Dedra Ward is an HR Strategist with over 20 years of experience supporting executives in the global technology industry at Equifax, Inc.
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Many people look at moving into and through the management ranks as a measure of success — a positive reflection of their career growth. If you manage a team or even just a person, you have signed up for more responsibility, recognition and money, but you also agreed to share in the responsibility of others' hopes and dreams. That last part of the agreement was in the fine print that most of us don't read or fully understand. As full-time employees, the majority of our waking time is spent working, thinking about work and managing work within the rest of our responsibilities. Guiding employees through that smoothly is a challenging and worthwhile quest.
Measure Success
When you accepted this responsibility of management for the first time, you could not understand the level of frustration and inadequacy that you might feel due to the challenges that come: personality conflicts, missed deadlines, family crises, dissatisfaction with leadership decisions and more. If you have been a manager of people for any amount of time, you know these challenges firsthand. The return on your investment and what measures your success as a manager is the degree to which you find the reward in leading others. Finding and maintaining this sense of accomplishment is no easy feat, but it is, in fact, one of the most rewarding victories you may ever experience.
Embrace Yourself
We refer to our professional and personal lives as if they are separate, when, in fact, they are commingled to the extent that not even the SEC could separate them. Despite this, managers often expect employees to leave their personal lives at the metaphorical office door. Whether we intend to or not, we bring our whole selves with us wherever we go. Instead of trying to compartmentalize, embrace all of your essences and give the best of yourself no matter the place. When we are our best, we make space for others to be their best, and that is the key to opening the door to greatness. Your employees will recognize this and will respond in kind with their maximum potential. Only then will you get the best from them.
Create Space
As a manager, you can't make others want, do or actually accomplish anything. You don't control their thoughts, feelings, choices or actions. The more you try to, the worse the situation will get. Your secret to success is creating an environment for others to be successful, allowing your employees to be all of who they are, and dealing with the truth of what is rather than focusing on what should be. So much time and energy are wasted focusing on what we think of as the ideal people, situations and outcomes. When we focus on what is and create the space for what can be, without attachment to the outcome, we allow for and more often witness the best possible scenario. Living this way takes courage. Level up. You can do this.
Be Present
So now that you understand that, go manage and succeed. If only it were that easy, right? Don't worry. I won't leave you with an address and no GPS, but there is no right path to follow. We have only this moment. Evaluate each moment. Be present in and open to it. If you pause and listen with your heart, the right next step will come. Even if it isn't immediate, it will come. It may not be what you expect. It may not look like you thought it would. It may seem crazy. But, it will come at the right time, in the right way.
I'm not going to go through a formula to guide you through effective coaching, conflict resolution or performance improvement. What I'm referring to works in every scenario, every time. We run on autopilot most of the time, and that's by design. But when you're not sure what the next right step is, take a breath. Take a pause. Consciously choose who you want to be in the moment. Be authentic in your response. If you don't know what that is yet, then wait. Not every thought or situation requires immediate action. When we allow for the situation to flow, we can reap the rewards.
Great leadership is rooted in authenticity. To fully embody that greatness, ground yourself in the moment. Plant your roots deep to pull from all the resources available to you. Branch out and sincerely connect with those around you. Share your beauty and strength. Let go of what doesn't really matter. Live in the scary, beautiful, frustrating, rewarding moment and give others permission to do the same. Stop waiting for tomorrow or that next milestone. All you have is right now. The moment is now. Live it and be glorious.
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