The skill set one uses as a manager is often completely different than the one used to earn the job, says Meghan Keaney Anderson, vice president of marketing at Boston-based Hubspot. “In fact, the skills you mastered to become a top performer on your team might challenge you most as a manager. It’s like spending your whole life developing skills as a tuba player, then being handed a baton,” she states in a recent blog post (blog.hubspot.com).
Unlike some roles, which can be studied in advance, most management skills are best learned on the job, Keaney Anderson says. “You’re going to make mistakes. Embrace them and learn from them.” Here are some lessons she learned in the role:
Don’t aim to be liked — aim to be transformational
HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan’s leadership hierarchy of needs states that managers should solve for enterprise value first, then solve for their team, and then themselves. When you solve for your team, you earn popularity and your team stays comfortable. When you solve
for the company, you earn respect and your team grows professionally.
Coaches don’t couch
Good coaches don’t hold back hard feedback. They don’t couch it to soften the blow or sandwich it between two compliments. Couching tends to confuse the people receiving it rather than help them. You’re not doing them any favors. You’re only making yourself feel less mean. You can tell your direct report anything if they trust that you are doing so because you respect them.
Meetings matter
If a meeting takes your team away from their work for an hour, then you better be sure you put in the prep time to make that hour as productive as possible. Make every second of your meeting productive, educational or interesting. You will inevitably bobble this.
You will have some bad meetings, but it’s a skill worth honing.
