Becoming the Boss PDF

www.hbr.org The earliest test of leadership comes with that first assignment to manage others. Becoming the Boss Most new managers initially fail this test because of a set of by Linda A. Hill common misconceptions about what it means to be in charge....

www.hbr.org The earliest test of leadership comes with that first assignment to manage others. Becoming the Boss Most new managers initially fail this test because of a set of by Linda A. Hill common misconceptions about what it means to be in charge. Reprint R0701D  The earliest test of leadership comes with that first assignment to manage others. Most new managers initially fail this test because of a set of common misconceptions about what it means to be in charge. Becoming the Boss by Linda A. Hill Even for the most gifted individuals, the pro- she felt as a new manager. If you get an honest cess of becoming a leader is an arduous, albeit answer, you’ll hear a tale of disorientation and, rewarding, journey of continuous learning and for some, overwhelming confusion. The new COPYRIGHT © 2006 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. self-development. The initial test along the role didn’t feel anything like it was supposed path is so fundamental that we often overlook to. It felt too big for any one person to handle. it: becoming a boss for the first time. That’s a And whatever its scope, it sure didn’t seem to shame, because the trials involved in this rite have anything to do with leadership. of passage have serious consequences for both In the words of one new branch manager at the individual and the organization. a securities firm: “Do you know how hard it is Executives are shaped irrevocably by their to be the boss when you are so out of control? first management positions. Decades later, they It’s hard to verbalize. It’s the feeling you get recall those first months as transformational when you have a child. On day X minus 1, you experiences that forged their leadership philos- still don’t have a child. On day X, all of a sud- ophies and styles in ways that may continue to den you’re a mother or a father and you’re sup- haunt and hobble them throughout their ca- posed to know everything there is to know reers. Organizations suffer considerable human about taking care of a kid.” and financial costs when a person who has Given the significance and difficulty of this been promoted because of strong individual first leadership test, it’s surprising how little at- performance and qualifications fails to adjust tention has been paid to the experiences of successfully to management responsibilities. new managers and the challenges they face. The failures aren’t surprising, given the diffi- The shelves are lined with books describing ef- culty of the transition. Ask any new manager fective and successful leaders. But very few ad- about the early days of being a boss—indeed, dress the challenges of learning to lead, espe- ask any senior executive to recall how he or cially for the first-time manager. harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 1  Becoming the Boss For the past 15 years or so, I’ve studied peo- dividual contributor and those required for suc- ple making major career transitions to manage- cess as a manager are starkly different—and that ment, focusing in particular on the star per- there is a gap between their current capabilities former who is promoted to manager. My original and the requirements of the new position. ambition was to provide a forum for new man- In their prior jobs, success depended prima- agers to speak in their own words about what rily on their personal expertise and actions. As it means to learn to manage. I initially followed managers, they are responsible for setting and 19 new managers over the course of their first implementing an agenda for a whole group, year in an effort to get a rare glimpse into their something for which their careers as individual subjective experience: What did they find most performers haven’t prepared them. difficult? What did they need to learn? How Take the case of Michael Jones, the new did they go about learning it? What resources securities-firm branch manager I just mentioned. did they rely upon to ease the transition and (The identities of individuals cited in this arti- master their new assignments? cle have been disguised.) Michael had been a Since my original research, which I de- broker for 13 years and was a stellar producer, scribed in the first edition of Becoming a Man- one of the most aggressive and innovative pro- ager, published in 1992, I’ve continued to study fessionals in his region. At his company, new the personal transformation involved when branch managers were generally promoted from someone becomes a boss. I’ve written case studies the ranks on the basis of individual competence about new managers in a variety of functions and achievements, so no one was surprised and industries and have designed and led new- when the regional director asked him to con- manager leadership programs for companies sider a management career. Michael was confi- and not-for-profit organizations. As firms have dent he understood what it took to be an effec- become leaner and more dynamic—with dif- tive manager. In fact, on numerous occasions ferent units working together to offer inte- he had