Congratulations on choosing to lead! Helping technical professionals to achieve success and develop to their peak potential is a true calling. Now, you get to decide what caliber of leader you want to be. Will you be satisfied with simply doing the minimum required of a team leader or manager? Or, will you choose to go beyond being mediocre and join the elite cadre of exceptional leaders? The choice is yours.
If you choose the latter option, you must also choose to adopt a new attitude that will allow you to approach your leadership role and responsibilities differently than do average leaders. An exceptional leader is a perpetual student who sees setbacks and failures as opportunities for learning and growing as a leader. To paraphrase John C. Maxwell, you must…
Think Differently – be realistic about your problems and find positive ways to approach time management.
Handle Feelings Differently – don’t allow your feelings to determine your behavior. Strong feelings often cause our conscious, rational mind to disengage. Isolate bits of time to read about and learn new techniques for channeling your feelings so they work for you rather than against you.
Act Differently – If you want to become someone you’ve never been, you must do things you’ve never done. “The secret to success can be found in your daily agenda.” Mediocre leaders don’t put in the work every day that is required to keep things growing and changing; exceptional leaders, on the other hand, do!
In this post, you will find eleven tips that will help you get started on the right foot as you launch your leadership journey. Leadership mastery is not a destination, it is an evolution – your evolution – into becoming the very best leader of technical professionals that you can be.
NOTE: To further kick things off in a positive direction, you check out the companion document - New Leader “Getting Started” Checklist – a handy little “tool” to help you remember activities that are important and require you attention as you set out on your leadership journey.
Tip #1: Don’t Panic!
Okay, if you’re not the least bit panicked about assuming the role of leader, feel free to skip this point. For everyone else, who may be feeling a bit (or a lot) uneasy about facing new leadership challenges, now is the time to take a deep breath. Choose NOT to allow your role as leader to overwhelm you. (Yes, it really is up to you.) How you respond to your new role and its responsibilities truly is your choice. You need never become a “victim” of overwhelm. As long as you break things down, proceed step by step, and make steady progress on a daily and weekly basis, you’ll do just fine.
Take-Away: "Rome wasn't built in a day!"
Tip #2: Don’t Allow Urgency to Push You Prematurely into Action
Leaders must take time for reconnaissance before moving into action. Allowing impatience, or the expectation of others, to precipitate action without taking the time to think and observe will lead you into errors that could have been avoided with a little preliminary consideration. As a leader, you are responsible for making sure deadlines are met, decisions get made, holding people accountable and much more.
Everyone around you will be vying for your attention. They will apply pressure in an attempt to force you into action. Sometimes, this behavior in others is deliberate, but many times it is unconscious on their part – in most cases, they are simply seeking quick solutions and/or relief from personal or group “pain” prompted by some sort of fear (whether they realize it or not). You may also put undue pressure on yourself to leap into action as a result of your own fears, impatience, emotional pressure, ego, and/or many other reasons too numerous to mention here.
Cut yourself some slack! Not everything has to be accomplished at warp speed. Take adequate time to observe and think before you act. Decisions made in haste are often regretted later. I’m not suggesting you fall into “analysis paralysis” (over think things), but jumping blindly into action can be a recipe for disaster. You may alienate or frustrate colleagues, vendors, and clients – especially those who may have to clean up after you as a result of a hasty decision or action. Your ill-conceived activity/decision may become an albatross around your neck.
Take-Away: Pause, observe, and listen before you act!
Tip #3: Adopt a Positive, Hopeful, and “Can Do” Attitude
Your attitude can be your most important asset. In studies conducted at Harvard and other universities, researchers found that your attitude is more important than your intelligence, education, special talents, or even luck. Their findings suggest that up to 85% of success in life is due to attitude, while only 15% is due to ability. If you’ve ever wondered why someone with less ability or experience achieves success or advances beyond the accomplishments of more intelligent and talented peers, it’s close to a sure bet the individual in question has a better attitude.
