(Here’s an article of great value to small business owners, www.GBN-Online.com)
You’re Not a Loser…and Other Deep Insights You May Have Missed Along the Way
Lately, I’m noticing a certain drop in confidence among
some outstanding people. Three clients in two days have
shared the following:
* “I’m so incompetent in this job.” (He isn’t.)
* “My boss is so smart and so visionary, I feel like he’s
way up there and I’m way down here. I don’t know why he
picked me to join this team.” (Her boss is my client, too.
I know why he picked her. It’s because she’s good, she’s
trustworthy, and she can handle the big stretch.)
* “I’m not an expert in that.” (She is. She’s just not a
deep technical expert, which at her level, she shouldn’t
be. That would mean doing her team members’ work instead of
her own.)
And this is a pretty typical week for me lately.
I’ve worked directly with countless bosses at all levels
and in every imaginable industry of every imaginable size.
We’ve partnered together to do succession planning,
organization design, and talent management, under good
circumstances and during times of great organizational
crisis.
This insider status helps me get something you may not be
getting - direct insight into how your boss picked you and
what he or she really expects. I’ll let you in on few
secrets:
1. Odds are excellent that you were chosen for the role
you’re in because you were the best choice out of several
strong contenders. You were not, however, the perfect
choice, because that’s a fairy tale. It does not exist.
Stop imagining that there’s a perfect CIO, VP, Architect,
Managing Attorney, or whatever you may be, that you need to
hold yourself up to.
2. Even if you were just best of several bad choices, or
the only person they could find, who cares? It’s a chance
to prove to yourself and to others that you are capable of
a lot more than you or they think.
3. The same applies if you were part of an acquisition.
4. Your boss knows you’re not the expert in much of
anything. He or she just doesn’t care. You’re there to be
an excellent leader who delivers results and continuously
strengthens the organization for the long term.
This is not to say you can get by with knowing nothing
about the function you lead. If you feel a little unsteady
without more education, ask your direct reports for a
mini-tutorial, or attend a conference with them or invest a
little time in some training, but dedicate most of your
ongoing development to your leadership and management
skills. That’s how you add value to the business. You’re
better than you think. Cut yourself some slack!
—————————————————-
Jennifer Selby Long, Founder and Principal of Selby Group,
provides executive coaching and organizational development
services. Jennifer’s knack is helping clients navigate the
leadership and organizational challenges triggered by
change and growth. She knows firsthand that great plans
often fail because companies don’t take into account the
human factors that come into play when implementing them.
Visit Jennifer at: http://selbygroup.com
This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
