So here is another thought on the same line as my last post.
What if you are a manager and YOU are just merely good at what you do, not elite? What a slap in the face, right? I am positive you look in the mirror and see more than just good. Sorry, I have been a room full of managers and I see just kinda good sometimes. And you know what? I am OK with that…here’s why.
Do managers have to be the best…at everything? I was at a point in my career and knew there were a couple of others who seemed to know it and do it better and faster. No shame, just was. What I can say is that I worked very, very hard at my job. Every day I showed up and had the intention to win. I accepted that being exceptional has layers. OK, this will sting…you may very well have a say in managing those “who may be a tad bit better at the task than you.” Wow, that does sting.
You know Michael Jordan. Perhaps the best ever. What about Wayne Gretzky? Pretty amazing. Who were their coaches at the apex of what they shared with the universe? Phil Jackson and Glen Sather. Umm, not to disparage and with all due respect, were they the best players? And they are coaching the best of their kind…ever. So do they deserve to coach these athletes? Why? We will get to that.
Step back and just breathe. Someone may be better than you – get over it. What is your first reaction? Are you ticked off or are you willing to say, yep, this is what I do next? I believe in the mantra, I can always do better because I know I was far from perfect today. Phil Jackson is an awesome coach. Just look at his results. He wasn’t a Michael Jordan. Didn’t need to be. He took his hard working skills at the game of basketball and put together a rhythm of players to produce absolutely amazing results. Am I really concerned at his ability when he played or what he was able to do when facing a team of players? Same as you. Maybe you were or weren’t the best sales rep; you just got the game. Now you manage a team of sales reps and you can see something the team cannot see…their potential. That is your next step. That is what I saw when I became manager. My game changed. It became about someone else’s exceptional-ism or just good moment. I had a say in how I could influence someone else. And I was OK with knowing and now not necessarily doing all the aspects of the retail game. I started to figure out all I could about selling stuff and then shared it with others. My game changed. My good changed. My meaning changed. As manager, you will need to face the same decision.
Off my soap box. You are a manager and 4 or 5 people who need you to…do…what? What is your action, even if they are 100 times better than you at selling? That is the thing a manager must be able to admit to themselves. Mary is much better at this and I still need to lead that.
So here we go…
Be real… I never get tired of saying this. Admit any possible weakness inside and lead the business on the outside. Do you think Phil Jackson got cocky with Michael Jordan or do you think he was thinking about the game and what needed to happen? What does the team NEED from you to be successful? That is real.
Think outside the box about skill. Here is what I mean. I have known talent in my life. I have known talent with belief and that is very, very different. I hope you can discern the difference. My job as manager is to take talent and cultivate a belief or buy in to amplify what someone can do in their job. There have been many who had talent like Michael Jordan (not the same) but lacked the belief to elevate their relative game. A coach (manager) can do this.
Be a praise-worthy kind of coach. So you weren’t the best ever. Someone you manage and lead deserves someone who knows the game to say “great job”. Can you imagine what your team would do ‘more of’ if they had a leader provide praise and recognition? If you can’t, then you were probably not managed the same way. Give it a chance.
Just because you weren’t the best thing since sliced bread, doesn’t mean you can’t get really, freaking good at your game. Read, research, go online, talk to peers, take classes and get knee deep in the weeds! Be outside the proverbial box. Turn the game upside down and see what happens. Be OK with questioning the norm to make a new viewpoint. Sound odd? Good.
I have found good can make great. You know why? They cared to build someone else up. They cared about someone else or was OK with giving away something else more than themselves. I was good. Not that good. My goal is to help someone else be great. I missed my window. Cool. Or maybe I am right now, in this very second, in my window by driving someone else into greatness. Watcha think?
Cheers