I had the good fortune recently to spend some time with a VP I know who is currently working for a very large company. This is someone I think is very effective – his organization runs well, his people are empowered and love working for him, and he is not spending all his time fighting fires. He has built 2 such organizations at his current company and was just assigned a new one. His previous organizations continue to run well without him (which is one of his personal tests for whether or not he has done a good job).
I really like, admire, and respect this VP (he is my role model for an executive) so I asked, “What do you do? How do you make all this work?” He was happy to share his thoughts with me. What follows combines things he told me and things I have observed over the years I have known him.
When I start with a new organization, I do not hit the ground running, ripping everything apart and rebuilding it. Rather, I wait at least 90 days until I am sure I understand what is going on before making any change. Often, I think I know early on what the needs are, but as I spend more time with people, I find my knowledge grows deeper. I often change my mind as to the best approach before the 90 days have passed.
I also spend time learning what my leader really wants. How can I personally support his or her goals? What does my organization need to do to support those goals?
The best use of my time is to keep an eye on 3 years out. I should not be involved in the day-to-day business. My directors should be working on the 1-3 year period. The front line managers should be looking at the next 1-13 months. The project managers and their teams worry about the day-to-day. I have to trust my teams to do the job. I do not sweat the details.
I set the vision, strategy, and rules of engagement, then let my teams run. The know they can come to me any time with problems they cannot solve themselves. But they also know I expect them to solve the problems they can solve. I need to leverage relationships, influence, and my position to remove barriers for my teams so they can do what they need to do.
My job is to shake hands and kiss babies, to build those relationships with other executives. I also have to tell compelling stories. Statistics and reports are not compelling stories, people are. What are the people stories that will inspire and motivate my organization? Stories about us yes, but more importantly stories about our customers, the people we serve. If we do our jobs well, what will their lives look like in 3 years or even further out? What is that future we are looking toward?
I walk the floor at least an hour a week to give people the opportunity to reach out to me in a less formal manner. This is not to look over their shoulder, but rather to provide an opportunity for them to share with me whatever they want me to hear. I cannot rely on statistics; I need to spend time with the people behind the numbers. It is important that I really listen and provide a psychologically safe environment so they can share. It is about building trust with the people who work for me.
I look out for my people and they know it. I have put myself at risk to move the executives working for me to other organizations to build their careers. When they transition to a new area, I continue to meet with them one-on-one until they are really transitioned. I work with their new manager to share with him or her how I think these people need to develop.
If I do things right, if my teams are truly empowered, I work my way out of a job. The organization should be able to perform at a high level without me.
So what does this look like from below? What is work like for people supporting such an executive?
Throughout the organization, everyone always know the goal and purpose of the organization. Communication through all levels of the organization is frequent and clear. People are comfortable asking for clarification when they do not understand.
Doing something wrong is not bad. Continuing to do it wrong is bad. Failure is an opportunity for growth, and those who do not take that opportunity will be moved somewhere else.
Decisions are made close to the action. The person with the most knowledge is the person making the decision. People are not waiting for permission but doing what needs to be done to support the goal and purpose.
People working in this organization know they are expected to grow and learn. There is no place to hide and get comfortable until you retire. Some people do not like that and move elsewhere.
People at all levels of this organization are comfortable proposing ways to work better or more efficiently. The person with the idea is generally the one tasked to try it out and report on the results.
Managers at all levels are expected to actively help their people develop professionally. This is part of how managers are rewarded.
Executives working for this VP know that he will pull them out of a fire, get them special opportunities, and always be available to lend an ear. He really works hard to help the people working for him progress in their careers.
By describing a clear purpose, encouraging and rewarding mastery, and granting a large degree of autonomy, in return this VP gets an empowered organization of enthusiastic and dedicated employees, and a tribe of executives who support him.
If you liked this article, you might also like this recent article in the Harvard Business Review: What Amazing Bosses Do