Simple Leadership Basics
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A great cloud of jargon, debate, and junk theory surrounds the idea of leadership, what it is, who does it, and how to do it well. But if you have just been promoted, and you're responsible for a group for the first time, there are only a few things you really need to know about leadership.
When you get promoted and become responsible for the performance of a group you become a leader. But you don't undergo some magical change. In fact, it will probably take you over a year to completely adjust to your new role.
You're a leader because the people in your group treat you like one that includes your team and your boss. The only choice you have is what kind of job you'll do.
When you become a leader your power actually goes down. As an individual contributor, you just have to decide to work harder, longer or smarter to improve performance. When you're responsible for the performance of a group, the group is your destiny. They choose whether to act or not.
When you become a leader, your influence goes up. The people who work for you pay attention to what you say and do. They adjust their behavior accordingly.
The result is that you use your behavior (what you say and do) to influence the behavior of the people who work for you to achieve a defined objective.
Achieving the objective is part of your job as a leader. The other part is caring for your people.
It may be possible to achieve good short term results without caring for your people. But you can't achieve long term success for you or your company without the willing cooperation of the best folks you can find.
Boss's Bottom Line
At the end of the day, you can measure your leadership based on those two standards. Did we accomplish the mission? Are the members of my group better off today than yesterday?
This post also appears at The Management Experts blog.
Great post. Very much in line with the premise of Sutton's upcoming book.
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Thanks, David. You're right that Bob Sutton and I are singing from the same hymnbook on this. I was honored that he used some of my research and experience in his latest book.
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Hi Wally,
Interestingly, I completed an article last week titled: "How important is happiness at work" that speaks precisely to what you have just written only from the first person perspective.
Though I had been in leadership roles for several years, my first experience as a middle manager took a lot of introspection and change on my part to get it right.
I believe that people who are new to leadership/management roles need to know precisely what you wrote, your power goes down, but your influence goes up. Balancing these two dynamics requires careful consideration. It often means doing less in order to do more. It always means doing things differently.
I hope you will have time next week to read of my experience in "To Be The Best You Can Be... Lessons Learned"
Great Post, Wally.
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Thanks, Gordon. The power/influence reality flies in the face of most of the language we use about leadership. But if you're going to be successful in the role, you need to understand it and act on it.
I hope you'll come back next week and alert us when you post. I'm sure my readers would want to see it.
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Not long after beginning my first stint as a supervisor, my leader got my attention with this:
"Dick, they hate you."
"Who hates me?"
"The people who work for you hate you."
I was stunned and hurt, but that day was one of the most important of my career. It was the day I learned that "boss" is a four letter word - that being a boss and being a leader are not the same thing. Being a boss is about ME; being a leader is about WE. After some serious soul searching, I began the transition from boss to leader. I'll always be grateful that someone was willing to tell me truth about myself.
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I like the way you make that distinction, Dick. It sound like it helps you sort out what you should do from what you can do.
You'll have to forgive me if I don't make that distinction here. For me, the word "boss" means someone who is responsible for the performance of a group. It's a kind of work. And for me the distinction helps me sort out the commonalities between the frontline supervisor and the CEO.
Perhaps I can make it up to you by sharing this short excerpt from the book Ruthless Focus that I wrote with Tom Hall. It's about Lee
Scott before he became CEO of Wal-Mart.
"The new CEO would be H. Lee Scott, Jr.
Scott had been with Wal-Mart for 20 years at the time. He was Executive Vice President for Logistics. So, he knew the company well and was well-versed in one of its key strengths.
He also knew Sam Walton. In his early years, Scott was something of an arrogant fellow who didn't listen to anyone else's ideas. One executive even told him that if he was trying to make enemies he was "headed in the right direction." Nothing seemed to penetrate his attitude until an incident involving Walton.
Drivers had been coming to Scott with problems and with ideas for how to do things better. But, at that stage of his life, Scott knew everything, so he didn't listen. The drivers took their complaints to Sam Walton. They wanted Scott to be fired.
Walton brought the drivers and Scott into his office. The drivers made their case, while Walton listened. Then he turned to Scott and asked him if he could change. It was a sobering moment.
Scott said he could, but Walton wasn't done. "Then he had me stand there and shake their hands and thank them for using the open door policy," Scott says. Things changed after that."
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The above are great comments..very useful example...but here i want to differ in one opinion.. if my Manager/lead ( in this case scott was working under Walton) is doing wrong and had differences with his subordinates then should i hear to both the cases and give him feedback in closed door ( maybe 1 on 1 status) or directly in public?
In my little experience i always felt appreciating in public and give feedback in closed door is best thing
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Thanks for adding that comment, Prash. In general, I think what you're recommending is the right course. But I suspect that this was a case where two factors came into play. First, I'm guessing, from the way Scott tells the story, that his behavior was already well known and that his bosses had tried to convince him to change. Second, I think Walton also sent a message to the entire organization about how he expected a boss to treat the people he or she works with. Whether Scott had reformed or not, I bet the message was out on the grapevine within minutes.
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Right...thatz the last resort any manager would like to take.... thanks for the answer Wally
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Anne Perschel (@bizshrink) and I are conducting a research study with senior female executives on power and influence. Our modification to Maxwell's quote: leadership is influence, and influence is power -- with the emphasis on personal as opposed to position power.
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I like that a lot, Jane.
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I like that a lot too, Jane. And Wally, you're advice is direct and concise and right on the money. It does take time to become a sound leader who cares and can influence with integrity and create collaborative and competitive advantage within and without the organization.
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Thanks for the kind words, Kevin. In my experience it takes about a year to a year and a half to master the basics of a boss's job. You can accelerate that with a good personal development program. It takes a decade or more to get to real mastery.
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Hi Wally, I've only just discovered your blog. You have a lot of interesting stuff here. I love the Lee Scott example in the comments!
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I'm glad you liked it, Matthew. I hope we'll see you here again.
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Hi Wally,
Your post on Simple Leadership Basics really jumped out at me as one that reflects my experience as a leader.
I remember my first leadership role managing a team of seven. It took time to feel fully comfortable in the role and earn the respect of my team. I felt responsible for the team's performance and regarded my team members as a reflection of me. As time went by as I grew into the role, it became easier to set expectations and greater influence my team members' behaviors.
Thanks for a great post on leadership development.
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Thanks, Marie. It does take a while to learn the basics and get comfortable in your skin as a boss. When I started training new supervisors, many of them would contact me after class for feedback and advice. I was amazed when I noticed how long it took to become competent and comfortable. Businesses don't seem to realize that and (mostly) expect new bosses to be productive and effective right away, even though they get little training and even less support.
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Wally! Solid post as usual!
You bring up a powerful but often unrecognized point that one's power is actually reduced when they move into a leadership role and that influence is a far more important when it comes to achieving success.
When I work with clients on succession planning and identifying future leaders, we always look for individuals who have demonstrated an ability to guide others' behavior through influence versus positional power.
I guess you could say the fundamentals never change!
Be well!
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Thanks for the kind words, Chris. And thanks for the inclusion in your weekly Fab Five picks. It's an honor as always.
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Congratulations on this article making it into the September Carnival !!
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Thanks Mark! Appreciate you coming by and the kind words.
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Excellent post. I totally agree with the fact that in many ways you initially hit a dip. After all you probably have stepped up from being the cream of the crop at the previous level, to the bottom of the ladder at the leadership level.
Duncan Brodie
Goals and Achievements
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Thanks for adding to the conversation, Duncan. There's no doubt that moving into management is stressful. A DDI survey in 2007 found that 19 percent of their respondents ranked the move as the most stressful transition in their life.
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