charge.
00:53.561 --> 00:58.231
[SPEAKER_00]: As if they don't already know, and you're definitely trying to make it appear as if you have it all together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, and I'm sure that you've seen this in other new leaders.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so my question is, what did you think when you saw that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Did it make you respect them?
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[SPEAKER_00]: My guess is no, that it didn't.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so the question, the other question is, why do you think that this is going to work for you in the professional setting?
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[SPEAKER_00]: If it didn't work for them, are you any different than they are?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And the reason why this doesn't work is because people were bail against being made to feel small and invisible.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is what happens when you come in and you think that you're letting everybody know that you have all the answers and that you're the end all and be all.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just simply not true and it doesn't work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So when you're preoccupied with trying to make a good impression,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, then what's happening is that you're missing the opportunities to build trust and make a lasting impact, which I think is ultimately what you want to do.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to be taken seriously, then you've got an earned credibility and that is not something that can be forced.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what you want to do is you want to show them a different way to lead than what they might be accustomed to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And the way that you do that is to make things work that we're not working before.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that is going to be one of the primary responsibilities that you have as a new leader is to put things back together.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So let me show you what this looks like in practice because this is something that I have a lot of experience in because I've lived through it several several times and when I've started new positions in the past, I would often focus on making introductions of myself to the interdepartmental colleagues and leaders.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I wanted to share insights with them that I had gained and gleaned from having conversations either with my colleagues within my department or even my team members.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because what I thought is that it was important to make sure that we have this bridge of communication so that we can make sure that information is flowing to the appropriate places.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And doing this is proven very effective because what it allowed me to do was to build a bridge that was not there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: that had just been completely torn down because of changes.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, we know structural changes within organizations take place on a pretty cyclical basis.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so you can almost be guarantee that some type of change has happened in the past and something that was regularly provided has been cut off.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Another thing that this did in addition to allow me to build a bridge is it gave me some quick wins and that was something that was extremely helpful because it continued to motivate me to do more and to excel and it also was a confidence builder and I can tell you that in one specific instance I was working with several directors and one of them shared with me that in the few
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[SPEAKER_00]: But they didn't know who the right person was to help resolve a problem that they had been facing almost as the beginning of their tenure there.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So just imagine that, that you're working with a problem and everything that you do is a work around and the work arounds do nothing but frustrate you and put you in a dead end position.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's pretty much where he was.
04:21.627 --> 04:31.242
[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, the situation applied not only to him but to his colleagues and we can debate all day long on whether or not they were a part of the problem.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The fact still remains that they had this issue and they were not getting it resolved.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And when you're working in sometimes really large organizations, it's easy for that communication to flow to stop.
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[SPEAKER_00]: because of any type of change, right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we can circle back to that at another time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I want you to think about the song, that's just the way it is.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I think if you've heard that song, you kind of understand the gist of it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But this was his life and his colleagues' reality on a regular basis until I came along.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and what happened is I was making these introductory meetings and I was sharing with these other departments.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, these are some of the things that my colleagues are experiencing within my department and what can we do to get these things addressed?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so he went from not knowing the name of the department leader and some of the members on that team to having biweekly meetings and addressing
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[SPEAKER_00]: that they had been having for years.
05:39.394 --> 05:41.477
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, years, okay.
05:42.057 --> 05:46.483
[SPEAKER_00]: And this was like the sun started shining again.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes it's that big of a deal, right?
05:49.406 --> 05:59.218
[SPEAKER_00]: And so things were now beginning to be addressed and fixed and resolved because I facilitated it.
05:59.198 --> 06:01.020
[SPEAKER_00]: And how did I do that?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what I did was I listened for the pain points.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And another thing that I did is I mapped the landscape and then that helped me to build the bridge and then the winds began to speak for themselves.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And listen, when you talk to your colleagues or your team members and you ask them questions, what's not working, share with me your processes and experiences,
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[SPEAKER_00]: Tell me, what are your pain points?
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[SPEAKER_00]: People are quick to tell you the pain points.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They're quick to tell you what's not working.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There will never be a shortage of that information.
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[SPEAKER_00]: What your objective is is to glean from that, the things that are actionable, and you have to be able to decipher the things that they're explaining to you if they are actually applicable to the job or if they're just grumbling and complaining.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And whatever information you can take from that and apply to another department or to a process even that just might simply need to be improved, you will get a win for your team, for your colleagues, for your department, and for yourself.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that is a big deal.
07:15.828 --> 07:20.176
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the next part of that was even with mapping the landscape.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what I did in relation to that is I just simply used my experience that I gained in my prior positions.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I had seen things that were similar.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I understood
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[SPEAKER_00]: which type of department, which type of position within the department was the one that would typically address that type of issue.
