Why Waiters Don’t Win

G’day Leader, let me tell you about the manager who waited.?And waited….

In January this year I launched my Manager to Leader Shift Program and I had an excited woman Sue join us on one of my launch event calls.

After that call, Sue (an alias for privacy reasons) applied for the program because she wanted to grow her leadership career. She had been in the same role for over three years and she said she was ready for the next move. Sue and I jumped on a call, and hearing her backstory where she had had a career change at age 35, had completely retrained and was now in a technical role that she loved with one team member however she had applied for two more senior roles over the past 6 months and had not been successful in securing either of the roles. I knew the program would help her build her confidence and credibility, so I invited her to join us in The Manager To Leader Shift Program. ?

Sue filled in the application page online and wrote that she really needed support and then…she pulled out. Right before her first onboarding call, she withdrew.

Her choice, no problem. However I did call her to check in and ask why…

“I know I need help and the program sounds amazing, but I don’t think I’m ready for it yet. Right now just isn’t great timing, I have a big project to deliver and I have a lot on my plate.”?

We left it at that. Occasionally she likes and comments on my LinkedIn posts. ?

And so here we are in June, five months later, while I have an incredible 75% off my programs and courses offer, Sue has inquired about the program again.

I recognised her name when the email came in, so I messaged her that I was excited to see she was ready now and good on her for jumping on at a quarter of the price.

She replied that since January her confidence has dipped, she wrote:

“I need this more than ever. I applied for another team leader role and didn’t get it. The feedback from the panel was that while I had solid technical skills, that I didn’t have enough experience in leading and managing others in a complex, fast paced environment. What’s worse, the one team member I had was the one who got the job so now they are senior to me. I feel like a failure.”

Sadly this is all too common, really great, technically smart people who miss promotional opportunities because while they have great competence and intelligence, they lack in confidence, credibility and the soft skills or EQ that really differentiates a great people leader.

Are you like Sue? Are you frustrated at not being further ahead in your career?

Or do you manage and lead other smart people like Sue who are great at their role but haven’t yet mastered the people leading side??

I understand why Sue pulled out the first time, growth can be scary and we often we don’t feel ready. But staying still is the same as going backwards. You simply can’t wait until the time is perfect. I dang well never is.

Waiters don’t win.

Waiting comes with a cost.?For the individual costs can include:

• Being overlooked for projects.
• Missing promotional opportunities.
• Being seen as at the level you’re at and not as a high potential future leader.?
• Energy draining
• Reputation sabotage
• Missing out on income.

So here’s my question for you manager when will the pain of not learning the mindset, people skills and leadership qualities that will help you supercharge your career?

For executives who don't invest in their upcoming managers the costs can include:

• Wasting time micromanaging the manager
• Trying to do it all yourself
• Getting involved in team disputes and culture challenges that could be handled by the manager.
• Lower scores on staff engagement surveys.
• Loss of productivity due to costly recruitment and onboarding
• Lack of strategic thinking and solutions being brought to you - ie: you having to do all the heavy lifting.

So here’s my question for you senior leader…

How much longer do you want to wait for you or your managers to uplevel their skills and become leaders people really want to work for and follow??

What about you dear reader?

If Sue’s story resonates with you then I encourage you to take a step, to make the next shift because there will never be a less risky, more perfect time to do so.

The Manager To Leader Shift Program is open for enrolments for the July intake now – and until midnight 30 June 2024 you can grab it for a tiny 75% off investment which can be paid upfront (only $599.40 AUD) or in monthly installments (only $124.87 a month).

Hit this link and use the code at the checkout EOFYSHIFT to grab your spot and uplevel your leadership now!

#leadershipdevelopment #career #governmentcareers #softskills #peoplemanagement #confidence #managertoleadershift