Chapter 27. Evolving from manager to leader
Dear Tricia of 2000,
This year seemed like the logical choice to select. Professionally, you’ve successfully managed several small projects and have received numerous recognitions.
Personally, you got engaged and, most importantly, Michigan State University won the national basketball title! So your awesome mood coupled with your next assignment, managing your first 30-person team, should make you fairly receptive to this message.
I know well how much you pride yourself on being highly dependable. Yet, I also know that, as a manager, you struggle with feeling out of control. Your solution is to engage in hands-on risk mitigation. You convince yourself this is in everyone’s best interest, as the task needs to get done and you’re simply setting an example, coaching others on how to avoid problems.
The flaw in this logic will be missed for years because you’ll have good success both in customer delivery and group dynamics. I can already hear you asking, “Exactly where’s the problem?”