RULE #8 – Have key technical skills so you can help advise the team
— Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis
One of the most challenging aspects of leadership advancement is the ever-expanding arena of responsibility, encompassing more and more areas of diverse function and expertise. This is the principle: The higher you rise in any organization, the more of a generalist you must become. COO’s, for example, oversee many different aspects of organizational operations, each one employing a very specific skillset. Can any COO realistically become an expert in every area under their supervision? It’s unlikely. Having said that, they still need to provide effective oversight of their immediate subordinates. That will require them to have at least a basic grasp of their team’s technical work. Google puts it this way:
Understand the specific challenges of the work.
Without that basic understanding, a team leader will be unable to provide the kind of helpful advice, direction, or support that every team needs and appreciates. It’s the kind of job knowledge that leaders need in order to carry water for their team.
It also equips the team leader to be able to step in and lend a hand when necessary.
Those opportunities are often created by the likes of unexpected workload demands; looming deadlines; shifting priorities; staff deficiencies; or spur-of-the-moment rush orders. Google encourages their managers:
Roll up your sleeves and conduct work side by side with the team, when needed.
I have done more than my share of this kind of thing. And I’ve been amazed at the incredible positive impact it has on team morale. It’s tangible: Teams feel affirmed, valued, and respected by leaders who are willing to step into the fray and get their hands dirty with the real work of the team. It also sends a very powerful message to your people: We’re all in this together. The team quickly gets the message that the boss is a vital part of the team, not just an isolated overseer.
What complicates this is when an effective manager is assigned to a new team, especially a team whose technical work is unfamiliar to the new manager. (This is not uncommon in organizations. Many executives see management skills as fairly transferable between functions—e.g. if Bob was able to turn around an accounting team, he can probably do the same for an under-performing production team.)
When this happens, my advice to the new manager is “learn fast.” Acquire a working knowledge of the team’s technical work as quickly as possible. If you stay ignorant too long, you will lose the respect of the team! But if you prove yourself a fast learner, you will more easily gain the confidence of your people. As a result, they will be more comfortable following your lead and looking to you for help and support. Here’s a tip to help you in your learning process: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and especially, don’t be afraid to ask your team for their help.
In conclusion, Google’s Rules offer leaders sage advice to inform their leadership and help them perform better as managers. The Rules are certainly worth some time and attention, but they are not comprehensive of good management, by any means!
The Oxygen Project also identified three prevalent “pitfalls” of Google managers—common problems experienced by a number of their leaders. These problems were so widespread, Google felt they deserved special attention in the organization. The next blog posts will present these pitfalls and provide ways that you can address them in your leadership! So… stay tuned!
And if you find the advice of this blog helpful, please leave a comment—I would love to hear from YOU and answer any questions you might have about these blog entries. And if you would like more information about our resources, let us know—we’re here to help!
Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,
Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ – Helping you to be a better boss and to have a better boss!
