Last year, I was promoted to a genetic counselor supervisor position within my institution. While this transition has been mostly a positive experience so far, my time as a new leader has also presented me with challenges that I did not initially expect. Although I have gained more responsibilities and experiences after being in the same position for the past several years, one of the first apparent changes of being in leadership was an increased workload. I quickly learned that along with a new title, this role is also accompanied by more emails, Teams chats and meetings than I can count! Learning to balance new duties along with a still robust clinical schedule has certainly been demanding at times and has pushed me to further stretch my organization and time management skills.

Another area that I have occasionally struggled with is delegating work and trusting others to carry out tasks. Admittedly, my inherent tendency is to do a job myself to ensure it is done correctly and in my preferred way. Surely this is a personality trait that some other genetic counselors can relate to! While it does take time to train others, teaching and training are important steps to helping an employee become more self-sufficient in their job responsibilities and allows me to focus more on my own. Ultimately, ensuring that everyone has the tools they need to perform their jobs effectively helps to support the team overall.

I have also realized the importance of holding team members accountable for their work, which can include having difficult conversations about topics like performance management. Some of my past experiences with student supervision have been transferrable in these situations, such as giving feedback, encouraging growth and setting clear expectations. However, these conversations have a different spin when you are having them with an employee who reports to you and interacts with you daily. I have found there can be somewhat of a delicate divide between asserting authority when necessary and still being an approachable and relatable colleague. 

In spite of these challenges, I have been grateful to have access to learning opportunities for new leaders. Shortly after moving into my role, I participated in a seven week-long leadership academy through my institution. This forum allowed me to interact with other leaders of various experience levels within the company and provided training in areas such as determining different work styles, coaching and feedback and conflict resolution. My institution also offers virtual leadership training sessions, including monthly Lunch and Learns. I was pleasantly surprised when I recently attended one of these webinars, which discussed establishing performance expectations and taking corrective action. During this session, I heard from another manager about how she addressed the same issue that I happened to be struggling with at the time. Hearing her speak about her willingness to be flexible and how she showed empathy in her situation inspired me to approach my own issue in a similar way. This experience, as well as having conversations with other leaders, has helped me to realize that I am not alone in facing these common challenges as a new manager.  

NSGC members may also find support by connecting with each other. One way to do this is by joining the Leadership and Management SIG, which offers several resources. The SIG facilitates small groups that give members an opportunity to meet and discuss leadership and management issues with their peers. These groups usually meet monthly, and the SIG leadership is encouraging more members to participate and become involved. In the past, the Leadership SIG has also hosted webinars to discuss questions submitted by members anonymously.

Having a supervisor or mentor with whom I can openly share and discuss issues has also been hugely helpful for me. Along with receiving suggestions and advice, knowing that an experienced leader is offering their time and support to help you develop your own leadership style is encouraging. I urge those in new leadership roles to learn what resources their personal networks and companies have available, as well as advocate for their needs.

Regardless of the challenges of being in leadership, I have found the opportunity to lead a team and help others grow to be rewarding. Perhaps the most important lesson I have realized is that my biggest driver in this journey is not solely my own career advancement. I am also motivated by assisting in the development of newer genetic counselors and support staff, just as others have done for me in the past. Even though novice supervisors may sometimes question their abilities in leadership when faced with many new and unfamiliar responsibilities, we can all be reminded that becoming an effective leader takes time, patience (with yourself and others) and support.

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