Here is a brief excerpt from an article written by Jeff Schmitt for Forbes magazine. To read the complete article, check out other resources, obtain subscription information, and sign up for email alerts, please click here.
* * *
It’s not easy being a manager these days. You’re responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, coaching, modeling, engaging, monitoring, motivating, anticipating, prioritizing, planning, evaluating, clarifying, adapting, envisioning, directing, disciplining, reinforcing, reporting, recognizing, budgeting, and building alliances. And that’s all before lunch. And if you struggle with just one, your reports will say you’re over your head.
For some, a management role is the route to power, a means to intimidate critics and indulge supporters. Others view it as a ticket to the easy life, with days spent combining spreadsheets and distributing communiqués. But talented workers rebel against the former and ignore the latter. They want to make big things happen and advance their careers. They press and produce, disregard and defy, question and create. These people want to work for leaders, not managers. And they ask the question that managers fear most: “Why?”
As a leader, that’s the same question you should ask: “Why would anyone follow me?” It takes courage to step up to lead. But no one will follow if you’re not leading for the right reasons. Talent seeks out other talent. And talented employees want leaders who can open their worlds and make them better. So what kinds of leaders draw and develop the best talent? Generally, they possess many of these qualities:
[Here are three of the 12 Schmitt discusses]
1) Service Mentality: You hire people to make your job easier. You probably imagine how they’ll free you up to pursue those big picture projects. Sure, your employees are here to serve you. But it runs both ways. To lead talented people, you must focus on serving them. Your job is to level obstacles, to clear a path free of distractions (and excuses). You streamline processes, find resources, and keep the political nonsense at bay. Bottom line: You figure out what holds them back and fix it. By putting their interests front-and-center, you eventually make work easier on yourself too.
2) Juice: Want to know the worst word ever associated with a leader? Gutless. Talent expects their leaders to have clout. No, I’m not talking about those sycophants who go along to get along. They may be savvy and practice good politics, but ultimately no one respects them. And courageous leadership certainly isn’t executing a plan. That takes vision, focus, and stamina, but real courage –guts – means you confront issues, no matter how unpopular it makes you.
That means you don’t look the other way when your superiors adopt shady practices or engage in conflicts-of-interest. You stand up for what’s best for customers, employees, and society, unafraid to put your job on the line. You manage up by championing the important ideas and picking the right battles. You’re deft when the stakes are small and direct when they’re larger. And you’re oh so visible by staying out front. In business, that gives you juice: The credibility that commands attention and compels others, top-to-bottom, to take you seriously.
Talented people are naturally rebellious. To them, popularity is nice; influence is a means; acting honorably is the ideal; and getting things done is the point. And the best people want to work for someone who shares that spirit – and has the juice to turn ideals into business-as-usual.
3) Experience: Everyone has to start somewhere.But gifted people really care about where they want to go. And they’ll choose you if they believe you can get them there. They’ve done their homework. They know you were once a young striver like them. But you made it – and they want to see how it’s done. So take some time to help your people understand the business. Expose them to every part of the operation to round off their skills. Your best people want to climb. Like it or not, this job is temporary to them. Develop and groom them. Give back and make it worth their while. They’ll only perform better if there’s something bigger in it for them.
What’s more, plug them into your network. Help them find new connections and mentors – and you’ll get better solutions faster. Fact is, you’re growing your “tree,” preparing your protégés for greater responsibilities in other divisions (or the larger world).
Alas, jobs and good fortune are temporary. You may someday need your prized pupils for a reference (or a job). Pay it forward now.
* * *
To read the complete article, please click here.