"I Believe in You"

Some call me a hard ass. Others say I micromanage. They are correct. Sometimes you must demand your people follow every step to ground them. Other times you must empower to let them fly. There is no such thing as a step-by-step guide to growing leaders. This is not a science. Nonetheless learning the development process has much value so long as we remember that sometimes we must place textbook to the side, listen to our gut and bet on people.

I always bet on people. Why? When we bet on people, they'll know we believe in them. They start believing they are winners and start thinking and acting like one! Have I lost bets. I won far more than I lost but yes I've lost many and every loss hurts. The second worse thing in the world is to bet on people and lose. The worse is not betting on them!

I lived this narrative. Early in my career I was promoted but was a terrible new manager. I failed - got demoted and struggled to gain back confidence and self-belief. Later I met Steve Kerr, who became my boss and said the 4 most powerful words in the English Language "I believe you can" and back up his words with actions. He scheduled for me to meet Bill Conaty, then GE's SVP for HR and arranged for me to work in the US. Everything changed because I believe I can and was gifted opportunities to demonstrate just that.

That's why I always bet on people, the way my bosses bet on me.

The Battlefield Commission

I remembered offering one staff a job well beyond his current pay grade. It was a 'battlefield commission"- his manager had left suddenly. He said he was not ready and lack confidence. I agreed. But I still wanted him to take the job. Why? Because he had passion, learning agility, relationships with stakeholders, and was operationally excellent. The only missing quality is Self-Belief.

"I believe in you." I asked him, "Will you bet on yourself?"

He did.

To build his self-belief, I initially MICRO MANAGED ie give detailed instructions and ensure compliance on critical areas of his new role job that he had never done before. After a 1st try, I shared what he did right, what needs to be adjusted and how to do it. This is critical because 1. it ensures he knows exactly what and how to do the task and 2. I offered a safe zone where he could make mistakes and do task again and again until he gets it right.

Now that he knows he can do it he was ready to be empowered. I switch from micromanaging to COACHING- "Tell me how well you did." I also discuss how ASKING FOR HELP is not a sign of weakness but a demonstration of trust in our relationship. I had to trust him to do the job on his own and trust that he will seek help if needed. He had to trust that I am guiding him correctly and will have his back if he messes up. Then I DELEGATE, trusting him to do the job on his own and ASK FOR HELP if he needed it.

This process MCDA (Micromanage, Coach, Delegate, Ask for help) takes time and requires trust from both parties. But it also teaches skills and, when done with sincerity, grows a bond based on trust and shared experience between manager and employee. 

After some teething pains, he went on to excel in his new role. Soon he got a bigger job and continued to thrive. A few years later, he accepted a role in Microsoft. Today he is founder & CEO of a thriving business. We continue to be good friends and recently our families met in Kyoto for a wonderful evening of good company, good food and good sake. I knew he had too much sake (rice wine) when he said my karaoke singing was great.

So to all the people champions - It's wonderful you believe in your people. Important that you back it up by giving them the tools for success. Don't empower a person who don't know how to swim by throwing her into the deepest end even though you believe in her. Give her some lessons and then set her free. Then all you need to do is to sit tight, let them fall, get up, try again and fly, fly, fly. What a sight! It doesn't get any better than this!