I made a similar transition myself and have one piece of advice for you.
Forget about all that "leadership" and "management" bullshit. Seriously. When you have direct reports your primary function is to serve them. I'm not kidding - I know it sounds all squishy and kumbaya-ish but if you think about what it means to serve somebody else you'll have a really good compass to guide you through your day.
Everybody seems to throw around bits of advice around what to do and even how to do it. The problem is every person is different and since people make up teams, every team is different. Plus, they change. Don't get lost in the what and the how until you understand the why. Everybody on your team has different needs and serving those people means understanding their needs. Some people need to be micro-managed and some people need to be given tons of space. Don't let their needs/situation effect your respect for them and always remember that people change.
Your to "why" will be different than anybody else's answer to that question and will give you immense insight into which "what" and "how" things you pick up from all that advice that is out there. It will also determine what kind of a leader/manager you are. This is important.
Identify what makes you and others around you happy and you will probably find yourself asking "what should I do?" a lot less often. Oh, and in case it's not clear, don't be so naive to think that "happy" is all fun and games and wine and roses and group hugs. And don't forget that you serve the "team" too - it's an entity with its own needs and challenges.
There's a saying, "shit rolls downhill." I'd argue that a surprising amount of your job will be to keep that from happening to your people. Providing top-cover is one of the most important ways you can serve your team. Keep the crap off of them so they can concentrate on doing there jobs.
Yup. It's all about crap reduction. Nobody wants to deal with stupid shit. Most grown-ups understand life involves the occasional bit of excrement and can deal with it.
One of the biggest mistakes I see managers make is failing to view people as people. The shit flowing downhill is a symptom and not a given fact of life.
If you consider yourself a mini-CEO, you could think of your employer as your shareholders and your direct reports as your customers. If you can serve your customers well enough to make them happy and effective in the long run, you will also please your shareholders.
This may require periods of investment where you focus less on delivering immediate results and more on removing impediments for and building experience in the people who could help you achieve exponential results in following seasons.
"Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken."
Forget about all that "leadership" and "management" bullshit. Seriously. When you have direct reports your primary function is to serve them. I'm not kidding - I know it sounds all squishy and kumbaya-ish but if you think about what it means to serve somebody else you'll have a really good compass to guide you through your day.
Everybody seems to throw around bits of advice around what to do and even how to do it. The problem is every person is different and since people make up teams, every team is different. Plus, they change. Don't get lost in the what and the how until you understand the why. Everybody on your team has different needs and serving those people means understanding their needs. Some people need to be micro-managed and some people need to be given tons of space. Don't let their needs/situation effect your respect for them and always remember that people change.
Your to "why" will be different than anybody else's answer to that question and will give you immense insight into which "what" and "how" things you pick up from all that advice that is out there. It will also determine what kind of a leader/manager you are. This is important.
Identify what makes you and others around you happy and you will probably find yourself asking "what should I do?" a lot less often. Oh, and in case it's not clear, don't be so naive to think that "happy" is all fun and games and wine and roses and group hugs. And don't forget that you serve the "team" too - it's an entity with its own needs and challenges.