U.S. - CORPORATE supervisor toolkit
Page: Making the Peer to Boss Transition
U.S. Corporate
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    • Scheduling a Transition Meeting with Your Team
    • Discussing Expectations with Your Manager
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Making the Peer to Boss Transition

Getting Started

  • Review Supervisor Toolkit with HR
  • Recommended Toolkit Timeline
  • Scheduling a Transition Meeting with Your Team
  • Review Supervisor Toolkit with Manager
  • Making the Peer to Boss Transition
  • Discussing Expectations with Your Manager

The greatest challenge for new supervisors is navigating the change in relationships.

As a supervisor, your expectations will change and the sooner you can define the new boundaries, the better.

Three Strategies for Transitioning from Peer to Boss

Accept and Understand Your New Role

Accept that things are going to change. Your role as a boss may affect friendships on your team. You are now accountable not only for you, but also for those on your team. Your perspectives of other leaders, processes, and the company may change as well. This is normal.

A separate but key transition is understanding your new role. You should:
  • Understand what is now expected of you as a leader
  • Get to know the individuals that you lead
  • Understand the expectations of you from your new boss

Set Expectations

As a new leader, you are tested, both intentionally and unintentionally, by those who work with you. One of the ways you can manage this testing is to set expectations. Set the norms of your team and what you expect of them. This should be done both in a group setting as well as in a one-on-one setting.

Communicate

As a new leader, your communication style with peers, your manager, vendors, contractors, direct reports, etc. might be different. Work to adjust your communication style to fit the needs of your audience. It is also important to remember that communication is a two-way street.

Consider:
  • What are others trying to tell you?
  • Is their communication different now that you are a supervisor?
  • How well are you actively listening?

Next, think through your communication. This is the message you send to others. You may have to change your tone or assertiveness based on the audience and the situation.

"A team should never practice on a field that is not lined. Your players have to become aware of the field’s boundaries."
John Madden

Challenging Tasks Activity

As you transition from a peer to a boss, review the following topics and check which three may be the most challenging for you. Read the suggested content for guidance in these areas.
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"It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. Change is situational – the new site, the new boss, the new role. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation."
william bridges, Author, speaker and Organizational consultant
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U.S. Corporate
Valero One Valero Way San Antonio, Texas 78249
(210) 345-2000

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