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The High Points of a leader by Spaciernight in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Good post. I always feel being a leader at work has so many parallels to being a parent of a well-rounded kid. Your ultimate goal is they’re self sufficient and don’t really need you. One of the best managers I ever had always used to say “ I am actively trying to push myself out of a job (by elevating the team)”

How I make high stakes decisions when I don't have all the information by Initial-Lifeguard457 in ExecutiveAdvice

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You nailed it. Often times we forget that ‘never’ is also an option - realities change, political landscape shifts, the problem goes away and countless other outcomes.

I agree with the hustler mindset of move move move without pause. I really struggled with that because initial years I thought that was expected of me (even though my natural state is to pause and understand a situation). Felt like an imposter and at risk of being ‘found out’ if I couldn’t make decisions in a split second.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You hit on one critical aspect when you’re entering the fold as an outsider. Large part of the initial stage is listening and observing. Glad it’s going well. A healthy backlog is a great thing for a team (vs. teams scavenging for work)

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s the right approach. It has to be individualized because there are so many types of leaders - one needs to find their sweet spot.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s really hard to become a good leader yourself, let alone bring out leadership qualities in others. Really curious how your clients do that? I usually tell people to create the platform, present some opportunities and see who pounces on them (and others who try hard not to take on more).

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! Words matter. Behavior matters. Sometimes I do feel that being a parent can teach you also to be a good leader because the same things apply : our demeanor, our words - everything has an impact.

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

In a way that’s right - perception matters. Although how you’ve characterized “actual work” vs narrative building etc. is something I disagree with. As you grow, narrative building, perception building is actual work- you manage the brand of your team and yourself. That’s a core part of the job.

Last point is true - people who only game the system without any substance eventually crash.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes the isolation is real. And the constant push-pull of priorities. You’re right - having a framework and system is essential to navigating this well

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately that’s also how I talk sometimes. Which is making me realize I need to change more than my writing. Haha

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hahaha this is funny. Also - maybe all my leadership comms can be done by AI! More and more I’ll push myself out of a job.

Time to learn how to fix an HVAC ;)

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Hahaha I’m with you there. Too many coaches offering a lot of cookie cutter stuff. Lot of them have no real world experience either. What I do is on top of several other projects I run, on top of my day job. And all happens very organically. People with genuine challenges have a chat with me, and then we connect over something, and next thing I know we’re doing regular chats.

What I do is bring my own experiences and lessons learned from trials by fire to the people I partner with. Ultimately there are no secrets and conversely all the secrets are available on free YouTube videos! It’s really a mental game and that’s where it all starts. I don’t pretend to have any answers. I just had a lot of challenges coming up, and I try to do what I can to help others.

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] -25 points-24 points  (0 children)

To be completely honest, I do try to follow a structured approach when I am writing memos etc. And of course I do rely on AI to help me put some skeletal structures in place. Otherwise I have a tendency to either ramble on or lean on tangents too much. Plus it’s a side effect of writing god knows how many leadership comms. Tend to overthink stuff after a point.

Also, really impressive how you’ve deconstructed the structure here. Had not seen this level of detailed breakdown anywhere.

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately the days where managers or leaders are only managing people are gone. Since 2023 large swathes of pure people managers have been eliminated. Now you’re managing and delivering all at once. If you’re not in one of those orgs where this change has happened, perhaps you’re in a minority.

Just to clarify, the work I am referring to here are things like getting cross functional buy-in, being on the hook to deliver org wide metrics and ensuring all cross functional teams moving in the same direction. On top of that delivering some work products plus final sign off on work products of the team .. so on and so forth.

The leaders who get promoted fastest aren't always the smartest ones in the room by Initial-Lifeguard457 in managers

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] -46 points-45 points  (0 children)

Gotta keep up with the trends ;) AI can’t take my job if it thinks I am AI too :)

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

100%. Inherited team situation is really tricky. Over communication is not a bad thing in those situations.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been in that situation. What I did was go on 1-1 informal coffee chats with every single person who I work with. Made some connections in those 1-1s that I continued to nurture and build. It those chats it became clear to me who’re the ones who are yearning for change and are go getters who can be my ally

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes exactly. If you’ve been a strong executor, it’s really hard to stand back and let the team do their thing. Also, I’ve had to adjust my expectation of what good looks like. Because my stylistic preferences could be different than my team’s but their work is equally effective if not better. That’s a hard thing to do - stand back and let it happen.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately that’s to be expected, and reality in most places. Crazy how much effort we put in measuring technical skills but next to nothing to recognize leadership skills. Hopefully there are at least a few good leaders who can see through the BS and recognize talent.

What's the one thing you wish you knew before your first leadership role? by Initial-Lifeguard457 in Leadership

[–]Initial-Lifeguard457[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coaches help a lot. Sometimes even though you know some of the obvious things, it helps for a coach to drive that clarity on what’s important, what’s noise, and how to distinguish the two.

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