Poor leadership and costs of a poor leader are manifold. A poor leader affects not just themselves, but their team, their leaders, the organisation’s culture, topline and bottomline. The costs of replacing a poor leader are correspondingly multiplied. Hence the need to focus at the first step of leadership.

Here's a short story of my disastrous first leadership experience at the workplace.

"You are ruining my life!" - said my first managee.

I remember the day very well. It was a Friday afternoon in May.....six years ago.

I was stunned to hear those words....because I thought I was doing really well.

I'd constantly challenge her to improve, I'd read up on the latest management books and try out some of the tips, I'd constantly give advice.....I thought I was doing a stellar job.

Little did I realise that what I thought and how it was coming across to her were two very different realities.

Since then, I have gone on to:

- lead cross functional teams of >100 people

- had to earn the respect of a team where all my managees were older AND more experienced than me

- had to fire managees for disciplinary issues

- recruited managees who were better than me at many things

- lead a team of >80% women

- lead a team of >80% men

- lead teams where my managees were much younger than me

- lead teams where my managees where more skilled than me in certain domains

- lead remote teams

- had to handle laying off team members due to project closures

- had multiple of my managees become successful leaders themselves

- am good friends now with my first managee

And it is some of the hardest stuff I have done and also the most rewarding.

I am not here to spout platitudes. Over the years of making many mistakes and reflecting on them, I realised how badly there exists a need to support and guide people in their transition to leading their first teams. Leadership is a difficult craft! It doesn't come through reading books, or talking about it. It comes like any craft, with deliberate practice done the right way.