Front Line Managers with Summer Davies
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“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” - Michael Scott, The Office
While the ever-hilarious Michael Scott wasn’t referring to leadership and managing people when he made that bold statement, in many ways, it’s the perfect analogy for both. Let me explain…
Michael’s point is that he begins speaking without knowing the real point he’s going to make or how he’s going to make it. He just knows that he has something to say and this is his opportunity.
In many ways, this is how people and organizations approach the elevation of managers early in their people leadership career – we’re not really sure where we are headed with this, we just know the first step is to have someone start managing people, and we’re all going to hope for the best that it works out and they end up leaders somehow. Then, lots of vague “stuff” will happen once the first “clear” step is taken.
Everyone is just hoping that it all works out along the way.
🙄🙄🙄
I’m all for hope. I think hope is absolutely imperative to our mental health these days, more than ever. It motivates us, increases happiness, and allows us to remember that possibility is always out there. Hope matters.
However, hope is a terrible strategy when it comes to elevating leaders and promoting managers.
And yet, most organizations continue to have little beyond hope as a strategy when promoting someone from an individual contributor role to a management role.
It’s as if the many, many years of evidence that show the skills that make people successful individual contributors are not the same skills that make someone a successful manager or people leader get ignored the minute we want to elevate someone in an organization. Because, obviously, the only way that happens is to hand them a bunch of people to manage. Makes total sense, doesn’t it?
**Please read the entire paragraph above in a voice dripping with sarcasm – thank you!**
One of my biggest frustrations is how many organizations have not found a way to reward individual contributors for their incredible work in any way other than offering them a management role. Something that not only means we lose the value of their work as an individual contributor but also that we often gain a mediocre and inexperienced (at best), controlling and uncaring (at worst), manager to deal with. Which, unsurprisingly, can then lead to worse outcomes for the team they are managing, as those people are no longer happy or motivated in their roles.
The cascading effects of these decisions and the amount of time it can take to remedy them can be wildly detrimental, and yet we hesitate to simply offer people compensation or a title that would keep them doing their best work without having to step into something they don’t want to do. And then, we also lose the opportunity to have people who would be incredible people leaders step into those roles, even if they were not the best technically skilled person in their role.
There is a real difference in the approach, mentality, and skillset between adding value and solving problems as an individual and adding value, solving problems, and driving results from a group of people such that the outcome is greater and more impactful than one person on their own.
Furthermore, managers are often left to their own devices and with little to no real support, training, or advice as to how to navigate this shift when offered an opportunity to step into the role.
And with that in mind, let's channel our inner Michael Scott one more time: "Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Leaders, the choice isn't binary. It's not about whether you're either a leader or an individual contributor. Rather, it's about playing to one's strengths and truly understanding where we shine.
So, here's my two cents for all the corporate leaders out there: Don't just throw a title and hope it sticks. Invest in understanding the strengths, aspirations, and potential of your team. Elevate based on genuine capability and passion, not just past performance in a different role. Because when you place someone where they genuinely belong and want to be, you won't have to hope for the best. You'll know the best is yet to come. So, let's not just start sentences and hope for the best. Let's craft them with intention and purpose. Cheers to meaningful elevations! 🥂🚀
In this episode, we're talking about (and to) front-line managers with leadership development expert, Summer Davies.
Middle management is essential to our organizations because they know our clients, customers, products, and brands better than anyone. They see crisis, change, or potential risks first – and are often the ones who have the most important and creative solutions.
In this conversation, we discuss a couple of their biggest hindrances (the ability to prioritize well, while communicating upward and downward, as well as micromanaging).
We explore how to check in and know whether you're doing either, as well as some practical solutions to address both, change the environment, and get the best results from your team.
If you know a front-line manager, give them some work-appropriate love – they need it!
*And, if you are one, thank you for ALL that you do. We see and appreciate you!
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Summer Davies is an award-winning leadership development expert with over 15 years of experience. She helps burgeoning leaders develop the mindset and tactical skills to lead with impact, confidence, empowerment, and a genuine love for what they do. As a lifelong equestrian, beekeeper, and sub-par snowboarder, Summer brings a unique perspective and sense of urgency to Leadership Development conversations.
Based in Parker, Colorado, she lives with her husband and two beautiful daughters, and together they love to travel, explore local breweries, and indulge in their passion for food trucks. Tune in to hear her inspiring journey from unexpected leadership to a passion-driven career in coaching and empowering others to become the leaders they aspire to be.
Check Summer out at www.leader-shop.com or follow her on LinkedIn for more!
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