Seek to Be an Advisor, Not a Manager
Let’s posit that there are basically two types of management styles: Theory X and Theory Y managers.
Theory X managers see employees as lazy and unmotivated. They utilize close supervision and a system of rewards and punishments—both things a micromanager would do.
The other type, Theory Y managers, think that employees are self-motivated and smart. They can do their job without close supervision from the managers and enjoy their job. They need to be empowered, not controlled.
Of course, you’d rather have a Theory Y manager to work for—especially if you’ve been unfortunate enough to have had a Theory X manager before.
Better than being either type of manager, though, is being an advisor—someone who guides their employees. Advisors surround themselves with exceptional people and trust their team to do the right thing. If you’re wondering what this looks like, here’s how it works.
Surround Yourself with Good People
The early part of my career at General Electric was defined by how I reacted and responded to what happened to me. However, the later part, when I became a CFO, was defined by whom I surrounded myself with. The people I worked for, worked with, and hired on my teams have been the most important factors in shaping my rise through the ranks of the financial world.
The further you advance in your career, the more important it is that you learn how to lead and drive change through your influence. Building relationships is one of the most important things you can do.
When I was transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager, a mentor told me that there was a limit to how much I could get done with just my laptop. I would need to learn how to build great teams if I wanted to continue to find success. I’ve thought a lot about that advice over the years, and I’ve learned that it’s true.
However good you are at any given task, however skilled you are, or however smart you are is irrelevant if you can’t build and maintain high-performing teams.
Let Your Team Fly
I have found that there are four traits in people that are uncoachable: integrity, accountability, collaboration, and positivity. These traits are vital for building resilient teams. Collectively, however, they serve as a model for something that is the most important factor in building resilient teams and is itself an uncoachable trait: trust.
If you’ve identified someone with the types of traits that will allow you to trust them, then trust them. Don’t micromanage them. If they have the skills, and they embody the traits that you know you can’t coach, let them spread their wings and give them room to fly.
Chances are, they’ll fly more often than crash, but it’s OK if they crash. Don’t be afraid to let your team fail. I have failed continuously during the course of my career, and I learned far more from those failures than I did from my successes.
If you’re telling your team what to do and how to do it, they’ll never learn for themselves. Give them a broad objective and let them figure out their own path to success.
Trust Your Team
Make no mistake: I’m not saying to manage in absentia. Be there for your team to guide them, coach them, and provide them with air cover when they need it. But trust requires two willing participants, and your team won’t trust you if you don’t trust them.
If you want to build an effective team, hire for skills. If you want to build a resilient team, hire people you can trust. If you want to leave a mark on this world, hire for both.
When you surround yourself with good people whom you trust, you’ll become more of an advisor than a manager. You'll be more of a Theory Y manager instead of a Theory X manager, and you’ll be well on your way to creating the team that will carry you and your company through the most challenging of times and accomplish great things.
