Why do some new managers FAIL while others go on to be the BEST?

Why do people get promoted?

Because they are great at what they do. The best sales person loves selling. But will being a genius at selling help a person lead a team? NO. In fact it's going to hurt him.Why? He has to STOP doing what he is great at and START doing stuff he never did before. Yes do less selling and do more leading.

But the most common reason why new managers fail is being unable to make the transition from I to WE - put self interest to the side and make team's interest the number 1 priority. So instead of getting credit for self, work to get credit for the team!

Why I to WE ? Jack Welch explains. "Before you are a leader, it's all about yourself. When you become a leader, it's all about growing others." Jack is right! When you fight for your team to succeed, 3 magical things happen. They trust you, fight for you and achieve more success together. But if you don't get to WE , you will fail! 

So how to get to WE? Here are 5 lessons Steve Kerr, my boss and the world's first Chief Learning Officer taught me when I was in GE. 1. Know your peoples' dreams, strengths, weaknesses. 2. Give feedback including the negatives. They will value and use it, if they trust you. 3. Believe in them and they will achieve things they thought was impossible. 4. You earn trust everyday by saying what you’ll do & doing what you said. 5. Aim high and higher, always. 

Once they get to WE, the best leaders consistently do 3 other things that set them apart from the rest. My colleague, IMD professor George Kohlrieser, developed the first 2.

The best ones 'Put the fish on the table.' Why? Because if you keep a fish under the table, it will go rotten and start to stink. On the table, you can cook it, eat it and then be done with it. So the best managers put problems, issues, challenges, crisis on the table. Sensitive issues are aired, looked at from different angles. The team will talk, argue even fight about it. Everyone gets a chance to be heard, offer solutions, understand strategy and agree on goals. In short, 'the fish on the table' creates a dialogue that builds trust, strengthen bonds and sets direction.

The best ones provide Secure Bases. A Secure Base "is a person, place, goal or object that provides a sense of protection, gives a sense of comfort and offers a source of energy and inspiration to explore, take risks and seek change.” So when a person feels safe, it gets easier to move out of their comfort zone. At the same time the manager help them believe they can do what they thought was impossible. They dare to try, take risk and grow because they know their managers have their backs! 

The best ones look for the ball. When the heat is on and people are looking down, winners ask for the ball. Its a sports metaphor that means taking the responsibility to act knowing that this can make or break the entire play. Why do they do it? Because they take ownership, they are willing to face the consequences of their action and because they are leaders.

A final thought. Knowing WHY gives one energy to lead, face dilemmas and overcome challenges. If you understand the WHY, the how will follow. So do yourself a favour answer this question - Why do you want to be a leader? Thanks for reading!