A Bad Career Habit You Must Break NOW!

I’ve written previously about how having a BTS (Behind the Scenes) mindset can hamper your career progress. I see this with many of my clients who have held behind-the-scenes roles, especially in heavily male-dominated fields like tech, law, finance and in the corporate sector. They reach a point where they want to advance to the next level of their career, but they’re still using old behaviors and communication styles that keep them stuck on the sidelines, instead of stepping confidently into the spotlight, where the big rewards are.?

Today I’m going to outline another BTS mistake that I see clients making all the time, and give you some tips about how to overcome it. This one is a doozy, because it accumulates over time and can lead to career dissatisfaction, or even serious burnout. So it’s important that you stop doing it right now!

I’m talking about covering for other people’s shoddy work.?

If you're a leader or manager, you might already have developed this habit. It may take the form of completing a team member’s incomplete tasks, editing their poor storytelling, or even throwing out their reports and crafting whole new ones for them, so that their bad work doesn’t reach the eyes of Senior leadership. In short, you’re doing the work that someone else is supposed to have done.

You may believe that a good leader makes their entire team look good. That's true to a certain extent. But in fact, actions like these are actually a misguided attempt to project your own personal standard of excellence onto the stragglers, in the hopes that they’ll get the message and start performing at a higher level. It’s a passive and distinctly ineffective way to communicate your message, and it leads to a ton of extra work on your plate.?

Think about it: doing all that extra work might even be the reason why you’re not making good progress on your own projects, or having the impact you want to achieve. How can you stay engaged with your Zone of Genius when you’re busy cleaning up other people’s mess?

Here are three ways to break free from this habit:

• Audit the way you’re setting expectations. When you assign a task to someone, are you crystal-clear about what you expect from them? This isn’t micromanaging. It’s a simple but powerful action that can greatly impact their results. Use your Power Voice! Be specific, using adjectives that communicate how you want their finished product to look and feel. Talk to them face to face, then follow up with a clear, concise email recap.

• Identify key strengths. Don’t assign a systems-ops problem to a creative storyteller. Especially when your project deadline is tight, match the right task to the right person. This one action can save a ton of time and energy for all concerned.?

• Schedule a mandatory mid-project group meeting. This is when you can redirect anyone who is off track. Especially if someone is late with a task, use your Power Voice to remind them exactly which team members are waiting on their work. Social pressure is a powerful motivator! Make sure that person understands that being late or shoddy will have consequences for the entire group, and that others won’t be pleased with them.?

Using your Power Voice to break through your BTS habits takes time, but the results can be extraordinary. Power, after all, is impact. As your team's work improves, and your leadership impact is felt in new ways, you'll demonstrate to everyone around you, including key figures who can advance your career, that you have what it takes to thrive in the spotlight.

These are just some of the techniques I work on with my clients. I give private Power Voice session packages to highly motivated individuals. I also give Power Communication trainings to groups of Executives and professionals at companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Columbia Bank, Carharrt and Kimpton Hotels, both remotely and in person. DM me for more info about my trainings, rates and availability. I love hearing from you!