In evolving your management skills, you may be managing other leaders. Whether you are a Director, VP, Executive, or Manager, your span of control could include those leading other teams. If so, your own responsibilities are even more vital in contributing to the success of others.
What’s Important to Remember Managing Other Leaders
As you manage other leaders, there are several vital points that you need to be mindful to remember a few things:
- Communicating the big picture, the ‘why,’ and the purpose of all actions and strategies undertaken
- As a leader at the top, you have the 30000-foot view others might not
- It’s your responsibility to share what’s going on that they might not be aware of, enhancing their perspective
- Explaining the objectives and measurements and why they are essential
Set The Standard
You set the standard and how to achieve results. Decide how tasks will be distributed, milestones achieved, and who is responsible for what. Delegate tasks to team members while striving to avoid telling them how to perform the job.
Help Your Leaders Grow
Establishing a coaching culture where leaders meet individual team members for 1 on 1’s regularly. Connecting with employees who report to you and learning about what’s happening with them and their team is critical. The coaching culture you establish should be carried through to those other leaders you are accountable to support. Inspiring the team to regularly review progress, measures, reallocate resources, and course-correct if necessary.
Celebrate Wins & Accomplishments
It is vital to celebrate wins and recognize accomplishments together. Celebrate with the team when there is a success. Ensuring that there is a personal responsibility for failure. Creating an environment where leaders can be reflective is vital to ensure everyone learns from mistakes to not repeat them in the future.
For Those Leaders Reporting To You, What Do You Need From Them?
Just like your boss has expectations of you, you need things from the leaders that report to you. These include:
- Taking care of the team and the day-to-day. They should focus on taking care of their direct reports, who will take care of all customers, allowing for growth, profits, and most importantly, shared success to follow. You need to minimize the times where you get pulled away from more value-added activities like strategy and driving the business or operation forward.
- Being coaches first and foremost. The core position on any team is the coach, who exists to develop players to their full potential. Think of the leaders who report to you as your lieutenants that will carry forward with your mission, helping to ensure their areas of responsibilities are taken care of.
- Demonstrate accountability in ownership. The numbers and performance that the team puts up reflect the decisions and choices that are made. How the team works and conducts themselves reflects how their leaders work and conduct themselves. Leaders are accountable for setting the example and leading from the front.
- An ability to recognize and celebrate the successes of their people. They should share wins individually, within the team, and across the company. The more good work is praised, the more likely the work becomes great next time.
