What I Wish I’d Known as a New Leader

There’s a moment that comes for almost every new leader:
You’re promoted, handed the reins—and suddenly, it hits you…
You don’t know what you’re doing.

That might sound dramatic, but it’s what happens to a lot of new leaders.

I remember when it happened to me—about, oh, 35 years ago.
(Good grief, has it really been that long? How old am I?!)

I had a job I loved, working as a lab tech at a local bakery. My role was to test our ingredients and finished products for bacteria and make sure everything was clean and safe. We had a great team—just my boss (also a good friend of mine), two coworkers, and me. The work was enjoyable, and the hours—come in early, get off early—were perfect for me.

Then I got promoted to production supervisor, and everything changed.

I was put in charge of the team that did the prep work for each day’s production. That meant I started coming in at midnight and working until mid-morning. Not fun. I went from being a team member (i.e., having friends) to being a boss (i.e., not). And maybe hardest of all—I went from being competent at my job to having absolutely no clue what I was doing.

To say the company didn’t have a robust training and support system for new supervisors would be putting it kindly. I got a congratulatory handshake, a modest raise, and a half-hearted, “Let me know if you have any questions.”
Which really meant: figure it out.

I did. Kind of. Some of my instincts were good. I spent a whole day working alongside the team members in two of my areas, and I think that earned me some credibility and goodwill. But otherwise, I was swimming. And they must have seen it.

I blundered along for a few months before the frustration—with the shift (I hated that midnight shift!) and with my own ineffectiveness—led me to quit.

Thankfully, I’ve had many leadership opportunities since then, and most of them turned out much better. But I’ve never forgotten the pain of that first one—or the lessons I learned from it.

That story came flooding back recently when we surveyed 30 seasoned leaders and asked them a simple question:

“What do you wish you’d known when you first became a leader?”

The responses were honest, thoughtful, and surprisingly consistent. As different as their backgrounds and industries may have been, three big themes rose to the top:

1. Leadership requires a mindset shift

Most new leaders don’t struggle because they’re lazy or unintelligent.
They struggle because they’re doing the wrong job.

They’ve been promoted based on their technical competence—how well they performed their previous role. But once they step into leadership, their job is no longer to do the work—it’s to guide the people who do the work. That requires them to adopt a different mindset altogether. It requires them to stop doing their old job and start doing a new and very different one.

You’re not just responsible for your own performance anymore.
You’re now responsible for influencing, equipping, and coaching others.

That’s not something that just “clicks” on Day One. It takes training, reflection, and support.

2. Soft skills aren’t soft—they’re survival tools

The survey revealed a consistent pattern: nearly every respondent highlighted communication, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building as essential.

Things like:

• Knowing how to give feedback (and not avoid it)

• Listening without defensiveness

• Building trust without being everyone's best friend

These aren’t “nice-to-have” skills—they’re mission-critical. Especially for new leaders who are managing former peers or stepping into high-stakes roles with little margin for error.

3. Almost nobody gets the support they need

The most common response to how their first leadership role was handled?
“I was expected to figure it out on my own.”

Some had formal training. A few had mentors. But the majority were promoted and left to sink or swim. It’s no wonder so many of them now reflect back on those early days with a mix of regret and hard-earned wisdom.

That’s Why We Created the New Leader Launchpad

We built the training program I wish I’d had all those years ago.
Something practical. Actionable. Human.

The New Leader Launchpad is designed to help new supervisors make the shift from peer to leader with confidence. It’s built around real feedback from real leaders—and it will help your  team invest in its next generation of leadership.

If you’re a new leader—or you’re responsible for developing one—I’d love to connect.

Let’s make sure the next new leader's story isn’t one of confusion and burnout… but one of clarity, growth, and success.