Pitfall #3: Spending too little time managing and communicating
What We Learned From General Electric
This pitfall speaks to one of the most common challenges managers face. This was seen at General Electric, among many other organizations. Over time, GE mastered the art of leadership development like few companies in history. The book, The Leadership Pipeline, shares much of what GE learned about this critical element of organizational success. Here’s what they discovered at General Electric:
Whenever a person is promoted to the next level of leadership in any organization, they encounter the same three challenges:
- They must learn and master a whole new set of tasks
- They have to use their time in a different way
- They have to value (and invest time and effort in) the new things they must do as a leader at that level
Investing Time in Management Work
The challenge for many new managers (especially first-time, first-level managers) is number three on this list. They have to let go of the functional work they excelled at, as front-line employees, and focus their time and energy on the new “managerial” tasks that are required at their new level of leadership (e.g. giving work assignments; evaluating performance; addressing employee issues; assembling various reports as required by higher-ups; etc.).
Up Close and Personal – This manager really “got it”
I once led a training class for first-time supervisors (one of many of these classes, actually!). When one of the early birds came into the room, I greeted him and asked him why he was there. He said, “I was promoted about six weeks ago to be the manager of the team I was on.” I told him, “You’re in the right place—I promise to give you lots of help with your new responsibilities!” Then I asked him, “What kind of work does your team do?” He said, “We do computer programming.” I smiled and said to him, “Let me guess—before you got the promotion, you were the best programmer on the team.” He blushed, and told me, “Yeah…actually… I was!” Then I put this question to him: “What is one of your biggest challenges, as a new manager?” I never forgot his reply. He said, “That’s easy. Whenever a member of my team comes to me with a programming problem, my biggest challenge is to avoid the temptation to tell them to ‘get out of the chair’ and then sit down and solve their problem for them. I’ve learned that it’s not my job to solve their programming problems. It’s my job to help them learn how to find the solutions to their own programming problems.” I smiled and told him, “You are wise indeed, oh manager!”
Sadly, not all managers are as wise as this one. Many get distracted by functional work and end up “sitting down in the chair” instead of focusing on the more important supervisory tasks. Not surprisingly, Google’s research discovered that this was a common problem for their managers, too.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Google also surfaced the need for more and better communication on the manager’s part.
Here’s the reality: Leadership roles require a LOT more communication than front-line functional roles. One simple example is the manager’s responsibility to give clear work assignments. The Leadership Pipeline reveals, “…many first-time managers stumble when it comes to defining and assigning work because they don’t have the right discussions with the right people.” (p. 37). The book goes on to explain, “The logical person for a manager to discuss these issues with is his boss. It’s more and more important, however, that he also talk with peers, customers, suppliers, partners, and other relevant parties.” (p. 38). It’s clear that managers who are more used to doing than discussing will find it difficult to make the transition to more effective leadership.
It’s not PART of your job…it’s MOST of your job!
I got this message loud and clear from a smart CEO I worked for. I remember sitting in a C-level team meeting with him and the other executives who also reported to him. The CEO paused in the midst of the discussion to remind us of the critical need for effective communication in our various areas of responsibility. He said, “Let’s face it, people, mostly what we get paid to do is just talk.” We all laughed, but we all understood the important role relationships played in our leadership success, and the need for constant interaction to sustain those relationships.
You can learn how to communicate BETTER
If you would like more help with your leadership role, let us personalize your development with executive coaching. And if you have leaders in your organization who need some help, we can bring focused consulting and training that can help. Give us a call.
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!
