Like lower-level leaders, functional managers often rely on the same skills and time applications and maintain the values they relied on in their previous positions. Though this should be a clear warning sign that they are not handling this transition properly, it’s often masked by their high competence in a specific subfunction; they look as though they are doing a wonderful job because they continue to come up with great ideas and generate results in one area.
But they are clogging up the pipeline because they haven’t embraced what counts at this leadership level. Functions run by managers who haven’t made this passage don’t move the business toward strategic goals. They create anger and resentment, and they end up hurting the function’s performance in the long run.
To identify managers who are having trouble with this passage, look for symptoms in the following three areas:
1. Failure to make the transition from an operational-project orientation to a strategic one
– Demonstrates a poor sense of how the business operates
– Lacks long-term thinking (much more focused on the short-term)
– Lacks a functional strategy that ties functional activity to business goals
– Ignores corporate functional standards, needs, policies, and programs
2. Inability to manage and value work that is unfamiliar or of relatively little interest
– Spends little or no time with people and problems in unfamiliar areas and much time with people and opportunities in familiar areas.
– Shows a bias toward a familiar area in terms of salaries, bonuses, budgets
– Loses people in his function at a highest-than-normal rate (through this attrition can also be due to necessary housecleaning)
3. Immaturity as a leader-manager
– Isn’t particularly interested in taking on the responsibilities of a leader; much more interested in being a hands-on manager and performer
– Doesn’t trust others, especially subordinates in unfamiliar functions
– Can’t let go of work and must control everything
– Has poor communication skills in both listening and speaking; he isolates himself except for a few sub-functional cronies.
– Delegates too much and lacks a control system (or vice versa)
Through leadership, immaturity also manifests itself in the first two areas; the third group of symptoms will tip you off that someone is having trouble with this passage.
How do you develop mature and strategic leaders?
Maturity results from learning from success and mistakes; in other words, learning from experience. Ideally, people will have had the opportunity to see the business broadly and become immersed in diverse situations where they succeed and err.
They will be able to exhibit immature behavior and learn from their mistakes through mentoring, coaching, feedback, etc. Given that many relatively new, high-performing people are being promoted to functional manager positions, however, the odds are that this maturity isn’t always fully developed.
To help these managers grow, place them on task forces, teams, and committees of managers from different backgrounds, skills, and experiences. Having to work effectively with people who are different is a growth experience.
Not only will functional managers learn about new areas of work, but they will also establish relationships with new people who use other methods and skills. It will take them out of the cocoon of the familiar function and help them see a broader range of choices.
Next, developing strategic competencies can be a more formal process. After three to six months on the job, training in these skills can be done through university classes, consultants, or in-house resources.
The best training method, however, involves hands-on learning activities in which the manager uses the function’s data, challenges, and resources in a strategy-related assignment. After completing the assignment, the manager should be evaluated and receive feedback.
In addition, development aimed at helping people become whole-functional managers can involve various activities, but one of the best is meeting with other functional managers who can share their assessment of this particular manager’s function.
Where do they see a need for improvement? Where do they see opportunities for synergy? The perspectives of peers can provide a new functional manager with an appreciation of her function that is much more wide-ranging than she would ordinarily possess.
Read also: Maturing into a leadership role (3)
Development progress can be measured with a calendar check. Functional managers have to make significant shifts in how they spend their time if they successfully transition to this new leadership level. Time must be blocked out for strategy sessions, communication meetings with various sub-functional representatives, etc. Functional managers should note the time they have devoted to these activities on their calendars.
In addition, they should be spending time benchmarking cross-industry and be involved in local business networks. Reviewing their calendars will tell you whether they devote the time necessary to develop functional managers.
However, the best way to measure developmental progress is to watch for signs of maturity. We have noted many likely signs. But maturity can also be measured by developing traits such as humility. A mature leader doesn’t have to be an expert in every functional area; he is willing to admit that others know more than he does and is willing to learn from them.
Similarly, mature leaders recognize that if they are going to succeed, they need to get cooperation from others. To do so, they will delegate, communicate, and ensure that information flows smoothly and quickly.
Finally, a clear sign of maturity is letting go of old silo behaviours. When silos were the rule, functions, and subfunctions worked apart rather than together. Although management has attempted to tear down these silos, the old attitudes persist. Mature leaders will be less dedicated to their function and embrace a more integrated, total business philosophy.
