You finally got the promotion you’ve been working for: team supervisor!

It’s exciting!

But let’s be honest: it’s also a little terrifying. How do you keep excelling at your own tasks while also guiding and supporting a team that now looks to you for leadership? How do you earn their trust, maintain productivity, and avoid becoming the kind of boss you once dreaded?

Here’s how to navigate this transition with confidence and set yourself, and your team, up for success.

Traditionally, leadership models relied on control and hierarchy, but today as a leader you will be seen as the person who enables others to succeed.

In brief, your new role will no longer be focused on the results you deliver yourself but on how you create an environment where your team can thrive.

This means shifting your focus from providing all the answers to fostering a culture of curiosity and collaboration. Listen actively, ask insightful questions, and encourage your team members to solve problems together. A coaching mindset helps you prioritize mentorship over micromanagement, build trust by empowering others to make decisions, and create an environment where collaboration thrives over competition.

No one masters this overnight, it’s a process of learning and adaptation. Since every team is unique, your role as a coach is to observe, experiment, and refine your approach. By guiding rather than dictating, you’ll discover what works best for your team while fostering their growth and success.

One tough hurdle for new leaders is navigating difficult conversations. Many supervisors hesitate to provide honest feedback out of fear of upsetting their team, leading to a culture where valuable insights go unspoken, and growth is stifled.

Imagine a situation where a team member disagrees with a decision and has a valid perspective, or someone notices a way to improve a colleague’s work but chooses to stay silent. Without open dialogue, opportunities for learning and progress are lost.

So, how do you build a challenge culture, an environment where open, honest feedback is accepted and expected? It starts with shifting the mindset around constructive criticism. Feedback should be seen as a tool for improvement, not as a personal attack. For you, this means that you need to create psychological safety, where team members feel comfortable raising concerns and questioning ideas without fear of negative consequences.

Encouraging respectful debate, setting clear expectations for feedback, and leading by example in both giving and receiving criticism will help establish a culture of continuous learning. When done right, challenge culture strengthens trust, drives innovation, and ensures that every team member contributes to the best possible outcomes.

Some useful points that you can implement to achieve this include:

· Respond to different opinions with curiosity, not defensiveness.

· Demonstrate openness to feedback by actively seeking it from your team.

· Train your team to provide feedback in a way that is constructive and solution focused.

· Hold structured feedback sessions or retrospectives where team members analyze what’s working and what’s not.

· Ensure that decision-making is transparent and inclusive, considering all viewpoints.

· Encourage diverse perspectives and reward those who challenge ideas in a respectful way.

As a new supervisor, it’s natural to focus on deadlines, deliverables, and performance metrics. However, one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership is managing your team’s energy levels, a key factor in long-term productivity, motivation, and overall team success.

People don’t operate at 100% capacity every day. Stress, workload imbalances, and even external factors can drain motivation. Pay attention to signals like decreased engagement, short tempers, or declining performance. Check in regularly, not just on work progress, but on how your team is feeling. A simple, “How’s everyone doing today?” or “What’s your biggest challenge right now?” can reveal a lot.

Every now and then remember to perform a quick energy check-in during team meetings. These can be as simple as asking team members to rate their current energy level from 1 to 10, or using a traffic light system:
🟢 Green – Feeling great, energized, and focused
🟡 Yellow – Managing, but feeling some strain
🔴 Red – Overwhelmed or burned out

If multiple team members indicate they’re struggling, it’s a sign that adjustments are needed.

When you notice your team’s energy dropping, look for potential causes:

• Workload Imbalance: Are certain team members overloaded while others have lighter tasks?
• Lack of Clarity: Do they fully understand expectations and priorities?
• Emotional Burnout: Are they feeling undervalued, stuck, or uninspired?
• Workplace Tension: Are there unresolved conflicts or communication breakdowns?

Identifying these factors allows you to take proactive steps, such as redistributing work, offering more guidance, or creating a space for open discussions.

You will also lead by example. If you’re constantly exhausted, stressed, and running on empty, they will feel pressured to do the same. Show them what healthy energy management looks like by taking breaks, setting boundaries, and prioritizing well-being alongside performance.

By embracing team collaboration, fostering accountability, and prioritizing open communication, you’ll not only succeed in your role: you’ll help your team thrive.

Leadership is about guiding and empowering others to perform at their best and by implementing these strategies, you’ll avoid the common pitfalls of new leadership and create a team that will remember you as their best coach.