Many people become ‘accidental managers’, but with the right training, guidance and experience, they can become effective leaders in their clinics. Some key behaviours will also ensure they get the most out of their team, writes Alan Stevenson.
l’ll own up. I’ve been a bit cute with the main title.
What I’ll actually be discussing is your role as a manager in whatever company or industry you’re in now or possibly in future.
Being a student around leadership and high performing teams, I’ve discovered the core of being a ‘great’ leader can be distilled down to a handful of skills.
Before we go on, it’s important we understand what it means to be skilful. The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘skill’ as “an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it”. This is important; leadership is something that requires ongoing practise.
Let’s start with how one becomes responsible for a group of people.
An October 2023 study by the UK Charted Management Institute (CMI) and YouGov found 82% entering management positions have not had proper training.
According to the research, these “accidental managers” are often promoted for the wrong reasons, with nearly half surveyed (46%) believing colleagues won promotions based on internal relationships and profile, rather than their ability and performance.
“A good coach uses problems as a chance to listen, ask questions, raise awareness around ‘blind spots,’ and challenge thinking and deeply held beliefs.”
Is training the answer? Well, maybe. There is a popular training model, 70:20:10. The key takeaway from this model is that courses, workshops and e-learning will only provide 10% of development. The remaining 20% is through social learning and 70% experiential – getting your hands dirty.
All too often we enrol people into a training course with the expectation they will emerge an expert. Very seldom does this happen and we are missing around 90% of the opportunity.
We sometimes spend too much time discussing the difference between management and leadership. Often leadership is promoted as being superior to management. I don’t subscribe to that.
A distinction I particularly align with is from John P. Kotter, Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business School, who argues they are “two distinctive and complementary systems of action”.
“Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment,” he says.
So, are you a manager or a leader? The answer is both. There are functions you perform that require management skills while leadership skills enhance the overall performance of your team.
What might this blend of management and leadership look like?
Back in the early 2000s, Google, having gone through a period of rapid growth and expansion, posed the question: ‘Do managers matter?’. It experimented with various structures without real success. In 2009, Project Oxygen was launched, a multi-year research initiative. Later that year, the “people analytics” teams at the company produced what might be called the ‘Eight Habits of Highly Effective Google Managers’. More were eventually added, making a total of 10.
You can see that Google doesn’t distinguish between what might be classified as ‘management’ or ‘leadership’. Note #1 – Is a good coach. Like the coach of a sports team, a good coach uses problems as a chance to listen (research shows the more a manager listens, the better people think they are at giving feedback), ask questions, raise awareness around ‘blind spots,’ and challenge thinking and deeply held beliefs.
I’ve been studying leadership and high performing teams since around 2008, about the time Project Oxygen was initiated.
Fast forward 16 years, and I would now like to focus on five leadership capabilities that my experience and studies of ‘good’ leaders demonstrate consistently.
From the Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning ‘Five crucial capabilities for today’s frontline leaders’, it states:
1. Develops others – by coaching and delivering ongoing feedback that energises employees instead of draining them.
2. Leads teams that deliver – by using strong interpersonal skills to build team cohesion, focusing on what matters, and providing meaningful work.
3. Leads authentically – by demonstrating behaviours aligned with one’s principles and values, as well as earning the trust of others through empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to admit mistakes.
4. Communicates for influence and impact – by strengthening communication skills required both in person and across distances, dealing effectively with conflict, and managing difficult conversations.
5. Champions inclusion – by helping all team members feel a sense of belonging, curbing biases, and celebrating diversity.
These five leadership capabilities correlate well against the results of Google’s Project Oxygen.
Going into your clinic today, be curious about:
• How would I rate my skill level against these five capabilities?
• How would my team rate me against them?
• What am I doing to support the development of someone that I feel might be ready for promotion?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alan Stevenson is the principal consultant at Barclayss with more than 40 years of experience working in operational and safety support roles with people from different cultures and countries creating safe and productive workplaces. He also presented at the 2024 RANZCO Practice Managers Conference.
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