The Pro

“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
                                          -  William Somerset Maugham

That’s a tongue-in-cheek comment. What Maugham really meant was that, as a professional author, he organizes his life such that every day at 9:00 AM he’s sitting behind his keyboard and starts writing, whether he “feels” it or not. That’s what professionals do. They do the work because it matters; it matters more than their emotions of the day.

 My question for you: When it comes to leadership and management are you a pro or an amateur?

The answer has nothing to do with skill. It has everything to do with mindset.

Professional leaders and managers:

1. Follow a process to make sure they are doing the right activities on a day-to-day basis to grow their people.

2. Block time to engage in these activities – time that cannot be stolen by a needy client or an angry boss – every day.

3. Measure not only the performance of their teams, but also their individual effectiveness as a leader and manager.

Amateur leaders and managers:

1. See the job that got them here – salesperson, engineer, accountant, HR specialist, etc. – as their main job and see leading and managing as a necessary evil that comes with their position.

2. Primarily engage with their employees on urgent issues, as opposed to proactively coaching them.

3. Let uncomfortable people issues fester.

Are you a professional leader and manager? If not, that doesn’t make you a bad person or even a bad employee; it just means you’re in the wrong role. Or maybe you’re in the right role, you really want it, but you’ve never learned how to be great. If you fall into the latter category, give me a call. I’d love to hear from you.