Dear Reader,
For this issue, I have chosen the topic: “Becoming the boss: The first 100 days in a position where you can finally make all the difference”. Typically, I write the first newsletter in German, next is the Czech translation, then I throw myself at the English version. This time, I had to laugh – just as I was starting the English one, a friend alerted me to an article in The Harvard Business Journal of January 2007. Frankly, some paragraphs were almost identical in meaning – if not wording – to what I had written weeks before. What is the message here? There seems to be a lot of consistent evidence suggesting these observations are quite generally valid, – and, from what I can tell, they certainly don’t seem to be very different in the US, Germany and the Czech Republic!

The first assignment to manage others is special. It’s a bit like a transformation ritual. In a way, it takes you from being self-dependent to realizing how inter-dependent you really are. A surprising concept if you expected that now you – the boss – would be the one in charge... The boss is both a leader and a hostage, except that a first-line and first-time manager is not a leader of much – nor is he expected to be (least of all by his former colleagues!). While part of the game is definitely about managing one’s expectations – and moving on when they prove to be unrealistic or simply wrong – there are treasures to be discovered by those who keep trying and learning!

Those who have held the manager reigns for a while may remember their first management efforts with some nostalgia – lots of time may have passed since, and lots of changes in perspective have occurred. But at every new level many will notice that the same issues present themselves (albeit they mean something new): self-management – role clarity – personal strategy – identity… you name it. I would like to inspire you here to share your insights with those who might need it. This spring look for signs of “lost in transition” and help your people realize they are not alone. Show a little tolerance for their questions and even for their mistakes, as they are coming to grips with the positives and the negatives of their new position! They need to “be” the role, not just “act” it. And ultimately, once they feel they are in the right place, they can be as effective and creative as you need them to be. A classical win-win! I wish you an enjoyable and inspiring read, and look forward to hearing about your experiences!

The Lessons New Managers Have to Get FIRST – and How to Use your Four big Changes to the Fullest

Those famous 100 days… a period we are granted to make sense of our new environment. Undoubtedly: these days are filled with surprises, pleasant and unpleasant, that need your ability to think on your feet. Why?

• Because it will never be so easy again for you to set the course; and
• Because you will notice aspects of your job that you weren’t really prepared for

If you think these are your specific issues, chances are you feel a little relieved already after reading this. Others have been there – and got over it. So can you. Most of us have lived through this – and this is exactly why many bosses are more willing to share their insights on how they got out of this space if you tap their brains!

1) Just take a different perspective – and everything changes!

Try to look at your new position from a positive angle: Things look shockingly different from a different perspective: remember the “walking 40 days in their shoes” metaphor? A bird’s eye perspective helps you get – and focus on – the big picture. It also helps to realize that some problems look a lot less dramatic from up there, which may be why your boss never tackled them.

So much for the positives. On the other hand, you will be quick to notice that you have overestimated your influence and impact in your new position. You know because you found out the hard way – by treading on someone’s toes, and especially, by being kicked from below… An unpleasant experience!

So, with the big picture come sometimes surprising stakeholder priorities, of which your old boss has successfully screened off: This gratitude of course doesn’t help you change your fundamental problem: You have no idea how to meet all these wildly different demands. On top, some of them go directly against the best interests of you and your team… What stays the same is that you have to meet the expectations of others. What’s new is that, from now on, you also have expectations from BELOW to meet… This is what management literature refers to as the “sandwich position”. Which brings us to the next point. But before we go there, I would like to draw your attention to a CHANCE that is hidden amidst all this turmoil.

Your Chance: You still have the fresh perspective, and the energy to change things for the better. Don’t rush! Develop your ideas while managing your expectations. And then relax. Nobody expects you to implement all of them at once! (And if they do, make helping them manage their expectations your first priority!)

Practical Tip: Excitement and enthusiasm can be contagious – but you won’t catch everybody. Make sure you understand that you have to win over your team in order to succeed with your new ideas. Therefore, don’t get out there before you have mastered the first communication … think in their priorities, while also making them see – and respond to – yours. Your priorities now include making sure your team performance is good – and team performance is not the sum of individual performances in your team. The sooner you learn this art, the better you will perform… and the quicker you will benefit from these teachings – not just with your own team (*see tip 3*)

2) New obligations – and old dues

All of a sudden, you are busy with stuff you hadn’t even expected to deal with. The sheer amount of it is discouraging. And on top of that, you are now responsible for the work of your colleagues. And you wanted to do so much – and improve so much – for you and for them in these first months. But there is never any time. When, at the end of a long day, you are through with those things that urgently required your attention, you feel more like going to sleep than starting to think creatively…. Plus there is no one at the office anymore to discuss things with – or to delegate to … No matter how you dice it there seems to be precious little time for what you do best – or want most. Your quality time is eaten up by not just by routine work, but by problems small and large, things entirely outside your control. So, in order to at least know what is happening, you get far too deeply involved. Doesn’t really seem to be an alternative. Time to focus? That’s a laugh! Strategic people management? Where, when – and how?!

