Leader By Default?

As I look around my office I get a chuckle as I reminisce about the awards from my early “glory days” as an engineer:

Top Gun of the year 2001

Distinguished Service Award 2003

Distinguished Service Award 2004 (last award received)

Promoted to Manager 2005

I don’t mention this to highlight my accomplishments, but to contrast my effectiveness as an individual contributor vs my effectiveness as a early manager.  I was a good engineer, but in my first few years as a leader I was far from effective.  OK, that’s an understatement, I was a terrible leader.  I was arrogant, immature, and I had no idea what it took to lead.  I even remember saying statements like “I’ve been around leaders my entire life, I know what it takes to be a good leader” or “I understand the technical aspects of our department, how hard can it be to lead it?”  As I settled into the leadership position, I still thought I had it all figured out.  Yes, I filled out performance appraisals, approved time off, hired people into the team, fired people who weren’t performing, but I was still stuck in the role of an individual contributor.  I was limiting the productivity of the team to what I could be personally involved in.  Sure I added additional people to the team, but I wasn’t empowering them to produce at their maximum potential.  Through the years I hope I’ve made some strides in my growth as a leader and I hope to eventually reach that level where my leadership efforts approach that ideal multiplying effect.  I don’t know that I’m there yet, but now I at least have a good understand that high performing individual contributors don’t always translate into high performing leaders without some effort.