Many executives think they only have to manage those who report directly to them and while that’s important, it’s leaving a few things out that would make you a much more effective executive.
At Transcend, we call this a 360-degree leader. They are able to manage up and side-to-side, leading from all angles.
In this video, executive coach Lou Fratturo walks you through some tools to better equip you in becoming a 360-degree leader. You’ll discover how to communicate with those on your wrung of the ladder as well as how to manage-up, i.e. keep executives above you in the mix without overburdening them needlessly. Discover how to lead from all sides and transform into the 360-degree leader.
Let’s start with the first one, managing up. Do you send, every week, at the end of your week an executive summary report to your boss about all the things your team is working on? Listen, they’re an executive. So make sure that this thing is a one-pager bullet point format. Brevity. You’re not writing novels here. You’re writing bullets. So, maybe take this one-pager and break it down into three or four simple sections.
Section one, those things your team is working on or things that your team has completed. Typically they’re initiative-based things that your leader is well aware of. and this gives them great insight as to the things your team is working on, as well as maybe things that you should be working on that aren’t in there.
Section two, decisions that you’ve made and resources that you’ve leveraged. It’s so important for your leader to have visibility to how you’re making decisions and how you’re resourcing yourselves around the organization. Really powerful stuff here when they can see that continually. Again, you’re not writing novels, two, three, maybe four bullet points under that section as well.
Section number three, this is the powerful one. This is where you actually ask for their support. The support I need from you section three: two or three bullets about those things that you need from them to either help remove obstacles or to spend a little bit of time thinking future-focused, right? Your leader loves to do that. They want to do that. They don’t want to be in the tremendous minutia detail with you. That’s what the first two sections are for. Section three, that’s the power section between you and your boss, where you get to spend more time looking ahead.
Section four, simply a shout-out recognition section. This is where you’re bragging about your team and you’re sharing with your leader the things that they’re accomplishing individually, as well as any milestone type things that are happening in their lives. This is your leader’s chance to get this information so that they could also recognize your team. Such huge things have come out of that. So, that makes one-pager brevity bullet points every week. That’s for managing up to your CEO.
What about side to side? Well, why not use a similar format? Why not use a tool just like that? Maybe adjust it, tweak it a little bit. Take those last two sections out and maybe leave the first two sections. What’s wrong with your peers in the business at the executive level, seeing the things that your team is working on? Why wouldn’t you want to share with them the decisions that you’ve made and the resources that you’ve leveraged across the organization? That creates alignment and it gives them a chance also to say: “Hey, maybe think about this. I like what you’re doing here. Maybe you should add this. Maybe you should consider this.” That’s a collaboration that strengthens the team.
So that’s it for today, just a short, brief, two ideas for how to better manage up and better manage side to side. I’m going to assume you’re managing your direct reports already. And that’s what creates the 360-degree leader that your business so desperately wants you to become. I hope this is helpful to you. Our DNA at the Transcend executive group is to provide leaders. The tools that they need to grow because at Transcend our mission is to help transform executives and the companies that they lead.
Coaching affords even the strongest leaders their greatest opportunity for personal and professional growth. My purpose is to leverage my years of executive experience and leadership across multiple business areas to inspire my clients to lean into their strengths, identify limiting behaviors and pursue transformational growth that will produce positive, tangible results for the organization.