Most new managers are shocked at the sheer amount of new duties they seem to have all of a sudden. This frustration is probably only topped by their disappointment with their team. I will address this issue in the next tip.

Ironically, the better managed your company, the better HR processes in place, the more intense this pressure will be right from the beginning! Don’t try to avoid it – it is your friend, a friend that helps you understand that you can’t just keep on going like before, just with a few more responsibilities! Face it – you have a COMPLETELY NEW JOB! Your success criteria have changed dramatically – so have the expectations of your bosses.

Your Chance: Make sure you understand exactly how and where expectations in you have shifted. How will your boss know you are doing an excellent job, as opposed to just a “regular” one? Patiently find out what they are looking for. This helps you say goodbye to your old job, and helps you also tap their perspective and … let go. Don’t get nostalgic during work hours. This won’t serve anyone, least of all you!

Practical Tip: Give your colleagues a chance to do your old job differently – but well, instead of imitating your way. This can’t work anyway – only you could do things the way you did, because this was what made most sense to you. Not other people. We are all different and have to find our own ways of doing things. The earlier you let this age-old word of wisdom rule your behaviour, the better...

3) In an emergency, there’s just one person you can count on – yourself…

As a new manager, you will probably learn fairly soon that when direct reports are told to do something, they don’t necessarily respond in the way you expected. In fact, the more talented the subordinate, the less likely s/he is to simply follow orders. When feeling they are having almost zero effect on what their team does, many first-time managers start micromanaging and planning tasks for their direct reports in meticulous detail. This is a sure road to hell – not only are you guaranteed to lose what little respect your colleagues already have for your competence, but they are almost set to prove that you are wrong… Even though you know every detail of that job. And despite the fact that you used to get along quite well They are not just jealous that you got the promotion and they didn’t. They expect you to earn their respect and trust first – your track record does NOT speak for itself. The solution is you – focus on the right things. As Stephen Covey says: the main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing...

Of course a few ex-colleagues also flirted with the idea of getting that job… but more important for your present misunderstandings and mishaps is that you still have to develop a management style that works in your team. Managing others is quite unlike managing yourself – because you KNOW what works for you, but it will take you quite some time before you know what works for all those others. How your colleagues do their job is their business. Making sure they know what you expect of them is yours. No-one in your team thinks like you anyway, which makes it so frustrating for everyone concerned to treat them like trivial machines… You need your people to think, not to execute tasks precisely as told. Failing to respect that will get you a team that behaves like a bunch of school kids. Before they start leaving of course.

(A variation on this theme is: you have two or three trusted veterans in the team, and start relying only on them. Although very short-sighted, this is often a natural result of stress. But it obviously means that everyone else will start feeling increasingly alienated with what is going on in the “team” – and suspect that these trusted individuals are influencing more than their fair share of your decisions!

So if you catch yourself oscillating between manager as friend and manager as disciplinarian, you know what awaits you! One of the most unpleasant side effects of micro-managing a potentially competent team is that you start doing everything that has some importance (meaning everything) yourself. And it won’t be long before you start wondering how long you can hold out like that. Feedback from friends and family tends to be crystal clear here: They want to see you relaxed and listening, not just tired and mentally absent. Take this seriously – it’s not just about the others, but about how you feel. And you will radiate how you feel – especially to your team…

Your Chance: Don’t paralyze yourself with self-reproach, just learn to manage! Managing is largely a craft, at least at the level we are discussing. Understand that managing “your team” means managing the individuals on your team. And – above all – it means managing the norms and values of your lot. I don’t mean glossy corporate brochure stuff, but providing real orientation in their everyday doings. No more, no less. This can seem quite a handful. Another way of looking at it: clarity is always a shortcut!

Practical Tip: Get advice from your boss and/or trusted peers who can serve as role models for you here. If you are in a real stretch situation and have no time for trial-and-error, consider getting a coach: You design your success strategy, learn from reflection and constantly revise the track according to the results in practice. By always focusing on your goals, you can rely on the combined experience of you and your coach! It is just a matter of months before you are on top of your team – rather than feeling hostage to them. And not just you, but your team also benefits from that! A truism, one should think. But not quite – many companies’ practices still mainly rely on knowledge-based training instead of offering individual support. (for more on this topic, see also 2006 newsletters still online at http://www.an-edge-for-you.com/english/resources_en.htm)

BTW Your company may be more willing to pick up the bill than you think – after all, they just decided to promote you! In a way, it all really depends on if your performance makes a big enough difference to your boss. Which takes us to the next point…

4) Your “Main Problem” hasn’t shifted / changed much…

Time again I hear managers say that their teams, clients, market developments, changing legal requirements, etc. present many challenges, but that they have learnt to cope with them. Their real problem is often the boss – or the boss’s boss. Them – up there: top management, the supervisory boards, or the biggest investor…

Your Chance: Learn NOW how to manage your boss’s expectations. This special relationship can make or break you, and cost you a lot of energy.