commented that if he had been in grated products and services and with compa- charge, he would have been willing and able to nies working with suppliers, customers, and fix things and make life better in the branch. competitors in an array of strategic alliances— After a month in his new role, however, he was new managers have described a transition that feeling moments of intense panic; it was harder gets harder all the time. than he had imagined to get his ideas imple- Let me emphasize that the struggles these mented. He realized he had given up his “secu- new managers face represent the norm, not rity blanket” and there was no turning back. the exception. These aren’t impaired managers Michael’s reaction, although a shock to him, operating in dysfunctional organizations. isn’t unusual. Learning to lead is a process of They’re ordinary people facing ordinary ad- learning by doing. It can’t be taught in a class- justment problems. The vast majority of them room. It is a craft primarily acquired through survive the transition and learn to function in on-the-job experiences—especially adverse ex- their new role. But imagine how much more periences in which the new manager, working effective they would be if the transition were beyond his current capabilities, proceeds by less traumatic. trial and error. Most star individual performers To help new managers pass this first leader- haven’t made many mistakes, so this is new for ship test, we need to help them understand the them. Furthermore, few managers are aware, essential nature of their role—what it truly in the stressful, mistake-making moments, that means to be in charge. Most see themselves as they are learning. The learning occurs incre- managers and leaders; they use the rhetoric of mentally and gradually. leadership; they certainly feel the burdens of As this process slowly progresses—as the leadership. But they just don’t get it. new manager unlearns a mind-set and habits Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Don- that have served him over a highly successful ham Professor of Business Administra- Why Learning to Manage Is So Hard early career—a new professional identity tion at Harvard Business School in Boston One of the first things new managers discover is emerges. He internalizes new ways of thinking and the author of Becoming a Manager: that their role, by definition a stretch assign- and being and discovers new ways of measur- How New Managers Master the Challeng- ment, is even more demanding than they’d an- ing success and deriving satisfaction from work. es of Leadership (Harvard Business ticipated. They are surprised to learn that the Not surprisingly, this kind of psychological ad- School Press, second edition, 2003). skills and methods required for success as an in- justment is taxing. As one new manager notes, harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 2  Becoming the Boss “I never knew a promotion could be so painful.” hibit “Why New Managers Don’t Get It.”) Painful—and stressful. New managers inevi- Managers wield significant authority. tably ponder two questions: “Will I like manage- When asked to describe their role, new manag- ment?” and “Will I be good at management?” Of ers typically focus on the rights and privileges course, there are no immediate answers; they that come with being the boss. They assume come only with experience. And these two the position will give them more authority and, questions are often accompanied by an even with that, more freedom and autonomy to do more unsettling one: “Who am I becoming?” what they think is best for the organization. No longer, in the words of one, will they be “bur- A New Manager’s Misconceptions dened by the unreasonable demands of others.” Becoming a boss is difficult, but I don’t want New managers nursing this assumption face to paint an unrelentingly bleak picture. What a rude awakening. Instead of gaining new au- I have found in my research is that the transi- thority, those I have studied describe finding tion is often harder than it need be because themselves hemmed in by interdependencies. of new managers’ misconceptions about Instead of feeling free, they feel constrained, their role. Their ideas about what it means to especially if they were accustomed to the rela- be a manager hold some truth. But, because tive independence of a star performer. They these notions are simplistic and incomplete, are enmeshed in a web of relationships— they create false expectations that individuals not only with subordinates but also with struggle to reconcile with the reality of man- bosses, peers, and others inside and outside agerial life. By acknowledging the following the organization, all of whom make relentless misconceptions—some of which rise almost and often conflicting demands on them. The to the level of myth in their near-universal resulting daily routine is pressured, hectic, acceptance—new managers have a far greater and fragmented. chance of success. (For a comparison of the “The fact is that you really are not in control misconceptions and the reality, see the ex- of anything,” says one new manager. “The only WHY NEW MANAGERS DON’T GET IT Beginning managers often fail in their new role, at least initially, because they come to it with misconceptions or myths about what it means to be a boss. These myths, because