This week I got a Harvard Business Review email that tickled me because it’s exactly what I’ve been saying for years!
“Throughout history, people had little need to manage their
careers — they were born into their stations in life or, in the
recent past, they relied on their companies to chart their career
paths. But times have drastically changed. Today we must all
learn to manage ourselves. What does that mean? According to
Peter Drucker, author of the classic HBR article, “Managing
Oneself,” it means we have to learn to develop ourselves. We
have to place ourselves where we can make the greatest
contribution to our organizations and communities. And we have
to stay mentally alert and engaged during a 50-year working life,
which means knowing how and when to change the work we do.”
When I’m working with managers, it’s all about understanding the workplace they’re operating in, knowing where they have the best leverage, and making sure they have the tools to navigate their environment. When we know what we contribute and understand how things hang together, it builds breakthrough confidence. That leads to lower stress, greater balance, and more creative problem-solving.
If you want to be a more effective leader, think about what support you need, and what support your middle and junior level employees have. Please click here if you would like to have a private conversation about your effectiveness as a leader.