By Jean Kelley

Whether you’re in a new leadership position due to a promotion or being newly hired, you may have to learn to think in a new way. To be successful, you need to shift your mindset so you can focus on the new requirements and outcomes you’re being held accountable for. In other words, you need to let go of many tasks that have made you successful thus far and focus on what your team can deliver. If you don’t, you won’t make the leap into your new position successfully.

Unfortunately, many people don’t transition into leadership roles well. Why? Sometimes they simply don’t know what’s expected of them. Communication is poor in many companies, and few people receive detailed instructions on how to lead and what competencies it takes to lead. So while someone may get a new title, they have no idea what to actually do in this new role. As such, they face ambiguity every day. Other times people are moving from a technical role into a leadership role, and they don’t want to let go of their spreadsheets, maps, or other technical responsibilities. They enjoy the details of the work and aren’t ready to delegate those details to others. They claim that it will take them longer to teach someone than to actually do the work themselves. » Read more: Career Tips: Change Your Management Mindset