Make People Your Task
Andy excelled in his engineering role and was known for getting tasks done efficiently and well. Then he got promoted to engineering manager and was still driven to get tasks done in the timeliest way. He saw the human interactions with his team as unwelcome intrusions—a waste of time that could be spent on finishing a work project.
Unfortunately, his difficulty in letting go of the “individual contributor mindset” made him a weak and ineffective leader with his team. Instead of delegating to, and coaching his team, he figured it was easier to complete the tasks himself.
Making the mental shift from being an individual contributor to leader/manager/supervisor is a paradigm shift from getting the task done yourself to facilitating the ability of the team to do the tasks well.
If you thought that pleasant conversation, development talks, providing support and feedback were all luxuries—it’s time to start seeing People as your task.
As a leader your task is now the people: knowing your team’s capabilities and weaknesses, coaching them by providing support and challenges, giving timely feedback, delegating interesting projects and following up. Anything that builds the trust and strength of those relationships—far from being a waste of time-- is part of a task well done!
What are some effective ways to “make people your task”?
Get to know your team member. What we once called “small talk” pays big dividends. “How was your weekend” may seem frivolous, but it is anything but that when it establishes a sense that we are both human beings with whole lives. People don’t do their best work when seen as a tool or machine!
Be an active listener. Stay mentally present when others are talking and ask open-ended questions for clarification (good open ended questions often begin with the words “what” or “how”)
Collect and give timely feedback—make sure it includes a lot of the things that are “going right” as well as things that need correction.
Consider creating regular 1:1 developmental meetings with the people you supervise in order to coach them, give feedback, provide support and delegate assignments.
In team meetings, pay attention to the process and dynamics (who is involved, who is left out, who is dominating, who tends to hold back) as much as to the content you must cover.
When you put the spotlight on the people, you are elevating your leadership and becoming one who can truly get things done through others.
Karen Jo (KJ) Shapiro is a psychologist, executive coach and trainer who helps professionals with their leadership development and career management. She also facilitates team learning using assessments and exercises. KJ’s business is YNS Coaching and is a founding member and current board member of TCC.