Practical Tip: Since you have just experienced for yourself what a difference a simple perspective shift made in your life, try imagining your boss’s goal structure for a minute. What are his (legitimate!) top priorities? What keeps him/her/them awake at night? What are the most difficult relationships they have to manage? Where – and how – can you take pressure off them so that you get some attention for those issues you need to raise? A most useful side effect of this exercise is that you immediately realize where you probably don’t have much of a chance to raise their interest – and can modify your expectations accordingly.

Relationship management is neither about ingratiating yourself, nor acting like a yes man. Instead, it is about creating a long-term relationship, ideally based on win-win. Like every true partnership it requires two mature partners – bring your part to the table, that’s all you can do! Especially in climates where the politics are strong…

Q & A

“Ever more – faster - more effective – where does this lead us, except to ever better self-exploitation? What’s in it for me – the employee?”

Well… that’s quite a question! A bit like the meaning of life Let me take up just one aspect: I suspect there might be some imbalance between what your current position offers, and what your current priorities are. Something significant may have shifted. Or, your lack of enthusiasm for your work is rooted in a personality clash that might disappear if that person left. Since we cannot change other people, let me pursue the first option. Life priorities change – we don’t just stay the same. Therefore, I cannot recommend enough to take inventory every now and then. Take a good look at where YOUR likes, interests and priorities currently are, and make sure your job caters to at least some of these. While you probably won’t find the perfect solution (and contrary to what some believe, self-employment is not always the answer) there should be elements of your everyday routine that drive and energize you. BTW I am happy to send you a few self-coaching questions that help you identify aspects where your personal structure is badly supported by your current job or habits. Just e-mail me if you are interested in pursuing this a little further.

Whether your job is good for you ultimately boils down to your preferences. It’s never just the job – it is about the fit. You are not going to be happy with the money if the job puts so much pressure on you that you develop sleeping disorders and feel hassled. More, faster and better paid can be stimulators for a while, but then invariably lose their appeal. So, unless you have decided to write off a few years for on-the-job training, you will probably be happier, healthier AND a better performer in an environment that reflects your priorities. My question: What exactly you would need in order to feel you are getting a good deal? These evaluations can be complex, so do have a look at those self-coaching questions!

Basically, it is about appreciating and seeing opportunities in what you have, as well as acknowledging what this position cannot (or may not) hold. If you decide that you thrive on tension and your importance to your company, you will always feel that you are working on YOUR priorities and goals – although your job makes high demands on your time! Being self-driven and making a difference will invariably raise your value for yourself, and possibly even in the job market. Just remember your remuneration is based on three factors: the perceived value you present to your employer, the results you deliver, and the ease with which you can be replaced. And guess what: you can influence all three!

So, imagine your conclusion is that you feel exploited, and that the present job is not what you deserve. This puts you right in the middle of the coaching cycle: First, you need consciousness, a feeling that something is not right for you – and it’s not fate that keeps it that way. Second comes – or does not, as the case may be – the desire for improvement. Listen to yourself: do you want something different, or just do something differently than now? How and why? The third step is then the decision to act.

You may also consider this (unless your boss IS the problem): Help your boss to help you by telling them specifically what you want more of – and less of – in your job. Only when you are quite sure there is no point, use your insights for negotiations elsewhere. If you fail to tell people what you need, you may find it’s not that different in other places! YOU make that difference – by knowing better what you want, and what you don’t want, and then make a case for it. If you are proactive and take initiative, you will be surprised to see how others make an effort to accommodate you!

“Is Management Coaching any different from Coaching – is this just marketing?”

Thanks for this question. The short answer is yes – it’s basically about defining the market a coach has chosen to serve. I call myself a management coach because this is the essence of WHAT I do and WHO I do it with, in just two words. I work with managers on management issues. HOW can be found in the word coach – in a facilitating, challenging, supporting way that raises new questions and opens new perspectives, or better solutions. I work with managers who are “just” managing themselves and their workload in interdependence with experts from other teams, others are managing entire companies or large departments, where their decisions involve and affect hundreds of people and their families.

