#BaxtersBuzz
Managers and Leaders - My manager is very different from me and I understand how important communication with leadership is. It's not about agreeing all of the time, but more importantly, about understanding the expectations. Our relationship works not because we watch the same shows, share the same sense of humor, or even share the same political views (more on that another time). We have clear expectations of one another and we both encourage honesty. One might say that it's the manager's responsibility to keep communication lines open, but I've suffered in my career by putting too much responsibility in my boss's hands. It is MY responsibility to make things work. And if you're reading this, it is YOUR responsibility. Once you lose, you lose and nobody cares who's fault it was. Have you ever thrown your boss under the bus because of a lack in your performance? How did it work out for you?
We need leaders to encourage us and hold us accountable. There may be 10 different ways to get from A to B, and leaders should have their preference, but allow you to share explore your ideas. Now, I'm obviously talking about within reason! My point is: It shouldn't be "My way or the highway". That's not effective leadership and very few of us respond well to that type of attitude. We carry the burden of articulating the business case to our managers, so they understand our thinking behind a certain technique.
A Fish Out of Water - My three year old daughter had Miss Rachael as a swim teacher. She was nice, patient and encouraging. My daughter started to really take off during these lessons and make huge strides. Then the bittersweet news came: Zara was ready to move up to the next level of swimming, but Miss Rachael didn't have any room in HER class for that next level. Well, no big deal right? Zara is smart and I was sure that any of the teachers would be sufficient. Boy, was I wrong! Our new coach, Mr. Dipstick was NOT a favorite of Zara's. My wife noticed it right away and Zara was acting as if she'd never been in a pool before. These lessons are expensive and that money could be going towards other things and I was contemplating throwing in the towel until summer. Then my wife made a "boss move" and switched classes because Miss Rachael had an opening! My concern was had Dipstick done too much damage to Zara's confidence after a few weeks? Was she going to continue to regress? Wouldn't you know, being back under Rachael's instruction had my daughter do a 180! It was like night and day.
Tantalizing Potential - There are definitely traits that can help you in your path to leadership. You may be born bossy or loud (Maybe you take after your parents), but that doesn't make you a leader. You may be given the title of manager, but that doesn't make you a leader. Everyone that is argumentative shouldn't be a damn lawyer! There's a lot that goes into any role we have. Being a "natural" at something really just means that you have a head start in that area. That doesn't mean that hard work isn't necessary. Would you rather be talented to skilled? The big ball of clay can be tantalizing when you consider all of the things that it could turn into. But it'll never be able to compete with that defined sculpture. Potentially, it could but eventually "potential" needs to be realized. We need to work on our "craft" whatever that may be.
Be Agile - Many of the leaders at my last job were always reading something new. Trying to pick up a new way of going about things. They understood that we must continue to sharpen our tools. Just because you were the sharpest knife in the drawer last year, that doesn't guarantee your spot in 12 months. There are so many dinosaurs, talking about how they used to do things. Talking about what worked for them, as if things haven't changed in the past 15 years. As if things haven't changed in the past 15 months! One of the ways maturity is describe is, "The ability to adapt". Maybe when the hammer was all that you had in your tool-belt, it was needed for every situation. As times have changed, maybe you have 100 tools now. Don't tell me just because the hammer worked 20 years ago, that these other tools aren't necessary or couldn't work better in many instances. Dinosaurs are killing companies around the country. It may not always be obvious, but slowly, their lack of innovation is pouring money down the drain.
Be Agile - Many of the leaders at my last job were always reading something new. Trying to pick up a new way of going about things. They understood that we must continue to sharpen our tools. Just because you were the sharpest knife in the drawer last year, that doesn't guarantee your spot in 12 months. There are so many dinosaurs, talking about how they used to do things. Talking about what worked for them, as if things haven't changed in the past 15 years. As if things haven't changed in the past 15 months! One of the ways maturity is describe is, "The ability to adapt". Maybe when the hammer was all that you had in your tool-belt, it was needed for every situation. As times have changed, maybe you have 100 tools now. Don't tell me just because the hammer worked 20 years ago, that these other tools aren't necessary or couldn't work better in many instances. Dinosaurs are killing companies around the country. It may not always be obvious, but slowly, their lack of innovation is pouring money down the drain.
Being Your Best - Maybe being a boss isn't something that you'd like to explore. No worries, but work towards mastering your role, whatever that may be. Leadership is something that I'll eventually strive for in a corporate setting, but the timing has to be right. I want more than the title. I want a real opportunity to invoke change. I'm still working on mastering my current role and work towards being a leader by action, and not necessarily by name. I have a long way to go, but I believe that I'm closer than I even know.
Read more. Write more. Love more. Pray more. Live more.