they are simplistic and incomplete, lead new managers to neglect key leadership responsibilities. MYTH REALITY Defining characteristic Authority Interdependency of the new role: “Now I will have the freedom to implement “It’s humbling that someone who works for my ideas.” me could get me fired.” Source of power: Formal authority “Everything but” “I will finally be on top of the ladder.” “Folks were wary, and you really had to earn it.” Desired outcome: Control Commitment “I must get compliance from my subordinates.” “Compliance does not equal commitment.” Managerial focus: Managing one-on-one Leading the team “My role is to build relationships with “I need to create a culture that will allow the individual subordinates.” group to fulfill its potential.” Key challenge: Keeping the operation in working order Making changes that will make the team “My job is to make sure the operation runs perform better smoothly.” “I am responsible for initiating changes to enhance the group’s performance.” harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 3  Becoming the Boss time I am in control is when I shut my door, senting 20% of the Latin American market— and then I feel I am not doing the job I’m not an easy task for an untested publication supposed to be doing, which is being with the competing for scarce newsstand space. To con- people.” Another new manager observes: “It’s trol costs, her venture would have to rely on humbling that someone who works for me the sales staff of the Spanish-language edition could get me fired.” of the company’s flagship women’s magazine, The people most likely to make a new man- people who were used to selling a very differ- ager’s life miserable are those who don’t fall ent kind of product. under her formal authority: outside suppliers, Winona had served a stint as an acting man- for example, or managers in another division. ager two years before, so despite the morass of Sally McDonald, a rising star at a chemical detail she had to deal with in setting up the company, stepped into a product development new venture, she understood the importance position with high hopes, impeccable creden- of devoting time and attention to managing re- tials as an individual performer, a deep appre- lationships with her superiors and peers. For ciation for the company’s culture—and even example, she compiled biweekly executive the supposed wisdom gained in a leadership notes from her department heads that she cir- development course. Three weeks later, she ob- culated to executives at headquarters. To en- served grimly: “Becoming a manager is not hance communication with the women’s mag- about becoming a boss. It’s about becoming a azine, she initiated regular Latin American hostage. There are many terrorists in this orga- board meetings at which top worldwide execu- nization that want to kidnap me.” tives from both the teen and women’s publica- Until they give up the myth of authority for tions could discuss regional strategy. the reality of negotiating interdependencies, Her prior experience notwithstanding, she As one disillusioned new new managers will not be able to lead effec- faced the typical stresses of a new manager: tively. As we have seen, this goes beyond manag- “It’s like you are in final exams 365 days a leader puts it, “Becoming ing the team of direct reports and requires year,” she says. Still, the new edition was managing the context within which the team launched on schedule and exceeded its busi- a manager is not about operates. Unless they identify and build effec- ness plan forecasts. becoming a boss. It’s tive relationships with the key people the team Authority flows from the manager’s posi- depends upon, the team will lack the resources tion. Don’t get me wrong: Despite the interde- about becoming a necessary to do its job. pendencies that constrain them, new managers hostage.” Even if new managers appreciate the impor- do wield some power. The problem is that most tance of these relationships, they often ignore of them mistakenly believe their power is or neglect them and focus instead on what based on the formal authority that comes with seems like the more immediate task of leading their now lofty—well, relatively speaking— those closest to them: their subordinates. When position in the hierarchy. This operating as- they finally do accept their network-builder sumption leads many to adopt a hands-on, au- role, they often feel overwhelmed by its de- tocratic approach, not because they are eager mands. Besides, negotiating with these other to exercise their new power over people but parties from a position of relative weakness— because they believe it is the most effective for that’s often the plight of new managers at way to produce results. the bottom of the hierarchy—gets tiresome. New managers soon learn, however, that But the dividends of managing the interde- when direct reports are told to do something, pendencies are great. While working in busi- they don’t necessarily respond. In fact, the ness development at a large U.S. media con- more talented the subordinate, the less likely cern, Winona Finch developed a business plan she is to simply follow orders. (Some new man- for launching a Latin American edition of the agers, when pressed, admit that they didn’t al- company’s U.S. teen magazine. When the ways listen to their