We sat under a hot sun as I thumbed through the Excel spreadsheet on my Palm Pilot, explaining my running logistics estimate to support ongoing brigade operations across the sprawling urban terrain.
Unconvinced by my reasoning, he pulled out a notebook and made his own calculations using a well-worn Skilcraft pen. One-by-one, he checked my math in each commodity, verifying that my calculations were correct. After several minutes, he found what he thought was a mistake and pushed the notebook in front of me.
“Take a look at this. Your estimate shows 18 pallets of MREs every day and the math shows that you only need 17.5. That’s why you need to do this on paper and not with one of those,” he said, nodding at the device in my hand.
“Do we break pallets for movement?” I replied?
“No.”
“Right,” I continued. “That’s why I asked for 18. The spreadsheet adjusts the estimate to account for that. It adjusts for vehicle types, by commodity, and for variations in distribution practices.”
It was a pointless discussion. Instead of leading the battalion, he was hovering over me telling me how to do my job. What I perceived as micromanagement was something altogether different, however. He was struggling to shift gears from direct to organizational leadership, so he gravitated to his comfort zone. And that comfort zone was my job.
Breaking at Scale
The shift from direct to organizational leadership can be a tough one. Direct leaders focus on the immediate team, engaging with people face-to-face while working with team members on an individual basis. Organizational leaders, on the other hand, have a much broader scope, focusing on the overall vision and direction for the organization, relying more on influence than individual engagement.
That transition is not always smooth. Organizations tend to view future potential based on past performance, and the strengths that allow a direct leader to be successful often impede the ability of an organizational leader to thrive. As bestselling author and executive leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith reminds organizational leaders, “What got you here won’t get you there.”
In a recent Fast Company article, Meg Crosby – the author of Running the Gauntlet: Proven Strategies for High-Growth Leaders – noted the five most common leadership traits that break at scale. In other words, the skills that work well for a direct leader but become a liability for an organizational leader.
1. Creativity over discipline.
As a leader shifts gears from direct to organizational leadership, the desire to seek out and test new ideas must give way to systems and processes. They’re less sexy that entrepreneurial solutions, but they’re also the engine of organizational success.
2. High appetite for risk.
Risk is a potent catalyst that fuels opportunity. As a direct leader, you can afford to take risks more often, to fail forward. After shifting gears, you have to balance that thirst for risk with stability and predictability.
3. Hands-on leadership.
Direct leaders are notorious for having their fingerprints on everything. But an organizational leader has to learn to use influence to distribute their efforts across a much larger organization.
4. Open-door communication.
As a direct leader, I communicated with my team in real time, where I could issue on-the-spot direction. After shifting gears, I had to learn how to use broad guidance and intent, while trusting my direct leaders with the autonomy to make decisions on their own.
5. Valuing relationships over accountability.
At the direct level, relationships often forge the bonds that allow for deep trust and integration. At the organizational level, accountability fuels the engine of success.
Shifting gears from direct to organizational leadership can be challenging. Each new role brings new challenges that demand an evolved set of leadership skills. Those who successfully make the transition adapt to those challenges and hone their skills to perform at scale.
Thriving at Scale
Transitioning into an organizational leadership role represents a major milestone in the career of any leader. It’s an acknowledgment of your contributions, performance, and potential. It’s recognition that your knowledge, skills, and abilities have matured to the point where added trust and responsibilities – and often authorities – are due.
It’s time to start leading the work rather than doing the work.
Shifting gears is an exercise in professional navigation, where the newly-minted organizational leader finds themselves in unfamiliar territory and much forge a path forward. Along the way, they learn that Marshall Goldsmith was only half right: As they maneuver new ground, they lean into the fundamental skills that got them there while fine tuning those that will keep them there.
The list of leadership skills that define success at the organizational level is a long one. But there are five in particular that are absolutely essential to move forward and avoid slipping back into your comfort zone.
1. See the big picture.
As an organizational leader, you have to “see the forest for the trees,” to keep a clear eye on the future. You have to shift your perspective from the day-to-day operations to the long-term vision and direction of the organization.
2. Think in terms of systems.
At the organizational level, you can’t afford to rely on linear cause-and-effect thinking. Your operating environment is a system of systems and you have to evolve your thinking – and leadership intuition – accordingly.
3. Get comfortable with uncertainty and risk.
The further you are from the point of execution, the more you have to trust others to make the right decisions in the moment. If you’ve built a good team and provided them with the tools and resources to succeed, then keep calm and drive on.
4. Listen to others.
If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then feedback is the steaming cup of coffee that makes it a meal. Keep your thumb on the pulse of the organization. Circulate often, give people a chance to engage you on their turf. Listen to what’s being said before you make critical decisions.
5. Find your style.
Who you are as a leader doesn’t have to change when you assume a new role. Don’t get caught up with leadership models or where you fall on the whiz wheel of leadership styles. Embrace your genuine, authentic self. You’ll be more comfortable and so will those around you.
