Is Greatness Fungible?
Jordan, Gretsky, Williams (Ted), Ewing, Borg…
Are you the best of the best at what you do? Can you relate to the stars above? I hope that you can. I bet, plainly put, that you kicked ass and took names all the way to the top to get to the winners' circle just like they did. Congratulations on your success.
Let's talk about what comes next.
Each one of the above generational talents (and many more) were disappointments, at best, and failures, at worst, in the second act of their careers.
Leadership requires a different skill set from individual excellence.
A critic of Jordan’s tenure at the Wizards once joked, "Turns out the ability to fly doesn't make you good at helping others fly." Mean… but fair. Here is my challenge to you:
If you can no longer be MJ in the finals, can you redefine success for yourself and become the Michael Jordan of helping others fly at your firm?
You have the discipline. You know what a burning desire to win feels like. You’re not scared of hard work. All that’s missing is a path to success.
Leadership Mindshift Assets
The following concepts will head you in the right direction.
There’s No Such Thing as a Good Coach with a Bad Team
There are great players on pretty awful teams, but there are no great coaches who lead terrible teams. The coach's job is to make champions. Period.
A good leader never laments, “My people suck.” You’re the boss. Fix ‘em or change ‘em out.
Your success is aligned with the individual and collective successes of your direct reports.
2. Zoom Out
Your laser focus got you to the mountaintop, but it won’t serve you well now. Learn to widen your field of view when looking at both problems and solutions. Consider context, pick your head up, and look around.
You will need to go back to “school.” You’ve been incredibly successful at knowing what motivates you, but now you need to apply that exact science and compassion to your (multiple) direct reports.
3. Be More Than an Example
“Do as I did” is not a leadership strategy. People are different and each requires their own shepherding down the path towards success.
BTW “Here’s how I did it” is what people really want to hear.
Increase Self-Awareness - Understand your leadership blind spots through assessment tools and input from others. Continually reflect on your own development areas and exhibit a humble willingness to improve.
4. Stop, Collaborate, and Listen
The pace that you are used to is not conducive to being a good listener. Learn to stop and prioritize listening.
Meet people where they are.
Build relationships, social capital, and trust across the organization.
Based on your authority, your team will do as they’re told…and no more. If you want a team that will run through a wall for you, it’ll be trust, appreciation, and admiration that makes that happen. All of those things are earned by your observable and consistent behavior.
You Can Still Be You
Many people think that the idea of contextualizing themselves, perhaps from power player to coach, dilutes their individuality. That couldn’t be further from the truth. You are not aiming for a milquetoast, all things to all people, kind of leader. Instead, you’re getting smarter about what it takes not to replicate yourself, but to make many people (some like you and many not) as successful as they can possibly be.
Armed with that goal and these paradigms, you can’t lose.
Want a coach in your corner? Connect with me anytime and let’s dialogue about what it will take to achieve your goals.