Management is basically a craft – skill sets that can (and have to be) acquired for proficiency. With the right training and ongoing practice, everybody can learn the craft. Proficiency on some levels requires not just a very strong commitment but also a certain mindset of discipline. Fortunately, very few people need to be Level 5 Managers (see Jim Collins’ excellent book Good to Great, available in English and German at http://www.amazon.de). In this field, I have a lot of expert knowledge and experience that goes beyond the facilitating role of a coach. This means that the insights, examples, and opinions I offer, combined with very open feedback, often provide the shortcuts people are looking for. I don’t interfere with my client‘s decisions however – my job is to ask the questions that allow them to chose from a broad choice of options. The rest is … their job!

Clients often mention that I am one of the very few people (sometimes the first) who they can bounce things off, create a big picture view on their present situation, and discuss their goals and self-image with – at a completely new level. High performers especially tend to have a strong inner motor that keeps them going – far beyond what anybody else expects from them! People who think in systems know that they can only develop maximum impact when they manage not just their immediate direct reports, but influence and shape complex contexts. For these strategies, a competent partner is a real asset. Who except a management coach do you want to spend 3, 4 hours with in which you develop new concepts that help your team or organisation make that leap forward?

“Don’t you give away too much of your know-how in your newsletters?”

Another great question... Let me put it like this: I don’t think I give away anything Ironically, to my clients what I know is irrelevant EXCEPT FOR the few bits and pieces they want and need. And we spend quite a bit of time finding out what this is… and what would be different if they had it…!

So, unlike a consultant, a management coach has not necessarily read all the books on management. What I offer here may be sound advice for someone who is exactly in this or that model situation. But then who ever is! Everybody’s situation is always very specific – and shapes this situation by being him or herself! For this reason, all I do is marketing: I help people realize that coaching deals with exactly those issues that concern them, and that the only difference between those who use coaching and other managers is that the latter have already taken the decision to ACT.

Before anybody who is busy enough as it is takes the decision to discuss their situation with a coach, they want to make a careful preselection. Fit is one element, and so is curiosity! The feedback I receive on this newsletter indicates to me that I definitely raise curiosity. Once that is established the pre-qualification process starts. Only those who feel prepared call me and want to meet. Others may prefer to just toy with the idea, that’s fine too! (BTW I recommend this approach to anyone who markets knowledge-based services: Don’t sit on your precious information and wait for someone to call who already knows that they need just that – instead, help yourself and others by creating opportunities to see the relationship between your services and their concrete problems and issues. If possible in a way that they immediately see the benefits!)

New Developments on My Side

Why this may well be the first issue of my newsletter you receive…

When delegating, sometimes things don’t turn out as expected. Sometimes, things go really wrong. Frankly, it happens to all of us – my assistant managed to erase (overwrite) my master list with not just all contacts, but also a special column indicating who receives my newsletter, and who does not. While the contact details were easy to recover from other documents, this information was lost in space forever. After careful consideration, I decided to send the Spring newsletter to my entire list. Not great, admittedly. But coaches believe in the competence of people – therefore I am confident you will use the unsubscribe option here if you do NOT wish to receive future quarterly issues of this newsletter. You can also send me a note asking for a different language version, if you prefer. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Collaboration between Coaching and Executive Search:

My Summer 2006 newsletter announced my collaboration with Topos, the Hamburg-based executive search firm. This cooperation promised significant synergies, but, much to our chagrin, never really took off. Experience showed that although we were definitely talking to the same decision makers in companies, we actually did not create a synergy for THEM!! Why? My best guess is that clients present themselves quite differently to a coach and a consultant. The coach gets the reflective, differentiated and often more realistic picture, while the search consultant gets to see the glossier side: on how the company would like to be seen in public.

The personalities and value sets of coaches and consultants are widely different – and clients just “know” that: while a search consultant is mainly motivated by the sale, a coach is really concerning himself with the client’s values, mindset, and individual thinking and behavioural patterns. It is also difficult for a consultant to appreciate a coach‘s intention of enabling clients to deal with future issues WITHOUT the coach, by using the techniques and new attitudes they have learned in their coaching programme. My conclusion: it can make good business sense to cooperate if the focus is on selling assessment tools – consultants can relate to these, and even help selling them. In all other cases, clients do not expect to use the same company for coaching and search services… Interestingly, even enlightened search consultants have alerted me to this fact. So, since we are both successful in our oh-so-different professions, we decided to part company in a friendly way.

Preview - In the Next Issue

When writing this issue, I realized how many myths about management and leadership guide our thoughts and actions undeservedly. Some of them are plain nonsense, but seem to sell well (like the charismatic leader – completely unsupported by factual evidence…). I often witness my clients‘ relief whenever they expose THEIR myths for what they are. Therefore, this will be the topic of the Summer newsletter. So, if you would like to read a few thoughts and comments on how management myths confuse our common sense, and how to find out what myths are in your way, stay on the subscriber’s list!

• Management Myths – How Ill-serving Myths Turn Into Self-Sabotage Strategies
• How to Unmask These Myths at Work

Yours