In my experience, great leaders maintain the sort of “can do” attitude that is most often observed with “beginners”. For example, in Silicon Valley, the cradle of the modern digital age, engineers have a running joke about why such amazing innovations have come from young people working out of their garages or dorm rooms (think Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Facebook, etc.). We say, “They were too stupid to know that it couldn’t be done, and built it anyway.” Beginners are unfettered by past experiences that tend to restrict the thinking of their more experienced colleagues.
Life happens and it is not always pleasant. Maintaining a positive, hopeful attitude involves choosing to acknowledge and let go of the negative aspects of whatever life throws your way while focusing on lessons to be learned and opportunities for the future. In the face of adversity, maintaining a constructive perspective is not always easy, but it is definitely worth the effort. Great leaders develop and maintain a “can do” attitude in spite of adversity. They never give up hope. They approach every challenge (task or goal) with a certainty that, working together, great things are possible. They find ways to make things work or, at the very least, improve.
Take-Away: Your attitude can literally make or break your chances for success as a leader.
Tip #4: Take Time to Clarify Your Values and Ethics
Your values and ethics are your foundation. They are the “yardstick” by which your actions and statements are measured and, in turn, the standards you use to judge the actions of others. If your foundation is not solid, if it is mushy or murky, then anything you attempt to achieve as a leader will ultimately suffer. You may even find yourself on a slippery slope that allows you to justify crossing the line into inappropriate, even illegal, behavior. Those who choose to follow you and support you are people who understand your values and ethics. They feel comfortable with what you stand for.
Demonstrate, by your actions and your outlook, what you believe to be important. Don’t shy away from holding conversations with coworkers (especially those you lead) about values and business ethics. Have the courage to call attention to situations or activities where people are about to (or have) crossed the line into unethical behavior or business practices. You may pay a price for this (e.g., derision, being accused of being naive, or (in the worst case) being fired), but at least you will be able to look yourself in the mirror each morning without shame. Verbal commitment to values is not enough. The people that mean the most to you (family, friends, respected colleagues and mentors, and your clients) will hold you in the highest esteem if you “walk your talk.”
Take-Away: “Lead from what you believe.” (Alan Keith, CAO/Controller of Turner Distribution Company)
Tip #5: Embrace Lifelong Learning and Creativity
If you think you know everything there is to know about leading others, you are sadly mistaken. I have been a student of leadership for decades and I’m still learning something new – practically every day. Does that make me a slow learner? I certainly hope not. I believe, and numerous studies support me on this, that those who stop learning also stop growing. When that happens, it’s time to start looking for another line of work because you are stagnating and no longer leading. All of those bright young people, coming into the workforce behind you, will move beyond you (some already have…count on it). Ouch!
Take-Away: Keep learning and growing…stop learning and stagnate (and watch from the sidelines as others pass you by).
Tip #6: Expect Mistakes and Choose to Learn from Them
Perfection is an illusion – at some point, we all make mistakes or experience loss (of a job, a promotion, prestige, opportunity, etc.). When that happens, you may become emotionally stuck, mentally defeated, and changed in ways you may not even understand at the time. The real tragedy is first suffering the perceived indignity of a mistake or loss, followed by not learning the lesson it has to teach.
“Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.” – David Burns
Mistakes are inevitable for both you and those you lead. In fact, if you don’t make a few mistakes along the way, you are not doing your primary job as a leader – that of “pushing the envelope.” As a leader, you must explore the future (what can be), think outside the box, and persuade others to support your vision. This involves trying new approaches and accepting a certain amount of risk.
Choose to look at mistakes as learning opportunities, rather than as reasons for self-ridicule. By acknowledging and evaluating each mistake, learning the lesson it has to teach, and then not repeating it, you demonstrate that you are growing as a leader. As author and speaker Denis Waitley puts it, “Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.”
Take-Away: When you make a mistake or experience a loss, don’t beat yourself up! Learn from the experience and move on. Never, ever give up! Giving up means you experience pain (sometimes a lot of pain) with nothing to show for it…what a waste.
Tip #7: Understand the Value of Setting a Direction and Planning
Basic planning is neither a luxury, nor a waste of time! Flying totally by the seat of your pants may seem daring and easier in the short term, but it is a path fraught with peril. Successful businesses have a vision and a mission. They set, invest in, and achieve goals related to their vision and mission. Even in situations where setting specific goals for everything may be counterproductive (e.g., due to the impact of unknown variables in research and development), achieving tangible and positive results requires at least a chosen direction.
