John writes:
Leading Leaders
One of the aspects of personal marketing that ambitious employees often overlook is a sense of leading their own leader. By this, I am referring to the ability of being able to understand what is important about the business of their employer i.e. the bigger picture than just the employee's scope, and providing a level of value that extends beyond the remit of the employee. By demonstrating this value, any self respecting leader will want to take that employee on as a trusted advisor, resulting in a more meaningful employee / manager relationship, thus keeping the employee on the radar should any great promotional opportunities arise.
To do this the employee needs to understand the business in more detail and see the bigger picture. They need to understand and converse with the 'language ' used by more senior personnel and management, translate corporate objectives and understand how the employee's role can play a part in reaching them. If all goes well this will make the leaders look good, ultimately producing a positive workplace benefit for those that they are leading.
Leader Languages
In a business surely people who work together speak the same language mostly - right? Yes, of course that is right, but in a slightly abstract way, no!
I am of course referring to where a certain individual's focus lies within a business. Let's use the example of a drug discovery laboratory in a pharmaceutical company.
A scientist will have a remit for researching ways of finding drug candidates and doing that as fast as possible. There is a saying about this process that refers to 'failing fast, failing cheaper'. Has the scientist found a candidate that can have a desired affect on a particular area of disease? Yes? Great - then they can work on the next stages. No? Great - time and resources will not be wasted in pursuing a drug that will deliver nothing.
So a scientist's view might be focused on the chemical and biological properties of the compounds under investigation and this will be their focus. Their managers, however will have a focus on how well the project is going, the cost of resourcing and the coordination of that research. The director of research will have a higher level of focus that is more strategic and focuses on the direction of research.
With these different levels of focus, the way that each person at each level communicates is very influenced by their level of responsibility and so the manner of their communication is different. Understanding this is important for someone who ultimately wants to move up a level and be able to relate to the members of that higher management level. If we are unable to understand those people around us that we work with everyday, then how can we hope to demonstrate progress? Being able to relate and understand helps to create respect and credibility and if you need the help of a colleague or your manager (or your director) then it helps to be able to verbally paint a picture for them about the benefits of helping in terms of their own brief.
Translating objectives
This stage is critical in gaining respect, credibility and resources. If you can understand the objectives of your leaders and be able to come up with ideas within your level of work that helps your leaders to deliver on those objectives, then your value as an employee has risen exponentially! Every manager needs to be able to pass down objectives, but equally they want to see their hires constantly deliver higher levels of return on investment. A good manager doesn't want to micro manage, they want to have peace of mind that their hire understands their work and is productive in their own right without needing to be pushed all the time. Managers love ideas that will make their life easier (if they don't, perhaps they shouldn't be in management!). If you can deliver this, then you have your manager's ear and a glittering future.
Make your leader look good
I once heard a piece of advice about management and that was 'hire people that are better than you'. If you hire people that can effectively help you to achieve your management objectives, then as a manager you will look great to your directors. So if you want to gain in status or perception of value with those leaders above you, then you need to help them look good by being more than great at what you do. Before you start to get a little cynical about this statement, think about it. Even if your manager is a poor leader and is not delivering on their objectives, if you can perform in such a way that they benefit from the fruits of your labour, then you have an opportunity to influence them for the greater good. If they get promoted as a result, then that leaves an opening for you! If they are a good manager then they will promote you and your work to others - thus positively enhancing your personal marketing influence across the company. It's a win-win, right?
So the take away from this post is that to lead others (at whatever level) you need to understand them, understand how they communicate and what is important to them and deliver what you do in a way that benefits them - because ultimately it will benefit you.
John Hicks is a performance coach for scientists facilitates enhanced performance, the development of careers and leadership skills. For more information go to www.coachingforscientists.com
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