bosses either.) project got tentative approval, Finch asked to After a few painful experiences, new manag- manage it. She and her team faced a number ers come to the unsettling realization that the of obstacles. International projects were not fa- source of their power is, according to one, “every- vored by top management, and before getting thing but” formal authority. That is, authority final funding, Finch would need to secure emerges only as the manager establishes credi- agreements with regional distributors repre- bility with subordinates, peers, and superiors. harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 4  Becoming the Boss “It took me three months to realize I had no ef- ness to jump in and try to solve problems fect on many of my people,” recalls one manager raised implicit questions about his managerial I followed. “It was like I was talking to myself.” competence. In the traders’ eyes, he was be- Many new managers are surprised by how coming a micromanager and a “control freak” difficult it is to earn people’s respect and trust. who didn’t deserve their respect. They are shocked, and even insulted, that Finally, new managers need to demonstrate their expertise and track record don’t speak for their influence—the ability to deliver and exe- themselves. My research shows that many also cute the right thing. There is “nothing worse aren’t aware of the qualities that contribute than working for a powerless boss,” says a di- to credibility. rect report of one new manager I studied. They need to demonstrate their character— Gaining and wielding influence within the the intention to do the right thing. This is of organization is particularly difficult because, as particular importance to subordinates, who tend I have noted, new managers are the “little to analyze every statement and nonverbal ges- bosses” of the organization. “I was on top of ture for signs of the new boss’s motives. Such the world when I knew I was finally getting scrutiny can be unnerving. “I knew I was a promoted,” one new manager says. “I felt like I good guy, and I kind of expected people to ac- would be on the top of the ladder I had been cept me immediately for what I was,” says one climbing for years. But then I suddenly felt like new manager. “But folks were wary, and you I was at the bottom again—except this time it’s really had to earn it.” not even clear what the rungs are and where I They need to demonstrate their competence— am climbing to.” knowing how to do the right thing. This can be Once again, we see a new manager fall into problematic, because new managers initially the trap of relying too heavily on his formal feel the need to prove their technical knowl- authority as his source of influence. Instead, edge and prowess, the foundations of their he needs to build his influence by creating a success as individual performers. But while web of strong, interdependent relationships, evidence of technical competence is important based on credibility and trust, throughout his in gaining subordinates’ respect, it isn’t ulti- team and the entire organization—one strand mately the primary area of competence that at a time. direct reports are looking for. Managers must control their direct re- When Peter Isenberg took over the manage- ports. Most new managers, in part because of ment of a trading desk in a global investment insecurity in an unfamiliar role, yearn for com- bank, he oversaw a group of seasoned, senior pliance from their subordinates. They fear traders. To establish his credibility, he adopted that if they don’t establish this early on, their a hands-on approach, advising traders to close direct reports will walk all over them. As a down particular positions or try different trad- means of gaining this control, they often rely ing strategies. The traders pushed back, de- too much on their formal authority—a tech- manding to know the rationale for each direc- nique whose effectiveness is, as we have seen, tive. Things got uncomfortable. The traders’ questionable at best. responses to their new boss’s comments be- But even if they are able to achieve some came prickly and terse. One day, Isenberg, who measure of control, whether through formal recognized his lack of knowledge about for- authority or authority earned over time, they eign markets, asked one of the senior people a have achieved a false victory. Compliance does simple question about pricing. The trader not equal commitment. If people aren’t com- stopped what he was doing for several minutes mitted, they won’t take the initiative. And if to explain the issue and offered to discuss the subordinates aren’t taking the initiative, the matter further at the end of the day. “Once I manager can’t delegate effectively. The direct stopped talking all the time and began to lis- reports won’t take the calculated risks that ten, people on the desk started to educate me lead to the continuous change and improve- about the job and, significantly, seemed to ment required by today’s turbulent business question my calls far less,” Isenberg says. environment. The new manager’s eagerness to show off Winona Finch, who led the launch of the his technical competence had undermined his teen magazine in Latin America, knew she credibility as a manager and leader. His eager- faced a business challenge that would require harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 5  Becoming the Boss her team’s total support. She had in fact been ously equating the management of their team awarded the job in part because of her per- with managing the individuals on the team. sonal style, which her superiors hoped would They attend primarily to individual perfor- compensate for her lack of experience in the mance and pay little or no attention to team Latin American market and in managing culture and performance. They hardly ever profit-and-loss responsibilities. In addition to rely on group forums for identifying and solv- being known as a clear thinker, she had a ing problems. Some spend too much time with warm and personable way with people. During a small number of trusted subordinates, often the project, she successfully leveraged these those who seem most supportive. New manag- natural abilities in developing her leadership ers tend to handle issues, even those with philosophy and style. teamwide implications, one-on-one. This leads Instead of relying on formal authority to get them to make decisions based on unneces- what she wanted from her team, she exercised sarily limited information. influence by creating a culture of inquiry. The In his first week as a sales manager at a Texas result was an organization in which people felt software company, Roger Collins was asked by empowered, committed, and accountable for a subordinate for an assigned parking spot that fulfilling the company’s vision. “Winona was had just become available. The salesman had easygoing and fun,” a subordinate says. “But she been at the company for years, and Collins, would ask and ask and ask to get to the bottom wanting to get off to a good start with this vet- of something. You would say something to her, eran, said, “Sure, why not?” Within the hour, she would say it back to you, and that way ev- another salesman, a big moneymaker, stormed eryone was 100% clear on what we were talk- into Collins’s office threatening to quit. It ing about. Once she got the information and seems the shaded parking spot was coveted for I repeatedly hear new knew what you were doing, you had to be con- pragmatic and symbolic reasons, and the bene- sistent. She would say, ‘You told me X; why are ficiary of Collins’s casual gesture was widely managers describe you doing Y? I’m confused.’” Although she was viewed as incompetent. The manager’s deci- demanding, she didn’t demand that people do sion was unfathomable to the star. situations in which they things her way. Her subordinates were com- Collins eventually solved what he regarded made an exception for mitted to the team’s goals because they were as a trivial management problem—“This is not empowered, not ordered, to achieve them. the sort of thing I’m supposed to be worrying one subordinate but The more power managers are willing to about,” he said—but he began to recognize ended up regretting the share with subordinates in this way, the more that every decision about individuals affected influence they tend to command. When they the team. He had been working on the as- action’s unexpected lead in a manner that allows their people to sumption that if he could establish a good rela- take the initiative, they build their own credi- tionship with each person who reported to negative consequences bility as managers. him, his whole team would function smoothly. for the team. Managers must focus on forging good in- What he learned was that supervising each in- dividual relationships. Managing interdepen- dividual was not the same as leading the team. dencies and exercising informal authority de- In my research, I repeatedly hear new manag- rived from personal credibility require new ers describe situations in which they made an managers to build trust, influence, and mutual exception for one subordinate—usually with expectations with a wide array of people. This the aim of creating a positive relationship with is often achieved by establishing productive that person—but ended up regretting the ac- personal relationships. Ultimately, however, tion’s unexpected negative consequences for the new manager must figure out how to har- the team. Grasping this notion can be especially ness the power of a team. Simply focusing on difficult for up-and-comers who have been one-on-one relationships with members of the able to accomplish a great deal on their own. team can undermine that process. When new managers focus solely on one- During their first year on the job, many new on-one relationships, they neglect a fundamen- managers fail to recognize, much less address, tal aspect of effective leadership: harnessing their team-building responsibilities. Instead, they the collective power of the group to improve in- conceive of their people-management role as dividual performance and commitment. By building the most effective relationships they shaping team culture—the group’s norms can with each individual subordinate, errone- and values—a leader can unleash the problem- harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 6  Becoming the Boss solving prowess of the diverse talents that as change agents. Hierarchical thinking and make up the team. their fixation on the authority that comes with Managers must ensure that things run being the boss lead them to define their re- smoothly. Like