In the business world, success is defined in terms of Return on Investment (ROI). To achieve success and realize a significant ROI, a business devises a strategy for achieving success that clarifies expectations about what outcomes are desirable and why the business is worth doing. Then, they put together a tactical plan for how to implement their strategy and who will be needed to execute the plan for maximum success (ROI). Without a destination, or at least a direction in mind, and a rudimentary plan to get there, you are simply wandering aimlessly. You are at the mercy of your environment and the people around you.
Planning has other important purposes. Planning provides us with a framework to help order our thoughts, explore “what-if’s” (brainstorm), set a direction, identify tasks and resources, clarify risk factors, sequence events, set standards and guidelines, and provide essential direction. Without a modicum of planning, making forward progress, reaching goals, and achieving success is more a matter of sheer dumb luck than anything else. Don’t get me wrong, lucky accidents have their place. Some of the greatest inventions in the world were happy accidents, but such incidents are rare in the grand scheme of things. Relying on fortunate accidents for success is not a sound business strategy.
Take-Away: Planning focuses thinking, provides direction, and establishes a framework for tracking performance.
Tip #8: Find a Mentor
Every great leader experiences the need for a wise nudge in the right direction now and then. Choose someone you respect, who understands the political landscape within your organization, and is willing to put your growth and advancement ahead of her/his own personal benefit or agenda. Listen to what wisdom your mentor has to offer; then, make your own decision as to a proper course of action.
Your experiences will never exactly reflect the experiences of your mentor. However, if you maintain an open mind and remain ‘teachable’ (willing to learn), your mentor can save you a lot of frustration, pain, time, and wasted effort.
Take-Away: “Adversity may be the best teacher, but no one said you couldn’t learn from others who have already faced that adversity.” – ???
Tip #9: Network
To be a good leader, you must continually make connections as well as build and maintain relationships. If you are unable to do this, you will stunt your advancement and that of any group you lead. You will also leave yourself and your group(s) open to adverse political situations. If communication with others is not your forte, either make it a priority to immediately improve in this crucial leadership skill (or find a new calling).
Start simply. Acknowledge people in the hallway. Drop by someone’s cubicle, office, or lunch table for a brief casual chat. Ask people about their work, hobbies, or family (whatever you perceive is important to them). Ask an insightful question during meetings – something that will get people thinking, rather than being perceived as critical. Offer to help an individual or group achieve a critical milestone. Be polite and courteous to everyone. Deliver on promises made.
Network with people in your organization, at professional events (within and outside your field), with former colleagues, and with social groups. Don’t forget to give back to those within your network. If you constantly take and never give anything in return, it won’t take long before members of your network begin to feel used and lose interest in helping you.
Take-Away: Being a “lone wolf” is a losing proposition in today’s global and complex business environments.
Tip #10: Form Your Own “Board of Advisors”
In business, a Board of Advisors is a group of people who meet periodically to offer advice and assistance to an organization or project. This group is often informal and has no legal standing or responsibilities in contrast to a Board of Directors. A good way to broaden your perspective and keep from getting “tunnel vision” is to meet regularly with your own Board of Advisors – a group of trusted advisors whom you respect for their experience, wisdom, and breadth of knowledge – to discuss your progress and any challenges you may be facing as a leader.
Take-Away: No leader can afford “tunnel vision.” Ask for feedback and advice from people in the know.
Tip #11: Keep It Simple
Don’t overcomplicate things with complex processes and micromanagement. Unless they are very junior, most techies do best with firm, clear, and minimal oversight. Focus on what and why things need to be done; let your techies collaborate on how activities should be done, and (when appropriate) by whom. Then, empower them to move forward with you acting as facilitator rather than “commander-in-chief.”
Take-Away: Most techies need a facilitator more than a director.
Reference(s)
J. C. Maxwell, Sometimes You Win – Sometimes You Learn, Center Street/Hachette Book Group USA, New York, NY, 2013.
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