Why are you doing what you are doing?
I believe in people and their incredible capabilities, sometimes even too much. I thrive when I’m a part of a well-functioning team, and I’m allways trying to build one. Seeing how people moulds reality together is something that delights me on a deep level.
How I’m trying to achieve that?
I’m trying to enable people in my team to do their job as good as they can. But to do something genuinely spectacular, you need to have more than people – you need to have a well-rounded team. A well-oiled team of average Joes will beat a bunch of talented individuals. So I’m balancing between making a working team and helping individuals to grow.
What are you doing exactly?
I do this is delegating the right amount of responsibilities, by removing internal and external obstacles, trying to get the best tools, improving processes, coaching and advising with professional growth.
Delegation
I see micromanaging, which is fear in disguise as a top one sin of managers and directors who are afraid of failure. However, people learn the best when they do something on their own, so I delegate and have plan B if something went wrong. If this fails – improvise, and put the best possible fight.
Removing internal and external obstacles
I view my position as being somebody who isn’t afraid to take the blame and fight for my teammates. People around me should know that I have their back, even if they mess something up or the situation is dire. I try to listen to the problems or needs, don’t promise anything, and then try my best to deliver.
Tools & processes
They are blood and veins of the management, which is often overlooked, as managers and directors are focused on urgent crises. Fixing current fires is the first step to get to know the system and how it feels. The second part is reengineering a whole workflow together with all involved actors, basing it on its unique needs and specifics of the business. This is one of the most exciting challenges in my profession, but this is a marathon, not a sprint.
People growth
If you grow by 1% every day, you will be 37 times better after just one year. This is why the most important is making people around me better every day in whatever they are doing. My ultimate KPI for this is feeling redundant, as my team doesn’t need me to solve most of their problems. This enables me to focus on experimenting and expanding, so the organisation can grow even further.
Sources: past experiences.