I recently Tweeted “To be the best you can be, you may have to reduce the scope of what you are attempting to be.” One of my followers responded with “Why do you believe that? How did you get there?” As I formulated my response I concluded that it might be of value to expound on this topic and present it as a blog post so that others could learn from my experience and perhaps share their thoughts.

“Visions of grandeur supported by a false sense of ability.”

My first significant management role occurred when I was recruited to be the “Global Training Manager” for a high-tech manufacturing company headquartered in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Though I had over 10 years of experience as an instructor, course developer, and training supervisor, the scope of being responsible for all product training, internal and external, for a 50 million dollar company was a little daunting. I had a clear understanding, or so I thought, of what the success factors for the training organization was, but being a contributing member of the management team was not as clear, but I ventured boldly forth in ignorance.

The Plan to Succeed

Like a lot of young, inexperienced people, I was intently focused on doing the best job that I could so that I could receive the pay-for-performance raises and bonuses and to become recognized as a leader in my field establishing a path to wealth and prosperity. I believed that the best way to achieve those things was to first, do the best job of managing the training function that this company had ever seen and then to elevate my contributions to the management team so that I was seen as the candidate of choice to replace the Vice President of Operations when that day came.

Within a few weeks I found that I was putting in very long hours to ensure that every task within the realm of my direct responsibility was being performed to my standards, and with apologies to my previous team members, done my way. I was also volunteering to take on tasks at the management team level that were not necessarily beyond my abilities, but were certainly outside the scope of my charted responsibilities. I was working very hard to not only do everything perfectly, but to also do more than any of my peers. There was no doubt I was going to be a star.

The Effect of the Plan

After a couple months had passed, the VP of Operations suggested that he and I spend a day away from the office so that we could get to know each other better. Thinking this was the beginning of my grooming to be his replacement, you can imagine my surprise when we were sitting on a bench in a local park and he said, “I am worried that you are not going to be successful if you keep doing what you are doing.” I am sure that he was able to see the surprise and concern on my face as he continued speaking.

“You’re a smart and capable person, but you need to understand that I hired you to be the best Training Manager you can be. I did not hire you to come in and touch everything that gets done in the training department. There are talented people in the training group who are capable of doing the work. Your job is to clear the obstacles and make sure that they can get the job done. I also did not hire you to do the work of all the rest of the managers on my team. Let them do their own work. You need to focus on what is necessary to break the barriers to the adoption of our technology by making sure that no sale anywhere in the world is ever delayed or lost because product training is not available. If you do that, then I think you will have plenty to do and your contributions will be recognized appropriately. So, what do you think?”

I was crushed. Here I was thinking that I was on a fast track to a promotion and what I was being told was that my future was in question. All the things that I thought were making me successful were being interpreted as failings. I didn’t know what to think, but the words that finally came were, “It looks like I have a lot to learn.” To which he responded, “We all do, and it never stops.”

After thinking for a few minutes about what I had been told I finally admitted that I didn’t really know how to turn things around and retain the respect of those who reported to me. Again I was surprised to hear him say, “That’ll be easier than you think because you haven’t earned it yet. By assuming that you could do everything and do it better than everyone else, you have left them wondering if we made the right decision in bringing you on. There is still time for you to put this on the right track, but you need to recognize that there are some very good people on your team. You need to let them know what you think needs to be done from a more strategic level and let them tell you how they are going to get it done. Then let them do the work. Your job is to make sure they have what they need to get it done.”

We talked some more and he finally said, “It’s Friday, why don’t you take the rest of the day to think things through and put a plan together that will engage your staff to get things done and allow you to step back and be there when they need you. As far as the rest of my team goes, you might be smarter than some, but others are smarter than you. Don’t assume you are better than any of them. They have already proven themselves. You are still working on that.”

The New Plan

I spent a lot of time over the weekend thinking about the discussions the VP and I had and the discussions I would have with my team members on Monday. Though it was tough to do, I apologized to each of my team members individually and collectively for my inability to realize that the lessons of my experience needed to be adjusted in order to to be successful in this environment and that I needed their help me make that happen. Fortunately, they were willing to do exactly that.

I also backed off in the management team meetings, listening more, talking less, and constraining myself to volunteer for things outside my domain only when asked. I observed and learned from the other team members instead of trying to one-up them. At some point I realized that I had crossed a barrier. I was no longer just the training manager, I was a member of the management team.

Over the next few years I came to realize that by reducing the scope of what I was attempting to do that I was able to become exactly what I wanted to be. By learning to be a leader instead of an over-zealous individual contributor I was able to achieve the goals I had set for myself.

My role with that company became the foundation for what has been a very long and successful management career. And for that I have to thank an executive who was willing to help me see the value of doing less to accomplish more. Did someone say “Work smarter not harder?”

Lessons Learned

Becoming a  manager or leader requires one to understand that the job is different than that of an individual contributor.  (See my earlier post: “Promotions To Management – Right Choice?”) It takes time to become truly effective. To earn that time you have to adjust your contributions to the requirements of the role or you may find your tenure much shorter and a lot more disappointing than you imagined.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to report to someone who could see past my inexperience and who was willing to be my mentor helping me to become a leader.

Tags: coaching, Leadership, management, mentoring, new job, Promotion