many managerial myths, this sponsibilities too narrowly. Consequently, they one is partly true but is misleading because it tend to blame flawed systems, and the superi- tells only some of the story. Making sure an op- ors directly responsible for those systems, for eration is operating smoothly is an incredibly their teams’ setbacks—and they tend to wait difficult task, requiring a manager to keep count- for other people to fix the problems. less balls in the air at all times. Indeed, the com- But this represents a fundamental misunder- plexity of maintaining the status quo can ab- standing of their role within the organization. sorb all of a junior manager’s time and energy. New managers need to generate changes, both But new managers also need to realize they within and outside their areas of responsibility, are responsible for recommending and initiat- to ensure that their teams can succeed. They ing changes that will enhance their groups’ need to work to change the context in which performance. Often—and it comes as a sur- their teams operate, ignoring their lack of for- prise to most—this means challenging organi- mal authority. zational processes or structures that exist This broader view benefits the organization above and beyond their area of formal author- as well as the new manager. Organizations ity. Only when they understand this part of the must continually revitalize and transform them- job will they begin to address seriously their selves. They can meet these challenges only if leadership responsibilities. (See the sidebar they have cadres of effective leaders capable of “Oh, One More Thing: Create the Conditions both managing the complexity of the status for Your Success.”) quo and initiating change. In fact, most new managers see themselves as targets of organizational change initiatives, New Managers Aren’t Alone implementing with their groups the changes As they go through the daunting process of be- ordered from above. They don’t see themselves coming a boss, new managers can gain a tre- mendous advantage by learning to recognize the misconceptions I’ve just outlined. But given the multilayered nature of their new re- Oh, One More Thing: Create the Conditions sponsibilities, they are still going to make mis- takes as they try to put together the manage- for Your Success rial puzzle—and making mistakes, no matter New managers often discover, belat- make it as productive as possible under how important to the learning process, is no edly, that they are expected to do more the circumstances. This course seemed fun. They are going to feel pain as their profes- than just make sure their groups func- prudent, especially because his relation- sional identities are stretched and reshaped. tion smoothly today. They must also ship with his boss, who was taking As they struggle to learn a new role, they will recommend and initiate changes that longer and longer to answer Delhorne’s often feel isolated. will help their groups do even better in e-mails, was becoming strained. Unfortunately, my research has shown that the future. When the service failed to meet certain few new managers ask for help. This is in part A new marketing manager at a tele- targets, the CEO unceremoniously fired the outcome of yet another misconception: communications company whom I’ll call Delhorne because, Delhorne was told, he The boss is supposed to have all the answers, so John Delhorne discovered that his pre- hadn’t been proactive. The CEO chastised seeking help is a sure sign that a new manager decessor had failed to make critical in- Delhorne for “sitting back and not asking is a “promotion mistake.” Of course, seasoned vestments, so he tried on numerous oc- for his help” in securing the funds managers know that no one has all the an- casions to convince his immediate needed to succeed in a critical new mar- swers. The insights a manager does possess superior to increase the marketing bud- ket. Delhorne, shocked and hurt, thought come over time, through experience. And, as get. He also presented a proposal to ac- the CEO was being grossly unfair. Del- countless studies show, it is easier to learn on quire a new information system that horne contended it wasn’t his fault that the job if you can draw on the support and as- could allow his team to optimize its mar- the company’s strategic-planning and sistance of peers and superiors. keting initiatives. When he could not budgeting procedures were flawed. The Another reason new managers don’t seek persuade his boss to release more CEO’s response: It was Delhorne’s re- help is that they perceive the dangers (some- money, he hunkered down and focused sponsibility to create the conditions for times more imagined than real) of forging de- on changes within his team that would his success. velopmental relationships. When you share harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 7  Becoming the Boss your anxieties, mistakes, and shortcomings as a whole. It means that the new manager’s with peers in your part of the organization, boss loses a chance to influence the manager’s there’s a risk that the individuals will use that initial conceptions and misconceptions of her information against you. The same goes for new position and how she should approach it. sharing your problems with your superior. The The new manager loses