Hello! I’m Max Volkhov, head of R&D at bundles Company. There are many articles on the Internet about the do’s and don’ts of being a leader in a company. How to be a leader, how to be one, and then how to join the ranks of those who give advice at conferences on the same leadership. In short, from a geek introvert with an idea to a charismatic leader riding a unicorn with a few clicks and notes.
Obviously, this is not the case. In my opinion, the problem with today’s leaders is that they are not, but people will not let them accept it. First, to themselves. Remember the movie “BlackBerry” (make sure you watch it if you haven’t already)? So, there’s an episode that clearly shows the accepted public perception of the magical transformation of a techie with a quiet voice into a powerful business shark. Because of the change, that left us to think for ourselves. A magical timeline and a renewed hero is on the screen. And we already think that he “overcame himself”, “found an inner fulcrum”, “understood the rocket-concept of team management” and so on.
Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way in life. You can improve your leadership skills, but in order to do that, you need to realize that you have something to pump for. With all due respect to business schools that teach Executive MBAs, they teach you to manage large or very large buildings.
If you can understand the rules and regulations that the company has been operating for ten years, you are good and they will like you. If you try to change something without having leadership qualities, well, maybe, your departure will be handled by the press service in a very beautiful way. Hewlett-Packard’s first female CEO, Carly Fiorina, is a good example. In his book Difficult Choices, explains how HP’s conservative board of directors would accept him. Apparently they did, and the reason – the failed merger with Compaq – was a standing point because no one followed Fiorina and her ideas and supported them.
But how can you check if you are a leader or not? The easiest way is to start your own business. This doesn’t mean leaving everything on Friday night and opening the basics on Monday. The pet project that ideas have been swirling around for the past month is a great way to experiment on your own. That’s okay though, because there’s only one person at risk – you. If you can’t control yourself, raising more people won’t do you any good.
There are two obvious outcomes: nothing works and something seems to work. We’ll deal with that later, but the first step doesn’t mean all is lost. Perhaps the pet project has shown itself immediately to be impossible. Try something else. It didn’t work again, well, look at yourself not as a leader, but as someone from the founding team, but not in the first part. In this case, when you are in charge and when you are the first after the CEO, the principle of “skin on the line” is important.
What matters is what you put into the project – your money, time, and effort. Not just a hired hand who will get paid anyway, but a businessman who risks losing something. Although it is not much, but it is dangerous.
And when the first steps are successful, it is better to talk about two big mistakes that the leaders of their business often make without realizing it. The first is to prepare the requirements. This is when you think that the wonders of your idea can be presented with a few words that immediately ignite a flame in the interlocutor, and they will be filled. It is not. It happens, but such stories are told as myths. You want it to be that way – take the time to explain its importance.
The second big mistake comes from the first. Some leaders have an uncanny ability to disappear without notice when it comes to communication. They can confidently walk through important conversations as if they were a mall of shame. But let’s be honest – communication is important, and a leader needs to listen and communicate in a way that his team doesn’t see him as the originator of a new programming language. After all, only through effective communication can the results of all parties be achieved and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Therefore, dear leaders, if you have found in yourself the habit of missing important conversations, do not panic! It is normal, but it is something that must be fought.
There are leaders and leaders. The followers are trained not to supervise, but to cooperate and not to interfere too much with the work of the established machine – to hang the balls, to order a study of the company’s culture and to talk about it. The past is ready to create and change. But there is only one way to find out if you are really you – by walking in the shoes of a leader at least in the sand of your pet project.
The second important point. Good communication. You won’t get anywhere without this. Although it seems that the leadership skills are there. Silent, silent leaders are good for movies about dictators or gods, but not for business.