07:41.491 --> 07:51.442
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not always going to be a one-to-one relationship, meaning that the position that might have done it in the company where you worked last might not be the same title in the company where you are.
07:51.562 --> 08:01.933
[SPEAKER_00]: But if the functions are the same, you should be able to get in touch with that department or with that team and figure out who is responsible for it and how can we
08:02.268 --> 08:08.256
[SPEAKER_00]: get these people together so that we can talk about the problem so that we can develop an action plan to get it addressed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so that was how I mapped the landscape.
08:11.320 --> 08:18.390
[SPEAKER_00]: I needed to understand who the players were so that I could get everybody together and let them know, look, we have a big problem over here.
08:18.710 --> 08:30.807
[SPEAKER_00]: Because sometimes when you have these structural changes within organizations, when the flow of information stops, one department oftentimes does not know
08:30.787 --> 08:33.832
[SPEAKER_00]: that it has a negative impact on another department.
08:34.834 --> 08:42.887
[SPEAKER_00]: And part of what we do as leaders is we come in and we help to resolve those issues by getting the people together.
08:43.528 --> 08:51.040
[SPEAKER_00]: You may not necessarily be the one who ultimately solves the problem, but part of what you do is facilitate and connect.
08:51.020 --> 08:58.398
[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, I do not want you to underestimate the power and the influence of being a facilitator and a connector.
08:58.699 --> 09:08.202
[SPEAKER_00]: When you look at large organizations and wonder how they're able to be so successful and you look at their leader, well, they have people in positions who help facilitate
09:08.182 --> 09:11.970
[SPEAKER_00]: and mediate between these different departments.
09:12.652 --> 09:17.983
[SPEAKER_00]: And they allow them to talk it out so that they can resolve the problems.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that's really what you want to do, okay?
09:21.531 --> 09:23.736
[SPEAKER_00]: And again, it's going to be a win for everybody.
09:24.057 --> 09:25.600
[SPEAKER_00]: And what does that do for you?
09:25.580 --> 09:38.095
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it definitely gives you credibility because now it shows that you're someone who can come in and you can't take charge, but you don't have to do it by telling everybody what to do.
09:38.536 --> 09:42.841
[SPEAKER_00]: You can simply put people together and say that here is the problem.
09:43.722 --> 09:47.807
[SPEAKER_00]: Your department is typically the one that would address these kinds of issues.
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[SPEAKER_00]: How can you help us and how can we help you?
09:50.538 --> 09:54.145
[SPEAKER_00]: And it really can be that simple, okay?
09:54.926 --> 10:02.259
[SPEAKER_00]: So again, make sure that you sharpen your facilitation and connecting skills because you're gonna need those.
10:02.880 --> 10:13.238
[SPEAKER_00]: And you can start by sharing this episode with your colleagues and friends because there are others who need to hear this kind of insight to help them in their leadership journey.
10:13.218 --> 10:23.977
[SPEAKER_00]: And while you're doing that, make sure that you hit follow so that you do not miss an episode, and you can do that in Apple or Spotify, or you can always go directly to my website, crossroads and catalyst.com.
10:25.360 --> 10:36.981
[SPEAKER_00]: So, like I said, being a connector does build credibility, and in the example that I just gave you, that was being applied toward an external department.
10:36.961 --> 10:43.869
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we want to look at internal department, right, within your own team, within your own department.
10:44.430 --> 10:48.735
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so we want to address what it looks like from that perspective.
10:49.356 --> 10:59.969
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, sometimes you want to think a little bit outside of the box, because when it comes to dealing with your own team, you got to recognize that there are going to be some things that come up that are going to be uncomfortable.
11:00.410 --> 11:06.597
[SPEAKER_00]: And your team is, they're going to need to know from you, can they trust you and will you have their back?
11:06.577 --> 11:09.184
[SPEAKER_00]: can they count on you to support them?
11:10.046 --> 11:20.171
[SPEAKER_00]: And definitely when you're in a new position, the pressure is on to want to gain friends and gain them quickly and show everyone that you have their back.
11:20.211 --> 11:22.577
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes if you have
11:22.557 --> 11:27.949
[SPEAKER_00]: one person's back, it might pit them or pit you against someone else.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so this is an example of what I mean.
11:31.097 --> 11:39.115
[SPEAKER_00]: In one particular scenario, I worked in a department that had a long stand in policy of
11:40.394 --> 11:42.760
[SPEAKER_00]: performing transactions in a particular way.
11:43.642 --> 11:46.349
[SPEAKER_00]: And by that, let me rephrase that.
11:46.851 --> 11:51.062
[SPEAKER_00]: They had a long-standing practice of ignoring a policy.
11:51.102 --> 11:56.175
[SPEAKER_00]: The policy was there, of course, to provide the appropriate guidelines as to how to handle
11:56.155 --> 11:57.717
[SPEAKER_00]: this particular issue.
