Oct 28 • General Discussion
Don’t Be The Artist Lost In Their Own Drawing
When I first started coaching a first time manager earlier this year, she felt compelled to share with her new team that they were her first direct reports. She felt the good will would buy her some time while she learned to manage the team.
When she was promoted she was given oversight of a new area of the business. An area far different that the one that helped her stand out as an expert.
Now she was tasked with making key decisions in a new area where her team were the experts. When she made a decision, her go-to was always “but this is my first time managing a team”. The team gave her grace - for a month or so - but very soon they became frustrated. They needed to be lead, not patronized.
We went over the exact scenarios where she felt compelled to overshare this with the team and it became obvious she didn’t have a leadership deficit, she had an obsession with being the expert. When she wasn’t, she felt vulnerable, exposed, and weak.
The challenge: Let your team teach you the ropes while you empower them to use their expertise to create new workflows and build a new culture - one they want to grow in.
This was not an overnight transformation. This was a grind. I was asking her to change how she worked. And she was asking her team to trust her when they had no reason to do so.
After 6+ months, letting go of being the expert became the norm while the experts have built new leadership skills, stronger relationships, and greater workflows. All accomplishments the team can share.
The lesson: It’s okay to be the artist, just don’t get lost in your own drawing. Empower others to paint the detailed pieces so you can focus on creating the bigger picture.
1
0 comments
Don’t Be The Artist Lost In Their Own Drawing
powered by
skool.com/first-time-leaders-classroom-4677
The Leadership Lab is an 8-module, hands-on cohort for first-time managers. Each mod will teach then apply learning + provides you with powerful tools
Suggested communities
Powered by