Transitioning into a leadership role within the cruise industry can be an exhilarating step forward. This move will likely bring a fresh job title and an increase in compensation. Your responsibilities will shift from day-to-day "grunt work" to being a part of the cruise ship's larger strategic vision, bringing you closer to your ultimate career goals.

Many first-time managers only sometimes consider how their relationships with their colleagues will evolve once they reach the next rung on the ladder. If you're now managing your former peers, you'll have to adjust your behaviors and interactions to avoid compromising your new role. 

Set Strategic Boundaries 

Change to a leadership role requires rethinking your workplace relationship boundaries. Peer to boss/leader is a delicate change. Meet with your peers and team members and outline your roles and responsibilities. This outlines the boundaries for them. Share your vision and plan and seek their feedback. This helps in rallying them to your cause.

No matter how easygoing you are or how much people relate to you when you get promoted. You should wield such power wisely by taking additional steps to listen, collaborate, and consider the perspectives of others. Go out of your way to be humble, demonstrating that you haven't changed a bit.

Model What You Want To See 

Want safe, transparent, trusting relationships on the ship? Then it has to start with you. Model the type of relationships you want to see. Get vulnerable! Most importantly, people want to be led by someone who is authentic and real; this builds trust. Don't change who you are just because you are in a new role. Stay grounded in your values and create relationships that foster trust and collaboration.

Be Aware Of The Megaphone-Fishbowl Effect 

When you are promoted to a leadership role in the cruise industry, you must have new and vigilant awareness of everything you do and say. You are now heard as if speaking through a megaphone on the ship, and you will be seen as if you are in a fishbowl. Everything will be magnified, amplified, and on display. You cannot hide, so be sure to put forth visual, verbal, and written communication that is aligned and consistent.

To Lead, Be An Even Better Servant 

It is imperative you articulate your cruise ship team role as your peers' servant leader and partner in performance. When you give crew members this gift of trust, and they understand you are a resource provided to make their work life better, all things are possible. Be the inspiring leaders, crew members will follow you.

Build Trust And Intimacy With Your Team 

As a leader in the cruise industry, you need to create a space for ongoing dialogues with multiple stakeholders. Speaking to someone only if you need them may unintentionally create an image of you driving your agenda solely. Therefore, invest in building trust and intimacy so your intentions are clearly understood, and you get the support you require to be successful.

Help Others Be The Best They Can Be 

Often an individual contributor is striving to be the best they can be, and rightfully so. You want to maintain this focus; however, when you move to leadership, you should shift to helping others be the best they can be. Do not be afraid of people who are smarter than you. A great leader will collaborate with others; you should also do it!

Have A Direct Conversation About Your Changing Relationship 

Your former peers are transitioning too, and they may feel uncomfortable openly sharing their feelings once you are part of the decision-making process at a higher level. Cut through the awkwardness by letting peers know you expect them to socialize without you, maybe in the crew bar, or going for the island tour in the port. Remind them that they will see you building new relationships. This will avoid many uncomfortable social moments.

Leverage The Trust You Have Already Built 

Shifting from peer to leader can be challenging when taking on a leadership role. Focus on the trust you have built with your new direct reports and colleagues to rebuild the relationships gradually. Understanding your team members' strengths and values and having regular open communication about expectations and feedback can help you delegate effectively and prevent conflict.

What makes one's life at the office interesting and pleasant is working with people you like and considering your colleagues as friends. And as you work and your professionalism grows, the day of your promotion comes. Change in position on the ship brings new responsibilities and functions for you as a professional and requires an ability to lead. In short, you must reconsider your relationship with colleagues and establish a new communication strategy. Personal and professional relationship usually does not come together smoothly as changes in the official hierarchy also bring a change in attitude. 

Have a personal interview with each coworker.

Meet with each person individually and make a clear picture of their functions. It would be best if you understood that from the moment of your promotion, you're in charge of everything that happens in your team. Even if you are familiar with other members' duties on the ship, let the person explain it to you again so you can evaluate the workload and performance outcome fairly. Also, a personal meeting helps to clear out possible misunderstandings and discontent with your promotion at the earliest stage of your leadership. Talk to your coworkers about the changes in your relationship. Let them know you are there to support them and help them succeed. Thus, you will be able to solve the problem without an open conflict.

Keep the distance

Embrace that from now on; you will always be a step forward for your team. You will speak for them, make decisions, and make suggestions to impact everyone in your company. Noblesse obliges. Thus, you will have to break some old traditions you used with your peers to help them make the mental transition. Have you ever had a feeling of discomfort when buddying around the boss? And so now that's you.

Moreover, if earlier you could chat with coworkers about such sensitive things as the company's policies, other managerial staff, and their decisions, now these topics are a complete no-no. Now you should be very careful in commenting and, at least, be neutral. However, it would be better to find the positive sides of the decisions and explain them to your team.

Stay friendly, but don't play favorites.

Just because you're the boss doesn't mean that you have to avoid everyone. The leader's job is to be open to help people achieve their goals. Remember that your attitude toward each employee should be equally friendly and respectful. Yet, you must not do favors or give in to someone's requests just because you used to be better friends before your promotion. You can bet that once you give way to such appeals, you're going to be seen as a weak-willed person and undermine your authority as a leader.

Ask for support, but be adamant in your decisions.

A good team makes a good leader. It would be best if you valued each of your teammates as real professionals (otherwise, how did they make it to their place?) and be open to hearing all their ideas and suggestions. Be bold, ask for advice if needed, and listen carefully to what the person says. However, it is your job to make decisions and lead the team how you think, bringing all of you to success. Thus, once the decision is taken, accept your responsibility and don't hang back if the obstacle comes. People trust those who can lead, savvy.

Delegate it!

You have likely been named a manager because of your vast experience and skills in the cruise industry. And now your job is to make other employees develop their skills to a better level. You can and should apply your knowledge in complicated situations, but only after you ensure that the assignee did their best and the issue can't be solved without you. As a manager, you should trust your coworkers and fairly evaluate their knowledge. Only in this case your help will be accepted with gratitude.

Be optimist

Things may turn out better than you expect. Your friends will be thrilled with your promotion and sincerely support your leadership. So your dramatic change from the excellent buddy they had to a grumpy boss will not be a good way to improve the relationship. You should find the balance between your personal and professional life on the cruise ship; that makes a huge difference.

The main idea of leadership is to inspire people for fantastic progress, and as long as you can ignite their interest in the project, your team will be successful.