"If I knew then what I know now…
…I never would have accepted this supervisory position four years ago.”
The supervisor I was speaking with was promoted from an individual contributor position to a leadership position because he was the most technically competent employee on his team at that time. He accepted the new job because he “needed the money and the status of the title got the best of my ego.” Now, four years later he had major regrets along with many sleepless nights, headaches and concerns if he was giving the job and his organization his best effort.
This situation is, unfortunately, more common than you would suspect. When leadership positions open in many organizations, they are filled with outstanding employees who possess excellent technical skills without much thought being given to how they will make the leap from doer to leader, follower to influencer, learner to teacher and trainer and co-worker to servant leader.
The skills and abilities that enable an employee to be a success on the technical track are very different than those that lead to success on the leadership track. Success on one does not lead to success on the other, as the supervisor explained, “Before I was a supervisor, I only had to be concerned about myself. Now I have to be responsible for all ten members of my team as I coach, mentor, teach, evaluate performance, and sometimes make decisions that negatively impact the lives of others. It can just be too much and I don’t know if leadership is really for me.”
Successful leaders share many skills and abilities, among them identifying needed work processes, structures, and procedures along with planning and mastering measurement and job tools while planning for the future. They also need to be able to positively influence the attitudes, buy-in and commitment of their team, while encouraging flexibility, change management, empowerment and support of organizational plans.
A common theme articulated by successful leaders is, “Leadership is about serving others.” What does this really mean? Servant leaders:
-See leadership positions as an opportunity to serve and help not a position to obtain for money or ego. They serve employees above and below them, they serve customers and clients, and seek out ways they can help others attain their goals and grow.
-Value and drive empowerment and engagement while seeking to influence everyone to be empowered to “own” their jobs rather than “rent” them. They value input and feedback form others and ask the question “What do you think?” often – and listen closely to the response.
-Listen more than they speak. They realize that the best ideas and solutions are more likely to be generated by a team working together rather by the leader alone. Collaboration and mutual respect and empathy are highly valued.
-See the need for employee growth and development as an important way to measure success. Organizational goals are more likely to be met if everyone is given the opportunity to grow, develop, learn, and share what they know with others.
-Know that in the long run it’s not about them, but those they serve. As one supervisor told me, “I work for them and I can only be successful if my team is successful.”
By the way, you may be wondering what happened to our sleepless supervisor. He met with his manager, they identified a development plan together, he met frequently with a mentor leader in his organization, and went back to school. Today he is viewed as a successful servant leader who cares deeply about each person on his team.
Did you really think this would end any other way?
Thanks,
Neil
Neil Kupchin is a management and training consultant who has provided training for more than 25 CSMFO member organizations. Neil is a critically acclaimed Management Trainer and Specialist in Training and Organizational Development. He conducts seminars and workshops for organizations, companies and the California State University system. He also serves as a consultant to Management in the areas of Training, Communication, and Organizational Effectiveness.
Prior to establishing his own consulting business, Neil served as a Management Training Consultant for Kaiser Permanente. There he designed and conducted management development training programs and a wide variety of training programs for all employees. He also conducted needs assessments and team building sessions as a consultant to management.
He can be reached via email at nkupchin@aol.com and online at neilkupchin.com