11:57.777 --> 12:10.916
[SPEAKER_00]: And there was a clerk who was responsible to review These documents that would be submitted to her and then she would determine hey We need additional information and she would just reiterate the policy.
12:10.936 --> 12:20.610
[SPEAKER_00]: She was just doing her job But she did not have the authority or the power to enforce it So I'm sure you can already tell where this is going
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[SPEAKER_00]: when I was hired, part of my job was to enforce the policy.
12:24.954 --> 12:34.942
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm the new leader and I'm being told that I have to enforce a policy that no one was being held accountable to for years, okay?
12:35.523 --> 12:50.175
[SPEAKER_00]: So when she would receive some documents, she would interpret the policy and even though her interpretation was correct, it was not always well received and so then she would receive pushback.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And of course, that means that there was some tension there, so I had a choice in those moments.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I could do the bend the rules and try to curry favor with the leaders in an attempt to bolster my own reputation or I could back her up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So in the instances where she would receive the push back and defer to me, well then in those moments, I politely, yet firmly held the line and what I did was I reiterated what she had already interpreted and that was the end of that in my opinion and in my estimation and what does she do in the aftermath of that she thanked me for supporting her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that meant a lot to me because I wanted her to know that I trusted her judgment.
13:35.721 --> 13:41.087
[SPEAKER_00]: And if there was an issue, I was able to have a conversation with her and she with me.
13:41.748 --> 13:57.928
[SPEAKER_00]: But it was a it was a big deal for her because for so long when she would interpret the policy accurately and correctly, she would often be dismissed and people would go around her to override the policy.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And what did that show to those other leaders?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it showed them that I valued this person and that I also had integrity, that we have a policy and the policy is here for a reason.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's really designed to protect all of the parties involved.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And that we were going to adhere to that, unless we received some other information that told us that we had to change it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And so some of you are going to come cross some scenarios that are going to put you in a situation where you have to decide, am I going to follow the policy, am I going to follow and do what's right and support my team or am I going to go out of my way to be liked by some of these people?
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[SPEAKER_00]: And you have to work with them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But again, the decision is up to you, what is it that you really want?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Because I can tell you, you just heard these two stories and there are two different situations.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But there's a common thread.
14:53.597 --> 14:54.718
[SPEAKER_00]: They were other centered.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And while it is important, I think it's wonderful to be liked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's just as important to be respected.
15:03.451 --> 15:18.793
[SPEAKER_00]: you want people to respect you and in these scenarios I just show you ways that you could build credibility by helping other people be successful in their work okay and everyone everyone can win.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So then, as you can also see, credibility is a natural result of solving problems and supporting real people, because it doesn't have to be the things that you hear about on social media or on the radio, it's something that is major.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you're making these small incremental changes and improvements in the work lives of your colleagues and your team members,
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[SPEAKER_00]: you really are going to make a difference and people will take you seriously.
15:46.728 --> 15:53.476
[SPEAKER_00]: So what you should do is you should take the time to listen for the problems and facilitate the problem solving.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is going to be how you can go about getting people to take you seriously.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So what I want you to do is this week, I want you to find one bridge to build or one person to back up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and if they know that you have their back, they'll have yours and this might take some time depending on how new you are with an organization or how steeped in an organization you are.
16:21.170 --> 16:32.284
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes it does take a little bit of time to reap the benefits, but if you start now, you will be ahead than rather than if you don't, okay?
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[SPEAKER_00]: and if you want to talk through this, if you want to talk about how you can move forward in your leadership journey, then go to the notes and click the link so that you can reserve some time on my calendar, okay?
16:46.186 --> 16:48.910
[SPEAKER_00]: And I will definitely look forward to hearing from you.
16:49.371 --> 16:54.358
[SPEAKER_00]: And another way to stay connected with me is to sign up for my newsletter, the catalyst.
16:54.378 --> 16:59.546
[SPEAKER_00]: You can do that at crossroads in catalyst.com slash newsletter, or you can also click the notes.
16:59.867 --> 17:01.890
[SPEAKER_00]: Excuse me, click the link in the notes.
17:02.571 --> 17:05.916
[SPEAKER_00]: And that will help you to get signed up.
17:05.896 --> 17:07.598
[SPEAKER_00]: So I appreciate that you listen.
17:07.758 --> 17:10.922
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that you've gained something from this and I would love to hear your feedback.
17:11.402 --> 17:18.591
[SPEAKER_00]: So go to my website crossroadsandcatalyst.com and click the voicemail icon and leave me some feedback because I want to hear from you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So until next time, be thoughtful, be wise, be strategic, and remember, crossroads reveal who you are.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Catalyst shape who you become, every decision matters.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So make it count.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'll talk to you next week.