How to handle expectations of boss and coworkers?

Question

I'm a junior in a company with ~2 years experience, working at my first company.

I started working at the start of the project, and 1 year into the project the previous members of my team left, including my boss.

The new members of the team, including my new boss, look to me for support, since they are newer to the project than me.

I feel under pressure to act as a mentor to them, when in reality I'm struggling due to the absence of support that I used to have.

I find it hard to resist the pressure to help the colleagues on my team, that have the expectation that I'm meant to make decisions when they are stuck. i.e. they think because I've been in the project longer, that I'm a senior.

I've raised the concern with my boss, that other people on the team have the impression that I'm senior, and that I feel it's too much too soon for my level of experience, but he's under the impression that I'm capable of more than what I'm currently doing, probably because of my past performance. In the past, with my previous team, I agreed to whatever work my boss assigned, but then I had the support of other senior members of the team for help and guidance.

So my questions are around how best to deal with the expectations of my colleagues, and how to communicate my concerns better to my boss.

Answer 1

Leaders lead. You're leading, so you're a leader.

Look on the positive side. Your boss thinks you're doing well, and the people you work with think that you know more about the system than they do. This is all good stuff, so run with it.

Ask your boss if you can go on some leadership courses. You're being treated like one, so make it official. Nobody says that a leader has to have all the answers; all you need is a good support network that can give you the answers.

Answer 2

You need your boss's cooperation, since he's involved. But don't ask for it. Tell your boss that he should forward all messages from her to you, and then deal with her yourself, with the boss in an observer role. This makes you appear assertive and in control to your manager.