In Chapter 2 you state, “leadership not management” tell us more about that and how we can strive to be a leader?
I was just asked this question from a corporate book club that selected my book, Own Your Authority for discussion this summer. It’s one of the top questions I’m asked when coaching professionals who want to advance in leadership but do not always want the responsibility of a large team or possibly have some fear around the management aspects of a new position that often comes with more compensation or title. I totally get it, and why I’m writing you today.
If I may, let me address the elephant in the room – PEOPLE.
Should you harbor a fear of management, I invite you to let go of the word management.
How are you with people?
You don’t have to manage people, but you do have to be good with people, and if you can motivate others in your own authentic way, even better. The only caveat is, moving others into action shouldn’t be because you hold a position of authority or some level of influence. I’m not diminishing that authority, I’m saying don’t assume or expect it because of your position.
Before I forget, I want to be sure you know about my audio leadership course (it’s free) that’s designed to help you own your authority in your career and it works. It’s based on two decades of leading in Corporate America, (I’m a former Wall St. Executive) and those professionals I coach here at In Our Shoes. Now onto owning how to lead well…
I’m speaking about developing meaningful relationships with your colleagues, constituents, clients, business partners, and stakeholders. When working on any project or program, you want to consistently communicate with their needs in mind, so that you are mutually successful.
It’s all about the soft skills.
When I first started out in my career (I began as a computer programmer supporting trading floors), I had to interface with every department silo. The finance department wasn’t talking to the sales department, which wasn’t talking to the marketing department which wasn’t talking to the tech department…you get the picture.
Along the way, I had to figure out how to motivate people to accomplish the bigger picture, and bring dysfunctional departments together (oftentimes translating certain things that one group needed from another) and I had to learn how to influence without authority at the time.
Perhaps you have excelled in a particular functional area and consider yourself more of a domain leader. I recommend you take those skills along with your business acumen and consider where you can grow those skills further. This could be in a more senior-level role, at a new department, a different arm of the business, at a new organization, or even in a different industry. You may possibly even be ready to make a career transition.
I’ve been in all of these shoes and encourage you to not let management responsibility hold you back.
- Take a step back and ask yourself, “how am I with people?” and “how would others say I am with people?”
- Where do you need to improve further?
- Do you find yourself surrounded by professionals who are too buttoned up and you find it difficult to connect with them because that’s not your genuine style?
- Listen to the feedback; the big ‘F’ word in business is feedback. You may not like it, but you can’t course-correct without it.
To your gutsy moves, there is no limit to where you can go in any area of your life. Stay the course and keep sticking your neck out on a regular basis and ask yourself daily: “Did I go gutsy today?”
Have a wonderful weekend, I’ll be thinking of you.
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