How To Make An Impact As An Engineering Leader When Joining A New Organisation

From our episode with Michael Banner

Starting Strong: Leadership Insights from Michael Banner

Transitioning into a new leadership role is no easy task.. Michael Banner, who recently joined Co-op, shared his approach to successfully stepping into a leadership position within a new organisation. 

In this article, we explore his key strategies for building rapport with a new team, demonstrating value early on, and staying organised in the first few weeks and months.

Building Rapport: The First Essential Step

According to Michael, one of the most important actions for any new leader is building rapport with your team. 

The foundation of a strong relationship starts with understanding each individual—both their professional journey and their personal goals. It’s about more than just a quick introduction; it’s about building a relationship.

It’s wise to arrange one-to-one meetings with each team member within the first few days of joining as a sort of ‘meet and greet’. There’s no point doing this if you’ve already been at the company for a few weeks. 

These early conversations should focus on getting to know your team members as people, not just as employees. It helps create a culture where they feel comfortable, supported, and valued.

Additionally, learning the dynamics of the team as a whole is equally important:

• Who’s thriving in their role? 

• Who’s looking for more opportunities to grow? 

• Are there any hidden tensions or conflicts that could hinder productivity? 

This will allow you to adapt your leadership style accordingly, ensuring that your approach is effective.

Adaptability: Tailoring Your Leadership Style

Being a leader isn’t just about bringing your old practices into a new environment. As Michael points out, each team is different, and the same management style that worked in your previous role may not suit your new team. Flexibility is key.

Sometimes it’s the little things - you might be used to conducting one-to-ones every week for half an hour, but your new team might prefer doing an hour every 2 weeks. Small changes like this make a big difference, as they show your team that you’re willing to adapt to their needs rather than imposing your own preferences.

When conducting one-on-ones, Michael encourages a flexible structure. Rather than just a status update, he suggests focusing on highlights, lowlights, and any current challenges or questions. This gives team members the freedom to express themselves and ensures that each meeting is productive and useful.

Proving Your Value as a New Leader

When joining a new team, your colleagues will naturally be curious about your background and leadership style. They’ll want to know about your successes, and definitely be nosy about any failures. They’ll want to find out if you’re someone that they can trust to help them in their career. Totally understandable. 

So how can you demonstrate your worth?

You want to make sure you’ve got your ear to the ground and understand the team’s pain points and use your own expertise to try and fix them. 

If someone comes to you with a problem it’s important to assess whether that’s an individual problem or a team problem, might it be worth doing additional training to help everyone? 

By learning how to offer practical solutions that can help everyone you’re demonstrating a commitment to helping the team grow and you should prove yourself to be a trustworthy and reliable leader.

Making an Impact: Identifying Quick Wins

One of the biggest challenges when stepping into a leadership role is figuring out where you can make an immediate impact. Michael suggests analysing each team member’s capabilities and identifying areas where additional support or development is needed. 

This allows you to focus on the areas that will benefit the team the most, while also demonstrating your ability to enhance the group’s overall performance.

It’s also crucial to prioritise changes that can be implemented within a reasonable time frame. Quick wins, like improving communication processes or offering additional training, can help build momentum and boost the team’s confidence in your leadership.

Build a Support Network

Michael also highlights the importance of having a community of engineering managers you can lean on, whether they’re within your organisation or is a more external network (for example a network built specifically for engineering leaders that post groundbreakingly good podcasts and informative newsletters 👀). A support network provides a space to share advice, ask questions, and troubleshoot challenges. Michael recommends regular meet-ups or even something as simple as a Slack channel for ongoing communication and collaboration.

Staying Organised: Tools for Leadership Success

As a new leader, your responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming. That’s why staying organised is essential. Michael shares his top tips for staying focused and managing time effectively:

• Use the right tools: Whether it’s project management software, digital calendars, or productivity apps, find the tools that work well for you.

• Use your calendar: Time blocking can help keep your schedule organised and allow for more focused work. You can also never go wrong with a bit of colour coding. 

• Learn to say no: Not every task requires your immediate attention. Prioritise what’s urgent and don’t hesitate to say no to less urgent things.

Entering a new organisation as a leader presents unique challenges, but by focusing on building rapport, staying flexible, and proving your value early on, you can set yourself up for success.

If you want to hear more then make sure to catch up with the episode on YouTube or Spotify!