8 Key Mindsets That Helped Me as a New Team Leader
Introduction
This article shares insights and mindsets I have found valuable as a new leader. It’s written from my personal experience and intended for those transitioning into a leadership role or who have recently started navigating this path.
In November 2023, I was assigned my first team leadership role at KTC (KINTO Technologies). Until then, I had virtually no prior experience in leadership, not even in my previous jobs. To make up for this lack of experience, I started studying “leadership and management mindsets” through books, web articles, and advice from my supervisors as soon as the assignment was confirmed.
It would have been great to introduce everything I learned comprehensively. Still, some concepts felt too advanced, obvious, irrelevant to my current role, or simply unappealing. Rather than forcing these ideas on myself, I left them for future opportunities when they might resonate more.
In this article, I’ll share eight ideas I’ve successfully “installed” into my current mindset. Although this is far from exhaustive, I hope some of these tips will provide helpful hints for your leadership journey.
Collective Hunting and Sharing the Mammoths
Some say that an organization’s greatest benefit is the sense of unity among its members. While truth exists, it is more of a secondary advantage. A group that hunted mammoth likely bonded over the shared experience of dividing the meat. The camaraderie was a byproduct as the meat took priority.
Kodai Ando, The Mask of Leadership: A Mindset Shift from Individual Contributor to Manager
The first book I picked up after being assigned the role of team leader was The Mask of Leadership. At first, I imagined leadership as something like "motivating team members" or "connecting with them on a deeper level." However, I vividly remember being struck by the pragmatic and somewhat cold approach of “Shikigaku” (a theory of organizational behavior).
Among its many ideas, I was particularly impressed by the concept that individuals benefit only after the collective benefit is achieved.
The correct order is this: First, the group achieves collective benefits. Then, individuals gain their share of those benefits.
This perspective resonated with me immediately and has become one of the guiding principles for my leadership approach.
Management Roles are "Goal Achievement" and "Group Maintenance"
There are various perspectives on how to approach these roles, but one relevant framework is the "PM Theory," which highlights two core functions: performance and maintenance. First, the performance function is about achieving goals. It emphasizes the importance of setting and meeting objectives. On the other hand, the maintenance function is about group maintenance. This involves sustaining and energizing the team, ensuring its cohesion and vitality.
An article titled Why Are Middle Managers Perpetually Overburdened? Common Pitfalls and Four Steps to Rebuild Management, highlights several challenges faced by managers.
It is noted that environmental and societal changes have made both goal achievement and group maintenance increasingly difficult. The article points out that, recently, too much emphasis has been placed on group maintenance, which has hindered the development of managers capable of strategic planning and achieving goals.
However, putting aside those difficult things, I was able to simply take the frame that “the job of a manager is to achieve goals and maintain the group.” I was able to clarify what I should do as a manager, which was good in terms of my mental health.
Communicate the Purpose and Delegate the Method
Some managers perceive their staff’s trial-and-error efforts as a “loss” and try to speed things up by teaching the “right answers” from the start or giving step-by-step instructions. This mindset is absolutely wrong. People only grow through experience. An organization that simply provides answers will ultimately slow down. Without the growth of its members, the organization’s overall speed and efficiency decline over time.
Kodai Ando, The Mask of Leadership: A Mindset Shift from Individual Contributor to Manager
For those who are capable, simply communicate the purpose and leave the rest to them For those who are slightly inexperienced, provide the purpose along with actionable hints, like “If it were me, I would do it this way.” And for those who are still immature, communicate both the purpose and the specific actions needed.
Shu Yamaguchi, Project Management Taught by Foreign Consultants
Micromanagement is generally a poor approach. I have understood this intuitively for some time, but I also recognized from my very first day as a team leader that I simply do not have the capacity to sustain micromanagement. Instead, I am constantly seeking non-micromanagement approaches.
My aim is to clearly define the desired outcome and the requirements for success, then delegate the rest to my team members. At the same time, I support them as needed to ensure they can move forward independently.
If I Enjoy the Work, It Doesn’t Feel Like a Burden.
If I enjoy the work, it doesn’t feel like a burden. It varies from person to person, and isn’t something that can be measured by volume alone. Understanding what kinds of tasks each member enjoys can be incredibly helpful. It’s good to properly manage tasks and workload, but it often lacks significant impact relative to the effort it requires.
I once sought advice from my manager about understanding team members’ workload capacity. When I asked, "Should I track everyone’s tasks in detail to understand their workload better?" The response to the question was insightful: "You can, but it’s not worth the effort. Instead, focus on understanding what each person likes and dislikes, and allocate tasks accordingly.” This advice stuck with me. While I do monitor working hours and assign tasks based on individual responsibilities, I’ve also started paying attention to whether the work aligns with each person’s preferences.
