The #1 Truth About Management I Wish I Could Go Back in Time and Tell Myself
When your people do well, it’s all about them. When they mess up, it’s all about you.
Shortly after accepting my first job, I was promoted to the position of communications director for a prominent member of the House of Representatives and was then asked to hire my replacement. Having just graduated from college, it was a tough task to find someone who would report to me and also learn how to manage just months after accepting my first job. We were basically the same age and the same experience level, which made being her boss very difficult. When my peers found typos in her work, I blamed them on her sloppiness, and I often struggled with the positive comments she would receive about her work.
I’ve since realized that a lot of my frustrations could have been avoided if I recognized that when she made a mistake, I needed to take the fall for her, and, when she did well, it was a reflection on my good management and she deserved all the accolades.
After years of managing, I now know that when your people do well, good managers are all about acknowledging their success. When they mess up, it’s all about you owning what happened. I am reminded of this truth on a daily basis and acknowledging it has allowed me to develop into a productive and successful manager. Over the last several years, I have experienced that nothing builds trust more than a boss who is willing to cover for you when mistakes inevitably happen. The opposite creates a culture of blame, anger, and frustration when employees believe that you will throw them under the bus any time something goes wrong.
When I finally recognized this for my first employee, the mistakes she made actually lessened. She wasn’t afraid to mess up, so the quality of her work improved. When she did make a mistake, she knew that I had her back as long as she recognized the error and worked to avoid the same problems in the future. When your people see you take the blame for them, they will be willing to do the same for you. By taking this approach, you will build allies in your direct reports.
The most frustrating thing for me as an employee has been feeling like my boss is threatened by my success. When my manager can accept that my success is their success, we get along great. But, the opposite is true when they feel like they have to take credit for my positive results.
As a manager, this concept can leave you feeling like you have to constantly apologize and rarely get to bask in the glory of success. To that I say, welcome to management. Good leaders take the blame and pass the credit around. It will become rewarding to see the compliments showered upon your employees as they develop into even more competent and successful professionals.