Building Leaders: From top performer to gifted manager

Building the Leader:

Turning Top Performers to Gifted Managers by Larry Mandelberg Those of us who depend on others to help make our businesses successful know the feeling of having one of your top managers tells you it is time for her to move on. Sales manager, office manager, warehouse manager, it really doesn’t matter who. What matters is that you are about to face the difficult task of replacing a key member of your team. And you better not make a mistake when you do it.

Tough Choices During the course of its life, every organization must deal with the issue of having people in management positions either leave or retire.

There are too few people who can fill the critical role that is about to be left vacant. All too often the choice comes down to a less-than-ideal candidate or one of your top performers – two challenging and costly options.

If you choose the less-than-ideal option, you put your entire team at risk by exposing them to potentially bad management. While you can’t afford to lose your senior manager, losing the entire team would be devastating, so you lean toward your top performer. The problem with this approach is you will be loosing a valuable member of the team, and putting them in a difficult position for which they may not be prepared. Bottom line, you might still end up with a bad manager and lose a top performer to boot.

Give the issue much thought and compare the pro’s and con’s of each. If you still believe your best option is your top performer, then read on.

Issues Don’t assume the ability to get the job done is any indicator of management skill or the ability to build a team. Most top performers are expert at doing tactical work, and expect immediate results from their efforts. As manager they must find their reward through efforts of others, those with whom they have been working side by side. As a former friend and co-worker, the new manager must now take responsibility to lead, support, and even judge those that were her peers.

The traits & skills that make a good manager are different than the traits and skills that make a good worker. Sometimes even the most basic skills can become a new managers Achilles heel. Grammar, spelling, handwriting, keyboard & computer skills are just a few that we often take for granted.

Communication is a weakness throughout corporate America today, and the pressure to communicate effectively will be even greater on your new manager now that she has both superiors and direct reports to communicate with.

Delegation is another area where most of us get little formal training regardless of our current role. The manager who cannot delegate effectively is doomed to micro management or a hands-off relationship with her team, leaving the team rudderless.

Do’s and Don’ts Do make sure the person fits the job, not the other way round, even if you have to go outside the department to find a different set of technical skills.

Don’t modify the position to conform to the strengths or weaknesses of the prospective manager.

Don’t micro-manage. Give your new manager room to make mistakes, and understand you are training her as you mentor her. If you micro-manage her, she will develop micro-management tendencies. If you delegate poorly, she will emulate your example.

Do understand her pressure. A former top performer is used to being recognized for her skill and excellence. In her new role, she will probably be hard pressed to find that same degree of success initially. Pressure to demonstrate her skill will quickly build and she will tend toward doing the work she was doing previously. Remind her that her job is to share her experience with others. Challenge her to turn her new team into a team of top performers.

Do appreciate tactics, reward strategy. Learn how to wean your new manager from the tactical and develop the strategic. Tactics is where she is most skilled and comfortable. The strategic will be somewhat new and foreign territory for her, and as such may be an uncomfortable place she will try to avoid.

My way or the highway. New managers tend want their direct reports to do things the way they did. Problem is their way is what made them special, and individuals have different strengths, weaknesses, personalities, styles, behaviors, and ways of doing things. What works well for one may not work well for another and this can create conflict and friction.

It’s what, not how. Make sure the new manager does not get wrapped up in the how, and stays focused on the what. It is the desired outcome that is important, not how it gets done. A friend of mine, Tom, served as a navigator on a bomber and was promoted to pilot. After a few runs with his new navigator, Tom complained to his superior of the navigators work. “He is sloppy, spills coffee on his reports, writes in pen and scribbles out his mistakes!” The superior asked the Tom if he missed the bomb site, or ran out of fuel on the way back to base, to which Tom responded “No.” The superior then told Tom to focus on what was important, and let the navigator do his job.

Support is critical. The success of a top performer-turned-manager depends on your ability to provide the tools and support she needs to make the transition. Training is the first step, because without the technical skills, she will be severely limited. Mentoring is second, and allows the new manager to test and experience ideas, decisions, and actions with someone who can help her understand the strengths and weaknesses of her choices with no risk of penalty. Finally, when the new manager needs someone to talk to, someone that is not judging her , someone she will not be afraid to appear vulnerable in front of, a coach can be the vehicle that helps the new manager go from capable, to gifted.

People develop skills in many ways, but true expertise can only be developed over time. It is seasoned with subtlety and nuance, flavored with success and failure, made richer through relationships, and comes only after the investment of time.

Don’t be afraid to look for managers among your top performers, but realize the journey is one you will be taking together, and while the road is difficult, the rewards can be great and long lasting.

"Larry Mandelberg is a member of Beyond Point B, a business coaching and leadership development company in Roseville. He can be reached at larry@beyondpointb.com or (916) 787-9909 x2."



Building Leaders: From top performer to gifted manager - To learn more about this author, visit Larry Mandelberg's Website.

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