The Manager - 128 - Working with execs

THE MANAGER - BY ROB LAMBERT

Hi,
 
I hope you are safe and well. It’s been busy here at Lambert HQ.
 
I’m still home schooling the kids, or should I say supporting them with remote learning, but they are hopefully back at school next week! 

My wife’s business is crazy busy and I’m about to start a new gig. Things are looking up. It's also my birthday this week, which means I'm getting old. I feel it recently :)
 
I’ve also launched a new Etsy store with some digital prints and wall art - feel free to check it out.
 
I’m also putting the final touches to a new book. This one’s different in that it’s a printed copy. I’m self-publishing again but in printed form. It’s a collection of essays and thoughts about leadership and management with photos.
 
A photo book so to speak. A field guide for managers. I’ll let you know once I’ve designed it. I hope the design won’t take long, but I suspect it will. I didn’t think the book would take that long, but it’s been a year in the making now!
 

Working with execs

 
I often get asked how to work with execs. Many people, when they become a manager or leader, find it hard to work with executives. They often see them as imposing, confident, assertive and sometimes, troublesome to work with.
 
I for one was intimidated by these people who have so much responsibility and power. That was until I worked with them!
 
Of course, not all execs are the same but here’s some general guidance I give managers when coaching them to work better with execs.
 

They are human

 
Seems funny to say this, but the reality is they are just like you and me. They don’t have magical powers, nor some special formula. They are human. They suffer the same problems that we do, they’ve just learned to either not show them, or they deal with them differently.
 
They suffer anxiety, stress, doubt, fear, lack of motivation, joy, happiness and every other emotion. But here’s one thing every exec has that I’ve worked with: an ability to get up and just do the work. Even when they probably don’t feel like it. However, in my experience, this work is long and imposing, and this often comes at the expense of their family, relationships and health.
 

They have no idea what they’re doing

 
The more I work with execs the more I realise that the majority of them have no idea what they are doing. They are winging it just like everyone else. They have some guiding principles for sure, but they often have no idea what they’re doing. They may define a strategy and some tactics, and some of these things work, some don’t, but overall, they still have no idea what they are doing.
 
Management is the same. You can plan, adapt, learn, improve and all the rest of it, but every day is still very much a case of winging it. If there was a simple way to be a manager - everyone would be doing it and succeeding - most of us are winging it based on core principles, patterns we’ve seen before and a confidence in ourselves to get the job done.
 
It’s why I teach managers to observe, learn to solve problems, learn to stay calm under pressure and develop amazing communication skills. These four behaviours alone help managers deal with the everyday challenges that simply cannot be planned for. Every day is a challenge for execs and managers and the best people study, solve, stay calm and communicate with clarity.
 

They have strengths and weaknesses

 
Everybody has things they are good at and things they are not so good at. It’s impossible to be great at everything. When working with execs it’s important to quickly work out what their weaknesses are and then support them in that area.
 
If you help to accentuate their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses you will be doing a good job. Helping an exec succeed is not only good for your career, but it’s the right thing to do as a manager.
 
I meet far too many managers standing back and waiting for their exec to fail but that’s pretty poor behaviour. Even if we hate our execs (and that’s not uncommon), helping them is still the right thing to do for our customers and the business.
 

The Peter Principle is real

 
I often joke that higher up in an organisation there is less air, hence less thinking that happens. It really is very common to find executives teams filled with people who have been promoted to their most incompetence. It is good that promotion happens from within the business, but it’s often not based on merit, but on relationships.
 
Sometimes the exec teams are filled from outside with the chairperson or CEO’s mates. This is very common too. “Jobs for the boys” as the old saying goes. I’ve seen this so much that I might write a book on it. With this approach comes a high level of incompetence as these “friends” often have no connection to the company, nor the back story, nor even the product or service itself. It can be devastating.
 

They have role power

Role power comes with the exec title. They can fire you, promote you, block you and help you succeed. Therefore, it's important to build strong relationships with them, quickly. Look for things you have in common. Look for areas to help them. Try not to take things personally. The better the relationship you have with your exec, the more you can help them and accelerate your career. 

It's also important to build a relationship where you can be honest with them. A relationship that allows you to challenge them, ask them critical questions and pick apart their plans - kindly. It's no use being a "yes" person when you don't agree with them - that's how really bad cultures take hold. Communication skills help greatly here but so does having a strong relationship with them. 
 

Conclusion

There is a lot more to working with execs, but the main thing I teach managers is not to be scared or apprehensive of them. They are human and emotional and fallible - like us all. They are winging it. They may not even be competent, but your role as a manager is to bring their plans and ideas to life, to challenge them, to mitigate their weaknesses and to help them succeed. In doing so, you should see your career, learning and personal communication grow with it. 
 
People often ask me why I don’t go for an exec role or why I never pursued the opportunities I had to move to a C-level role. The answer is simple.
 
1.  I want to be able to put my kids to bed every evening – and the natural role of execs means it’s a lot of work - more hours than I am willing to commit to someone else’s business. I’ve never met an exec who isn’t working extreme hours. Clayton Christensen talks about how to measure your life in this video - only one measure is pay and role title - what about health, relationships, peace, learning?

2.  I prefer to do the studying, observing, tweaking, aligning and the people work that most execs don’t like to do – this is my sweet spot and I prefer this work to the pressure at the top. I prefer being a good manager than an over stressed exec.

Of course, not all execs are overworked and stressed, but the expectation to always be available, always be on, always be jumping on problems and always be grinding is very real. I'd rather do that on my own business after putting the kids to bed. We're all different though - and many people thrive in that always on environment - for those people an exec role makes sense. 
 
Until next time
 
Rob
 

Latest Video

Last week I released a new video about how I use A3 Thinking to solve problems. 

https://youtu.be/aJ86UAAoht0

FOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN

1 - The ultimate guide to lying and liars - interesting stuff

2 - Seth Godin on the order of operations - don't skip the hard bits if the order matters

3 - How to manage former peers

4 - Not just bubble baths - making self care tactical

5 - Kevin Kelly (Wired Founder) on the future of uncertainties

6 - Slow down and write better emails

7 - The kind of love that makes people the happiest

8 - Give yourself permission to be creative - great talk by Ethan Hawke

Etsy Store

Grab some fun Printables to print at home or the office. Some art, some templates, some jokey - all fun. 

Learn with me

Learn how to develop your superpower in the world of work - effective communication skills.

My award winning in-person Communication workshop, is now online as a modular text only course. Complete it at your own pace, practice the lessons with practical exercises and develop a solid understanding of the science of communication. 

Find out more here.

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Thanks
Rob..