Jonathan Shaver, founder of the leadership coaching business Envision Partners, LLC, walks you through the transition of moving from a team member to a team leader. Promotions can be very rewarding; they also bring many new challenges. Have you recently been promoted? Are you vying for a new title? Shaver provides expert insights for those looking to advance their career.
Below are extra resources and a self-test. Shaver is an advisor on Seed World PRO. Have a follow-up question, connect with him on the PRO Advisors page.
“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” is the lesson shared by world-renowned business educator and author, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, in his 2007 book by the same name. Some of the habits that helped you succeed as an individual contributor, will not serve you well as a team leader. Two examples are:
- Telling the world how smart you are. As a contributor, you need your bosses to know that you are smart and good at your job. As a leader, this behavior will not maximize your team’s success or build trust.
- Withholding information. By withholding information, you might prevent others from getting the right answer and making yourself look better, but your job as a leader is to maximize your team’s success, not to focus on your own individual success.
For Goldsmith’s complete list of 20 bad habits in interpersonal behavior, click here. These habits might have gotten you recognized and helped you get a leadership position, but they will not serve you as a leader.
Shaver aggress with Goldsmith and adds that what doesn’t change is our sense of purpose that drives many people to choose a career in agriculture. Feeding, clothing and fueling the world is a mission that seed industry members take seriously, and they are very proud of their contributions. Seeds are the building blocks of agriculture and life. Our industry is responsible for everything from improving genetics to ensuring that when it’s time to plant, farmers have access to the seeds of their choice. These actions have huge implications for farmers around the world.
This sense of purpose should be fostered by leaders. This phenomenon was studied by organizational culture experts, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, in their book, “All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results.” They found that people who work in high-performing cultures believe that what they do matters and that they make a difference. These employees know what they do and how it’s done. They know why it’s done and most importantly, they believe that what they do makes a difference. No matter where they are in the organization, they can connect what they do to helping make the world a better place.
This video highlights the transition from individual contributor to people leader. Our behaviors must change, but the purpose that drives us can stay the same.
Now that you’ve finished the video and had a few minutes to process the material, it’s time to see what you learned. Below are 10 quick review questions that address the most important themes and ideas in the video. If you have specific follow-up questions, please contact Jonathan directly on our Advisors page. If you found this video helpful, check back next month for Shaver’s new video on Remodeling Your Management System.
Test your knowledge with the self-assessment.
