I often work with leaders who are stuck in some way — senior leaders who feel they’re not reaching their potential and mid-level leaders who are seen as having potential but whose bosses don’t know how to help them reach it. These people are eager for guidance, advice, and mentoring. They want to know why they’re not progressing and how they can break free of any webs of influence holding them back, whether those impediments are internal or external.
There’s often no penalty for leaders who can’t find a way out of their own stagnation, but their bosses sometimes exhort them to “do better” and “lead,” as if all they need is inspiration. But that’s a no-win situation, because even if these leaders already know how people are supposed to do better, they’re still stuck.
When I work with these folks, I help them identify four main growth areas that can help them inspire themselves to new action; we look at these areas as tools for leading. Very often, a breakthrough in one or more of these areas is a demonstration to management that these developing leaders have what it takes to move forward again.
Self-Knowledge
Many leaders don’t understand how predictable their reactions are or that their colleagues and subordinates may have become expert in gauging their emotional states. These leaders may not be aware of their own emotional reactions or might confuse their feelings with the way they come across, saying something like, “I wasn’t feeling defensive, I was only trying to explain why this approach would be more effective.” Meanwhile everyone on their team can see that they’re feeling impatient, frustrated, and looking for someone to take it out on.
Often I point out the “tells” that leaders’ colleagues, subordinates, and customers can recognize, even when leaders don’t know the signals they’re transmitting. We also work on identifying a leader’s triggers and how to develop new responses to help them be more even-keeled and relatable when they’re feeling things like avoidance or rebelliousness, or are prompted to favor team members or projects for personal rather than professional reasons.
Interpersonal and Relationship Skills
It’s easy for leaders to forget to take care in communicating information, whether it’s regarding organizational changes or individual feedback. Depending on the situation, I may help debug how leaders solicit, accept, and respond to team members’ concerns and needs, and we might game-out or rehearse how they can stand their ground in a conflict and know when to shift or give way.
It’s also helpful for leaders to deepen their relationships with others, particularly with colleagues or leaders who are good role models or who might provide support or sponsorship. It doesn’t make sense to wait and hope these things will happen spontaneously; enhancing one’s internal network can build both access and political capital, rather than toiling away alone and unknown.
Team and Team Member Strength and Capacity
The stronger the team, the more a leader can deliver for the organization. Investing in building team skills and capabilities means a leader can accomplish more toward organizationally relevant goals; it can also provide rewarding and developmental relationships with employees that return ongoing value through the employees’ tenure with the organization. Leaders who are noticed for their team-building skills often have opportunities to work in the business’s more challenging areas and are able to attract better candidates for open spots.
Business Development
In many organizations, the most valuable thing you can do to get noticed is to grow the business. What new product or service does the marketplace want that your outfit could deliver? Are there new business areas to develop that will expand value for the organization and be attributable to your leadership? Once you have a vision of what the market wants, you can think about how to bring that vision to fruition through staffing and other resources, human development, and project management. Just getting excited about the potential of the business itself is a good way to recommit yourself to your job and getting juiced up about new possibilities can make your entire job feel more rewarding.
Leadership is difficult, often confusing work, and growth is never a given. It’s much more effective to practice habits that can lead to growth rather than clinging to what you already have and waiting for a lucky break — or hoping to be noticed and rewarded for the quiet, uncomplaining good that you do. It’s worth thinking a little bigger and seeking out opportunities whenever political and resource considerations come up. Assessing how you can expand your own capacity and strengthen both your performance and your reputation in these four growth areas can help.
Onward and upward —
LK