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Leaders Should Do Less
2 December 2014
Allison read Doing Less, Leading More on HBR.org and was glad for the reminder that moving from an individual contributor at work into a supervisory role requires an important shift in thinking (and doing).
Tags: allison read, leadership, management and supervision
Two weeks ago I wrote about the demoralizing effect of micromanagers. In September, I shared five tips for new team leaders from another HBR.org post. As I was searching for a topic today, I was pleased to find a 2013 post by Executive Coach and Stanford Graduate School of Business Instructor, Ed Batista. In just 680 words, Batista articulates the critical mindset shift that leaders need to make before they can hope to do the things I’ve suggested in recent posts.
We seldom get to lead others if we weren’t first competent at doing something in the workplace. Therefore, when we move up in an organization, we tend to rely on the very thing that got us the new leadership opportunity: doing good work. (And we often try to do more, faster, and better work.) While this mindset is grounded in the best of intentions and even survival (very few people get formal training for supervisory roles), it’s actually the opposite of what’s needed.
Read Batista’s post and ask yourself, “What steps could I take to do less and lead more?” If you’re like most people I work with who are making this transition, you will then wonder, “What will I actually be doing now that I’m doing less of the stuff I used to do?” It depends on your role, but if your job involves supervising other people, then much of your time should be spent developing your employees and building a high performing team. Bruce Tulgan’s book, It’s Okay to Be the Boss, will help you get started.
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Natalie Brown
Dec 02, 2014
Great read regarding perhaps the most difficult career transition. Thanks!