Part 4 in a Series on Essentials of Modern Leadership
I鈥檓 not the world鈥檚 most avid card player, but I enjoy a few games every now and then. Because of the limitless variability, card games give my noggin a good workout, and I like that. Though luck plays a role, winning consistently requires an aptitude for assessing randomly distributed sets of cards and strategizing accordingly. Do it right, and even when the cards you receive aren鈥檛 ideal, a win is possible. It鈥檚 up to you, though, to determine the best possible actions when playing the cards you鈥檙e dealt.
You Usually Can鈥檛 Control What Cards You鈥檒l Get, Just How They鈥檙e Played
Much like when cards are dealt on game night, new managers (or experienced ) won鈥檛 know where they stand until they appraise the employees and policies they have inherited.
As much as you鈥檇 like to handpick personnel to match your strategic vision, it generally isn鈥檛 a luxury that new managers are afforded, and that isn鈥檛 necessarily a bad thing.
Some factors aren鈥檛 in your control during the early stages of a managerial assignment, but don鈥檛 let that negate opportunities for valuable experience and maturation. Assess your hand. Maybe you鈥檒l find personnel who aren鈥檛 a good fit and are floundering in a functional process. Or maybe you鈥檒l find capable personnel struggling in a haphazard system.
It鈥檚 your job to continually evaluate the strengths of your staff and structure and align people and policies for success.
By no means am I implying this is an easy task. There will be periods of underperformance, miscommunication, and poor morale 鈥� regardless of how long you鈥檝e been a manager or where you are. As a leader, though, it鈥檚 up to you to clear those hurdles.
Dealing with Difficulties Is Part of the Job
Resilience and flexibility are necessary qualities for managers, especially when those managers are new to the job and especially if they want to get the job done well. The trick is to stay the course and remain confident, even when confronting the unknown.
In an inspiring lecture given not long before his death, computer science professor said, 鈥淲e cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.鈥� Pausch, who had pancreatic cancer, was communicating how important it is to make the most of a given situation.
If you鈥檝e been entrusted recently with a position of leadership, rely on your character and skills to move from the uncertainty of inherited circumstances toward a secure workplace that is fulfilling its potential. Be sure to make honing your people-management skills part of the process.
USF Can Help You Make the Most of Your Hand
To learn more about USF鈥檚 dedication to helping professionals and businesses fulfill their potentials, Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education. Visit the CTPE website or contact us.
Mark Koulianos is director of USF鈥檚 Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education and a 20-plus-year veteran of the corporate world. .