Managing tasks in overly fine detail often takes up time on non-essential aspects, such as aligning things for visibility or rationalization. I also felt that I lacked the capacity to manage everything at such a granular level. So, I decided not to pursue that approach. Instead, I now assign work based on each member’s area of responsibility while keeping the perspective of “Am I assigning tasks in line with their preferences?” in mind.
Creating Exceptions, Like Allowing a Car to Speed through an Intersection at 60 km/h
Exceptions can make a team or organization incredibly fragile. If you let even one car run a red light because it’s in a hurry, the entire road system will descend into chaos.
Kodai Ando, The Mask of Leadership: A Mindset Shift from Individual Contributor to Manager
How many members on your team can you trust to “follow the rules 100%”? Whether it’s meeting deadlines, processing data at the start of the month, escalating issues, or sharing files, workplace rules exist for a reason. If trust is lacking, what happens? Someone ends up covertly monitoring tasks, reminding others, or even correcting mistakes behind the scenes. This reliance on manual intervention hinders team autonomy and efficiency.
Decoupling Work: Experts in Loosely Coupled Systems (Practical Edition 3) | RINARU
To improve workflow efficiency, I aim to create system where tasks can be completed independently, without requiring constant confirmation. Having even one uncertain step can lead to errors or delays. If it is certain, there is no need to confirm. Establishing clear rules—and ensuring that everyone trusts these rules will be followed—is crucial.
While overly rigid rules can hinder the value we aim to deliver, establishing a solid framework is crucial. I focus on setting clear and basic guidelines to provide a reliable foundation for our work.
Constants, Variables, and "Variables Close to Constants"
Both Professor Hayashi and Mr. Morioka emphasized the importance of identifying constants and variables and focusing on changing variables. This means dedicating your time and energy to things you can influence.
I learned about this concept during a company meeting where my manager shared it with the team.
Observing other managers around me, I’ve noticed that they don’t simply fight against the flow. Instead, they assess the dynamics at play and create conditions where things naturally align with their goals.
What stood out most from the manager’s insights was
that some variables may currently appear close to constants. What’s important is the ability to make this distinction.
This includes aspects such as company culture, policies, and people’s mindsets. These may appear unchangeable and resistant to effort, but it’s important to remember that they are variables that can be shifted over time.
People Tend to Forget If They’re Told Only Once
Team members find it harder to work with a manager who is “hard to understand” rather than one who is simply “incompetent.” Even critical information, if communicated just once, can get lost in the daily flood of information.
"The Leader's Communication Skills" That Eliminate Waiting for Instructions
The key is to guide team members to repeatedly return to the project’s purpose during their decision-making process. When a team member asks a question, respond with another question that leads them back to the project’s purpose. By doing this, team members will gradually develop the habit of consistently grounding their decisions in the project’s goals whenever they face uncertainty.
Shu Yamaguchi, Project Management Taught by Foreign Consultants
I tend to be forgetful myself, and there have been many times when someone has said to me, “I already told you,” leaving me frustrated. Conversely, when someone forgets something I’ve said, I believe that communication is not just an individual issue but a shared responsibility between the two parties. If didn’t communicate effectively enough for the other person to remember, I bear part of the responsibility.
When it comes to sharing thoughts and ideas I want to convey, it seems best to repeat them frequently, to the point of saying them at every opportunity.
Cheerful Leaders and Grumpy Leaders
Edmondson defines psychological safety as "a climate in which people feel safe to take interpersonal risks, such as speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns.”
Why "Psychological Safety" Continues to Cause Confusion | Q by Livesense
When the flow of information within a team decreases, projects almost inevitably fall into danger. When the sender of information cannot anticipate how the recipient will react, the overall volume of information exchanged drops. Ultimately, teams led by cheerful leaders see an increase in the flow of information, both between members and between the leader and the team.
Shu Yamaguchi, Project Management Taught by Foreign Consultants
Based on my experience working with many younger co-workers and staff, I can summarize “how to motivate everyone” in one sentence. Leaders must work more seriously and happily than anyone else. There is no better way to inspire and nurture the members.
Noriyuki Sakuma, Noriyuki Sakuma's Unfair Work Technique—How I Did What I Wanted without Burning out at Work
Simply put, when your boss is in a bad mood, it creates an awkward atmosphere, making it hard for team members to focus (at least for me). That’s why I always try to maintain a cheerful attitude and create an environment where it’s OK to say anything.
Of course, I’m not always genuinely in a good mood, and pretending to be cheerful when I’m not can be draining. If you see a leader or manager struggling, take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts.
Conclusion
How was it? I hope you found some ideas here that could be useful in your work.
At KTC, being a leader doesn’t mean you’re superior or more skilled than others. It’s simply a function or role that can be assigned or removed based on what’s best for the organization and its current situation. On the other hand, if the leader is just a function, then the members are also just functions.
Ultimately, success lies in teamwork. It’s not enough for individual members to simply take action, nor for the leader to handle everything alone. What truly matters is the team's ability to face challenges and overcome them together.
Let's take it easy and do our best!
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