From peer to boss with Stephanie Tsing

Transitioning from peer to boss is one of the most challenging times in anyone’s career. Stephanie Tsing – Senior Director of Technology at NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies – shares her experience in how to successfully handle the transition, shift your mindset from “I” to “we”, how to lead someone green, and so much more.

I’ve jotted down all key takeaways for you below so you don’t need to scribble along as you listen. And don’t forget to download the leadership checklist featuring Stephanie’s key insights at the very end!

Stephanie hails from the Silicon Valley but calls New York City home now. She is a media technologist focused on product strategy with a professional background that spans across multiple verticals. Currently, she is a Senior Director of Technology at NBCUniversal managing the product portfolio for national Cable Entertainment networks in the United States. In addition to media, she also has a passion for academia and concurrently spent time at Columbia University earning a master’s degree in Technology Management. Stephanie continued on as an instructor at Columbia University, teaching burgeoning technologists to be experts in the area of corporate finance. In her spare time, she can be found outside running, cycling, or rock climbing.

Learn more about Stephanie: LinkedIn

Stefanie had to transition – literally overnight – from peer to boss. She decided to consciously make the choice of taking on the role of being a teacher.

How you can successfully transition from peer to boss:

• Share your expertise: One of the first things Stephanie did was teach her team about a skill she had they didn’t. Empower your team by sharing what you know.
• Create a plan: Stefanie wrote down what she was going to envision her first day as a leader to be, down to every hour of that first day.
• Be transparent: Your former teammates might be abrasiveness at first because they feel left in the dark. Realize that and be transparent and take away the ambiguity to ensure you can start working with, not against, each other.

Stefanie’s biggest learning moment? Shifting her mindset from individual contributor to strategic oversight for a team.

How you can think like a leader:

• Put yourself in their shoes: Don’t think about what your team can do for you, but what you can do for them.
• Be the safety net:  “I won’t let you fail.” Those are the five simple but important words Stefanie says to her team. Don’t just throw your team into the cold water, show them that you are in their corner backing them up.
• Help your team learn & grow: Give them stretch assignments that aren’t part of their normal day-to-day. Getting them out of their comfort zone is what creates growth.

Leading someone having their first corporate experience is completely new ground. Stefanie admits when her first college intern stood at her doorstep, she kind of didn’t know what to do with her because she was so green.

How you can be an effective teacher:

• Create familiarity: Develop a framework they can relate to. Stephanie for example wrote a syllabus for her colleague intern as that fit the setting she was coming from.
• Provide a goal: Give them ownership of their own project from the start so they have something tangible to deliver – and be proud of.
• Don’t forget EQ: Don’t just put the focus on skill building. It’s just as important to show and teach them EQ. Put them in projects and meetings so they can watch and learn.
• Involve the whole team: Have everyone in your team see themselves as active teachers. Stephanie for example had her team take an hour a week to tackle a specific topic.

We can all get so caught up in the wheelhouse of our day-to-day we forget to look beyond tomorrow to what our career will look like in the future – and our team’s. They will feel the depth and breadth in their opportunities you’re creating.

How you can look ahead:

• Write it down: Take a notebook and jot down your & your team’s path several years ahead.
• Ignore linear: Don’t think of your career path as linear. Look left, right, and to the sides.
• Forget tites: Likewise, don’t get caught up in titles, that’s a too narrow view of your career.
• Stretch yourself: Look for opportunities to improve skills and develop new ones.