“Guys, I don’t have the power to make decisions. They do. All I am is to be a highly paid sales representative.”
(Definitely NOT a quote by me!)
Above are some famous last words uttered by a past manager of mine. After this, no matter how I tried, I never looked at him the same way again. You see, he wasn’t an amazingly terrible leader, he was in fact, one of the best I had worked with- up until that point. Things hit the wall because he failed to own his power and by doing that, well, he lost his effectiveness to be a good leader.
Today, I want to share three thoughts that will guarantee you becoming dubbed as an amazingly terrible leader. Then, I’ll offset it with some things that you can do that will guarantee that doesn’t happen. How does that sound, good? Let’s get started!
1. An amazingly terrible leader KNOWS that it’s all about the title.
Yeah, no. That’s definitely not a thing. Here’s the issue, titles are irrelevant to power. What truly matters as a leader in the middle (LIM) is how we make our bosses and the organization we represent look good. It’s also on us to positively impact and influence our teams through effective and sustainable coaching. That’s it, that’s our power, that’s why we’re hired and that’s how’ll keep our job.
2. An amazingly terrible leader gives their own directions; they follow no one else. Instead, they forge an unknown path because they know WAY better than everyone else in the room. That’s why they’re the boss after all!
Oh boy, we know this leader and we all dislike them. In fact, I use the word leader quite loosely because a true leader knows that it takes a team to pave the way forward. This means taking directions from our leaders, trusting their guidance and in turn, asking our reporting staff to do the same.
As a LIM, it is important that we buy into the vision. We need to own our directives as though they were our very own, so the team can achieve the strategic vision as guided from above. We may not always agree with it, we may not even understand the rationale, but as in the army and in any sports team, it’s not our job to stand around questioning instructions. Our job is to perform the tasks within the parameters needed to get the job. Everything else? Just a distraction.
3. If something fails, it’s never because of amazingly bad leadership. Oh no, it’s the other team’s fault for listening to the boss and the company for not catching it in time. Shoot, it’s also the client’s fault for not being decisive enough!
*Chokes on coffee* I’d like to tell you I’ve never seen this attitude played out in person, but it’d be a lie. I’m sure you know by now that I’m a big fan of accountability, I bring it up almost every post. Why? Because demanding accountability and results from yourself and team is the only way you can effectively serve your clients and bosses.
Can I give it to you plain and simple? You’re hired to get a job done that, especially in sales, is all about making clients happy. Happy clients pay multiple bills to the organization, then your bosses use this money to pay you. See there? It starts with you doing the job before any of the other steps can get done. Falter on one and the chain will break.
How an Amazingly Great Leader Thinks
I started off this post with a quote that when heard at the time, negatively changed my outlook towards someone I once deeply admired. Let me tell you how the story ends, he eventually leaves the company. Why? Because he forfeited his power as a leader by passing the buck and let his dissent be known to his staff. With that attitude he wasn’t serving up to his leaders and he certainly wasn’t coaching down to us, his staff. His approach sidestepped accountability. Just think about it? Who would he blame next if something else happened that he didn’t like about the new directive? As a LIM, he totally blew his serve up/coach down mindset.
Here are my final thoughts:
- Keeping the power as a leader in the middle is about sustaining the execution of coaching and serving, never wavering in the face of challenges and changes (regardless of what you think of them) and always—always—working to get better and exceed expectations.
- Leading from the middle is a powerful choice. Once you have that power, it is yours to wield; no one can take it from you. You sustain your power by constantly and consistently serving up and coaching down.
See you next week!
Did any of this resonate with you? These are all common challenges and situations that we are guaranteed to experience in our work life. Check out my book, Serve Up, Coach Down, to learn how you can sidestep these issues and thrive as an amazingly great leader.