the chance to draw on inherent conflict between the roles of evalua- organizational assets—from financial resources tor and developer is an age-old dilemma. So to information about senior management’s new managers need to be creative in finding priorities—that the superior could best provide. support. For instance, they might seek out When a new manager can develop a good peers who are outside their region or function relationship with his boss, it can make all the or in another organization altogether. The difference in the world—though not necessar- problem with bosses, while difficult to solve ily in ways the new manager expects. My re- neatly, can be alleviated. And herein lies a les- search suggests that eventually about half of son not only for new managers but for experi- new managers turn to their bosses for assis- enced bosses, as well. tance, often because of a looming crisis. Many The new manager avoids turning to her im- are relieved to find their superiors more toler- mediate superior for advice because she sees ant of their questions and mistakes than they that person as a threat to, rather than an ally had expected. “He recognized that I was still in, her development. Because she fears punish- in the learning mode and was more than will- ment for missteps and failures, she resists seek- ing to help in any way he could,” recalls one ing the help that might prevent such mistakes, new manager. even when she’s desperate for it. As one new Sometimes, the most expert mentors can manager reports: seem deceptively hands-off. One manager re- About half of new “I know on one level that I should deal more ports how she learned from an immediate su- with my manager because that is what he is perior: “She is demanding, but she enjoys a managers turn to their there for. He’s got the experience, and I proba- reputation for growing people and helping bly owe it to him to go to him and tell him them, not throwing them to the wolves. I bosses for assistance. what’s up. He would probably have some good wasn’t sure after the first 60 days, though. Ev- Many are relieved to find advice. But it’s not safe to share with him. He’s erything was so hard and I was so frustrated, an unknown quantity. If you ask too many but she didn’t offer to help. It was driving me their superiors more questions, he may lose confidence in you and nuts. When I asked her a question, she asked tolerant of their think things aren’t going very well. He may see me a question. I got no answers. Then I saw that you are a little bit out of control, and then what she wanted. I had to come in with some questions and mistakes you really have a tough job. Because he’ll be ideas about how I would handle the situation, down there lickety-split, asking lots of ques- and then she would talk about them with me. than they had expected. tions about what you are doing, and before She would spend all the time in the world you know it, he’ll be involved right in the mid- with me.” dle of it. That’s a really uncomfortable situa- His experience vividly highlights why it’s tion. He’s the last place I’d go for help.” important for the bosses of new managers to Such fears are often justified. Many a new understand—or simply recall—how difficult it manager has regretted trying to establish a is to step into a management role for the first mentoring relationship with his boss. “I don’t time. Helping a new manager succeed doesn’t dare even ask a question that could be per- benefit only that individual. Ensuring the new ceived as naive or stupid,” says one. “Once I manager’s success is also crucially important to asked him a question and he made me feel the success of the entire organization. like I was a kindergartner in the business. It was as if he had said, ‘That was the dumbest Reprint R0701D thing I’ve ever seen. What on earth did you Harvard Business Review OnPoint 1723 have in mind?’” To order, see the next page This is a tragically lost opportunity for the or call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500 new manager, the boss, and the organization or go to www.hbr.org harvard business review hbr.org the tests of a leader january 2007 page 8  Further Reading This article is also available in an enhanced Harvard Business Review OnPoint edition, (Product no. 1723), which includes a summary Harvard Business Review OnPoint of its key points and company examples to help articles enhance the full-text article you put the ideas to work. The OnPoint edition with a summary of its key points and also includes the following suggestions for a selection of its company examples further reading: to help you quickly absorb and apply the concepts. Harvard Business Rescue Your Rookie Managers Review OnPoint collections include Kerry A. Bunker, Kathy E. Kram, three OnPoint articles and an Sharon Ting, Carol A. Walker, and overview comparing the various Gordon Adler perspectives on a specific topic. Harvard Business Review OnPoint Collection December 2002 Product no. 2292 To Order For reprints, Harvard Business Review OnPoint orders, and subscriptions to Harvard Business Review: Call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500. Go to www.hbr.org For customized and quantity orders of reprints and Harvard Business Review OnPoint products: Call Rich Gravelin at 617-783-7626, or e-mail him at [email protected] page 9