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| Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash |
Like a lot of people, I was made a manager because I worked very hard and was considered to be really good as an individual contributor (IC). Really good. Unfortunately though, my prowess as an IC was absolutely no indicator whatsoever that I would be any good as a manager. At all. Of course I didn't know that at the time.
Like most new managers, I approached my new role like I had approached everything else. For me, that was full on and aiming high. It wasn't long before I realised this wasn't going to work and I had a LOT to learn.
Here's a searingly honest list of some of the biggest mistakes I made in those early days:
- I was completely task-focused and highly motivated to achieve the best possible results, whatever it took
- I made plans that reflected only my own ideas
- I didn't let go of the details
- I spent no time getting to know the people on my team as human beings
- I left my feelings and needs at the door so I could get the job done
- I assumed everyone was highly motivated to do their absolute best, like I was
- I projected my own unrealistically high expectations on the team and pushed everyone to achieve them
- I did all the work to bring my own ideas to life then expected everyone to buy into it
- I looked only for problems to highlight and fix, ignoring the positives
- I gave only critical feedback thinking people would be happy and grateful I was honest enough to give it
- I dictated the agenda then dominated team meetings
- I treated success as a basic expectation so I didn't bother to highlight or celebrate it
- I gave no thought to my personal impact on others
- I believed the harder I worked and the busier I was the better I was doing, and that my team would be grateful seeing all the effort I put in
- I was full of my own opinion and thought that made me helpful and important
- I thought what needed to happen next was obvious so I didn't need to ask any questions
- I listened to the words people were saying, but mostly I was waiting to speak
- I thought it was my job to be in control and push for 100% at all times
Ouch!
I'm happy to say I've come a very, very long way since those early days in 2005. Management, for me, has been a never ending odyssey of self-discovery. I became a manager with maybe 50% of the skills and knowledge needed to do it well. I was organised, practical and logical, which helped me get things done on time and to a high standard. The 50% I was missing back then, was the people bit. I simply didn't realise that I didn't (yet) have what it took to get things done through other people.
If you're a new manager, perhaps you see something of yourself in my list? If so, don't worry, we all start somewhere. The important thing is that you learn from failure and begin taking steps to address your gaps. Your team will thank you for it, I can tell you!
In this blog I'm going to share how, through much trial and error, I learned to Think Like A Manager.
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