What’s the best way to become a good boss? Effective managers know they need to build trust within their teams, grow their own management skills, and develop personal relationships with other stakeholders within the organization.
In short, the best managers drive employee engagement by communicating a shared vision that connects employees’ daily work to the organization’s overall mission. But achieving that is easier said than done, and survey after survey suggests tech professionals are leery of their leaders’ grasp of vision and strategy. If you’re on the management track, here are steps to consider as you become the boss, articulate a solid strategic vision, and succeed.
Step One: Observe
Individual contributors can start honing their “vision skills” by gathering intelligence about where their team or functional area is headed, and how their role fits within the overall strategy. If you’re on a management track, this will eventually pay dividends, as you’ll have crucial insight into effectively managing your former peers (and you’ll know their work styles).
In essence, think of yourself as a business within a business, advised Stephanie Mead, senior VP at the Center for Management & Organizational Effectiveness. To create a personal vision statement, you must first become aware.
“Look up, out and broadly to assess where the organization and your department are headed and what you can contribute or influence to add strategic value,” Mead said. “You don’t need to look five years out; just focus on what you want to accomplish over the next three to six months.”
For example, the Alzheimer’s Association does an excellent job of creating and communicating a strategic vision that translates into actions at a more granular level, noted Bart Perkins, a former CIO and managing partner at Leverage Partners, Inc. But even if your company hasn’t already articulated a clear and concise vision, its culture can offer clues about where things are going. A strong culture often communicates a company’s values, priorities and practices that guide the way its business units operate.
Step Two: Translate Goals Into Action
Once you understand the overall strategy, pinpoint a few strategic priorities for you and your teammates. How can you support the development of new products or the company’s goal of expanding into new markets (or contribute to research breakthroughs if you work for an academic, scientific or non-profit organization)? Translating the overarching strategy for the company and department into measurable objectives and daily tasks will help you and your colleagues understand how various roles and responsibilities make a difference.
Plus, it will help you master a key best practice known as cascading goals. Knowing how to create aligned goals or line of sight between the company’s strategy and employees’ daily activities will help you communicate your strategy and ensure seamless execution. “Most managers and executives are able to formulate a strategy statement, but they struggle to execute because they fail to get buy-in across the enterprise,” Perkins said. “The notion of cascading is an important part of the communication process.”
Step Three: Focus on Execution
Creating a strategic plan is the easy part—executing is hard. In fact, studies have found that two-thirds to three-quarters of large organizations struggle to implement their strategies. Honing this skill can cement your success at the next level. Operationalize your plan by breaking down activities into small pieces, creating ownership at the individual level, and using milestones to track progress and highlight successes. Establishing appropriate metrics for you and your teammates can help you identify obstacles, make course corrections and turn a strategic vision into reality. “You don't have to sit around patiently waiting for your promotion to kick in,” Mead said. “Developing and communicating a strategic vision is definitely something that emerging leaders can learn to do.”
Beyond Vision: Becoming an Effective Manager
It’s one thing to operationalize a broad strategy; you also need to carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of effective management, whether that’s evaluating employees for bonuses or deciding on the best possible A.I. policy. Here are some tried-and-true tips for becoming a good leader who has a personal relationship with your team—allowing all of you to learn and grow together, no matter what your work styles or everyone’s management position. If you can deploy these tips effectively, you’ll hopefully build trust, prevent your reports (and yourself) from feeling overwhelmed, and deliver results.
Remember to delegate: Especially on larger teams, it’s crucial to remember that you can’t do everything yourself. Good managers know when to step back and let your team do what they do best. If you’re feeling intimidated by the prospect of delegating responsibility, set up a system of “touch points” and check-ins so that you have maximum transparency into current operations.
Know your people: Establishing a system of 1:1 meetings and group get-togethers with your reports its vital. You’ll learn how they function and think, their likes and dislikes, and their working styles. You can’t effectively manage without knowing all of that, especially if you want to actually help your employees achieve their longer-term career dreams.
Don’t get too detail-oriented: If you’re lucky, you’ve hired people who know what they’re doing. While transparency and check-ins are great, you don’t want to micro-manage your reports. If your team signals that they want you to take a step back, do so.
Accountability and feedback are key: All organizations have their means of measuring progress (KPIs, OKRs, and so on). Make sure that accountability and feedback mechanisms are in place, and everyone knows what’s expected of them.
Remember, nobody becomes a great leader overnight. It’s an evolving process with a lot of give and take—but if you have a vision to guide you, you can succeed in creating a loyal, effective team.
