Stepping into a new leadership role? Congrats!
It can be both an exhilarating and overwhelming experience. It’s the moment when you’re expected to inspire, guide, and make decisions that impact those around you. While that responsibility is exciting, it’s also daunting, especially when you’re navigating uncharted waters and hearing statistics like the one out of the Center for Creative Leadership that states that around 40% of new leaders fail within their first 18 months. So we figured we could offer some pointers to help you thrive.
We asked Kristen Hadeed, Optimist Instructor and founder and CEO of Student Maid, to share some invaluable pieces of advice she wishes she had known as a new leader. As someone who learned firsthand that those early leadership years are full of crucial lessons, she was thrilled to dip into her wealth of experience and give her top three tips for any incoming leader.
1. Listening Is More Than Just Hearing
Kristen candidly admits that in her early days of leadership, she wasn’t a great listener. She was often distracted, multitasking, and more focused on responding than understanding. “I was the leader that when you walked in, my fingers are doing this,” she says, mimicking typing, “and I’m like, yeah, come on in, I’m listening. Well, if your fingers are doing this, you are not really listening.”
Leadership is about truly listening—not just to words, but to what’s left unsaid, too. One powerful phrase that transformed her approach is, “Tell me more.” It opens doors for deeper connections and understanding. Whether it’s in feedback, discussions, or casual conversations, she urges leaders to be curious and fully present. It’s through this kind of intentional listening that you can build trust and foster a culture where people feel valued.
2. Disagree and Still Support
As a leader, you might believe that achieving consensus was key to success. Sure, you should strive to ensure everyone agrees before moving forward, but the fact is that seeking total agreement wasn’t leadership—it was stagnation. “If everyone is always agreeing with you, someone does not feel safe being honest,” she notes.
A healthy leadership culture allows room for disagreement. Kristen encourages leaders to make their beliefs clear, take risks, and embrace different perspectives. Even when team members disagree, they should still feel supported.
“I get it. I respect it. I understand why you feel that way. I need to ask for your support,” she says. Adopting language like this into your leadership style is a way to acknowledge differing views while maintaining unity. Remember, leadership isn’t about unanimous agreement; it’s about fostering growth through respectful disagreements.
3. Embrace the Growth Mindset
One of the biggest hurdles for new leaders is the fear of failure.
Kristen admits, “ I heard a lot about the “growth mindset” early on, but struggled to grasp its true meaning. Over time, I realized that a growth mindset is about leveraging your past experiences—call it your “resilience resume”—to face new challenges with confidence.”
So when you are facing your next difficult obstacle, think about everything that’s on your resilience resume and remember that this moment, this obstacle, too, will be on there one day. Leadership is hard, but that’s where the growth happens. Failure is not only inevitable, it’s a learning tool.
Leadership is a journey, not a destination. Kristen’s advice to new leaders is simple yet profound: if it’s not hard, you’re probably not doing it right. Embrace the challenges, learn from every experience, and remember—you’ve got this. Leadership is supposed to be hard, but it’s also one of the most rewarding journeys you’ll ever take.
For more, check out The Optimism Library.
