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The Non-Leader in Each of Us
You Need to Train Your Leaders to Lead
By Kevin Herring
Very few workplace leaders end
up in charge because they showed great leadership skills when they had
no leadership responsibilities. No, in most cases, they got the nod
because the boss could depend on them to get the job done; they were
good worker bees.
Unfortunately, when crowned supervisor,
they were not suddenly granted the knowledge of how to create vision,
develop strategy, lead employees in group processes, teach and coach
others, develop goals and metrics, facilitate meetings, or build strong,
self-reliant teams. In fact, it is unlikely they were given much
guidance beyond completing paperwork and reporting tasks.
Considering how employees get thrown into supervisory and
management roles for doing good work, it should not surprise us that
they lean on what they know when they become leaders. After all,
technical know-how and experience is what got them the promotion in the
first place. It is only natural that many end up functioning more as
lead worker bees than true leaders, and therefore get bogged down in the
details of the work instead of promoting teamwork and team performance.
But as we all know, having a leadership title is one thing; having the
leadership ability to create a team of passionate, committed
contributors is another.
A general manager I once coached (who we will call Liz), was a
great example of this. Liz ran a site of about 250 production people. An
engineer by trade, Liz knew every aspect of the operation. No doubt her
ability to jump in and tackle tough problems helped her get chosen as
the new general manager. When we first tried to meet, she was hard to
track down – she was never in her office and her senior staff hardly saw
her. You can probably guess why: she jumped into every production
problem she caught wind of. It was natural for her, since that was her
experience and the reason for her promotion, but she was not acting like
a general manager. She was playing lead problem solver.
Spending all her time on the production floor meant that Liz was
neglecting her senior staff and had her hands in everything. I know
what you are thinking: her constant interference drove production
leaders crazy, and you would be right. In fact, her meddling caused more
mistakes and confusion than it solved. Of course, additional production
problems reinforced her belief that she needed to be more involved in
operations. It was a self-perpetuating cycle.
Unbeknownst to her, when Liz became the general manager, her
role changed from engineer and chief problem solver to leader. Once she
understood that, she still was not clear on how to make the shift. To
help her become more of a leader, we encouraged her to focus on the
social side of the operation – how people worked and interacted with
each other – instead of trying to solve technical problems. The plan was
for Liz to put energy into creating a vision for the organization by
enrolling employees in a common purpose and building a culture of
learning, continuous improvement, and collaboration. To do that, she
needed to interact with senior staff and others in a way that showed she
trusted and respected them, and had to let go of production
responsibilities.
To help Liz develop these skills, we concentrated on four principles that she could learn and apply to her leadership:
- Trust: Letting go of control and trusting others to use their commitment and ingenuity to contribute.
- Transparency: Communicating
all aspects of the business to build in everyone a deep and broad
understanding of the marketplace, critical unit deliverables, goals, and
key processes needed to succeed.
- Capacity Building:
Sharing her technical expertise with others and helping leaders develop
employees both technically and as informal leaders aimed at total unit
success.
- Accountability: Promoting individual and team commitments and stewardship to achieve team and unit goals.
Liz was up-front with her staff about changing herself. It was great to hear her verbalize what she was trying to accomplish and how she planned to do it using the four principles. Liz was not perfect at it. She slipped up quite a bit at first, but she was also great about encouraging others to check her when she fell into old habits. Her team respected her for that.
Fortunately for Liz, she was not left alone to muddle through what could have been a difficult stint as general manager. If she had continued to do what came naturally – spending her time in production areas solving problems – she may never have developed herself as a leader.
Considering that so many leaders' appointments are based on how
well they perform the work rather than on how well they can lead, it is
no wonder employees report their number one reason for leaving a company
as their supervisor or manager. It raises the question of why we do not
do more to help current leaders, and prepare those who might become
leaders, to transition from hands-on work to leading.
Trying It On for Fit
Evaluate how prepared you are as a leader or potential leader
according to the four principles used by Liz. Are you able to build a
team with high personal commitment to team and business unit goals? Try
out the four principles and see how they help you to become a better
leader.
If you are in a position to influence leader selection, ask
yourself if your processes identify true leadership. Do you have work
systems that allow employees to show their leadership potential?
Regarding current leaders, consider whether they have what they need to
transition into true leadership so can they build strong, contributing
teams.
Send an email and let me know what you learn from your experiences. I would love to hear from you!
Kevin
Herring is co-author of Practical Guide for Internal Consultants and
president of Ascent Management Consulting. Kevin can be contacted at kevinh@ascentmgt.com.
Ascent Management Consulting is found at www.ascentmgt.com and
specializes in performance turnarounds, leadership coaching, and
appraisal-less performance management. ©2013 Ascent Management
Consulting, Ltd. All Rights Reserved