How Can I Be an Exceptional Performer if...?
You are the manager; your job now is to develop the strengths of other people, not do their jobs (even if it was your job last week). Don’t underestimate the value of professional leadership training.
by Dann Gustavson
Leadership is about getting things done through other people. This tautology is the first sentence in about a thousand books on leadership and management. The leader’s job is to develop the strengths of others in formal and informal ways. Most businesses have performance evaluation systems that managers use to assess people’s performance, hold them accountable, and coach them to improve. Typically the evaluations have a range of ratings for acceptable performance such as Developmental Performer, Meets Requirements, Exceeds Requirements, and Exceptional Performer. Leadership training often focuses on how to coach employees across the entire range of performance.
I was one of the test engineers in a team of 12 people when a major re-organization took place. My manager moved to a different part of the company (it was IBM, that’s what they do). When he moved to his new job, I was appointed manager of the test engineering group, my first management position. The team’s mission was to develop and build custom automated process/test equipment and provide engineering support to the production line for that equipment, that is, keep the line running. My last action before promotion was to install and certify the fourth unit of one specialized machine into production.
Two weeks after my promotion, the production manager called me at home on a Saturday morning to tell me the newest machine was “down,” and described the problem. The problem was one I had seen before. I lived a mile from the IBM plant so I went over and made the needed adjustment, checked it out, and gave it back to the line half an hour later. I watched the operator run the machine for a while, then went home.
On Monday morning, Wayne, the mechanical engineer who had worked with me to install that equipment, came into my office angry and upset, and his anger was directed at me! Someone on the line had told him about the problem that had arisen on Saturday and that I had come in to fix it. He was absolutely livid that I would do that. I couldn’t understand why. After all, he lived 20 miles away and he didn’t have to be bothered with it. His last statement before walking away gave me perhaps the best leadership lesson I ever had.
“How can I ever be an Exceptional Performer if YOU do MY job?!”
In my view, I was saving him a headache. But in his view (the correct view) I had deprived him of an opportunity to do what he was being paid to do, and to demonstrate his value to the business. I had abdicated my leadership role in that moment when I decided to do it myself.
OK, Dann - What's My Take-away? Coaching high-performing direct reports
If you were that manager, what would you do differently? A far better response in the situation above would have been to call Wayne to go into the plant, then follow up with him and with the production supervisor to ensure that the immediate problem got resolved so production could resume. Additionally, as the leader you can use the situation as an opportunity to commend Wayne for doing the right thing and coach him – and the team – on handling similar problems.
You probably got your leadership position by being very good at what you do, so it often feels unnatural to let go of those hands-on skills. Now you are in need of an additional set of skills, to help you become effective, even exceptional, in your changing role. Avail yourself of the many leadership training programs and resources that can help you build those skills.
This does not mean you NEVER EVER do technical, hands-on, non-managerial work. Sometimes that’s exactly what’s called for from a leader, in order to maintain credibility with your team. But your foremost job as leader is to develop the strengths and capabilities of the people in your team. Getting things done through others; remember? Do that, and in time you will find yourself leading an entire team of Exceptional Performers!
Another step toward Next Level Leadership!
Dann Gustavson, PMP®, Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, helps Program Managers and their teams achieve superior results through high-impact program execution. Prepare, structure, and run successful programs in product engineering, manufacturing operations (including outsourcing), and cross-functional change initiatives.
Contact Dann@Lean6SigmaPM.com.