Manager’s Field Guide: Changing Our Mindset from doing to Leading

The fundamental task of a manager is the responsibility of managing the actions of others. Whether you are a first-time supervisor or an experienced executive, you are responsible for reaching organizational goals through the efforts of others.

This past week, I was coaching a client who was being promoted into a higher-level role within her company which, of course, came with additional responsibilities. In her previous position, she was successful based on her own efforts. If one of her team members were falling behind, she would work harder. If an additional client were added to her workload, she would work harder.

In her new role, no matter how hard she works, she will never be able to do everything herself.

It is at this moment that managers have a choice between trying to be the engine of productivity for their team or they can learn to be the driver of productivity. As an engine, it is all about effort, and as a driver, it is all about directional influence.

Shifting our mindset from “How do I get this done?” to “How do I get my team to get this done?” is a critical step in the development of managers. Some managers never make the shift. It speaks to our self-worth. “If I am not doing, am I adding any value to the team.”

Many managers continue to struggle with how to make the leap from doing to leading. They put in longer hours. They sacrifice their work-life balance. They become resentful. They become burned out. A job that was once fun becomes a burden.

Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.

I remember that moment in my career when my manager had increased my responsibilities by adding the leadership of three more departments to my workload. At first, I tried to work my way through the responsibilities, figuring it was just a short-term deviation, but I realized that I could not sustain the number of hours and energy I was putting in. Something needed to change.

Either I gave back those responsibilities, hurting my career prospects, or I changed the way I managed. My mentor at the time gave me some hard but good advice. “John, you cannot do it all. It is not your responsibility to do it all. This is why you have a team.”

We make excuses at first.

“I don’t want to burden my team. They already have enough on their plates. Or I must do it, so I make sure it is right. Or this is what is expected of me.”

And the excuses work until you find yourself at work for the third Saturday in a row, and your family is wondering if your work is more important than them.

To be successful as we move up in the organization, our focus must be less about doing and more about leading our team. The question we must consistently ask ourselves is,

“What does my team need to accomplish our goals?”

And although the easiest answer to this might be, “I need to work harder.” It is not the correct answer.

When I have talked to successful leaders, ones who aren’t sacrificing their work-life balance, they have taught me it is about holding your staff accountable while at the same time providing them a work environment in which they can excel, the knowledge and ability to do their job well and the systems to streamline the processes for effectiveness. Our teams will excel without us when we do all four of these things.

When we change our mindset from doing to leading, we are better executives, managers, and coworkers.

?John

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