The dance of getting things done
“What does delivery mean to you?” - I was recently asked this question by a friend after expressing some frustration at not being able to deliver on my current project. "What it's always been", I responded, “getting things done.” “But that’s no longer your only role, as a leader, when it comes to delivery”, she responded.
My favourite part of being a contractor was the ability to go in, do a job, deliver, get things done, and leave. Contractors are not interested in getting involved in the politics of an organisation/team, they’re usually excellent at upward stakeholder management, good at getting to know an organisation quickly, and able to hit the ground running. This recipe, in itself, may not work for a permanent employee, especially one in a leadership position.
The transition from contractor to a permanent employee in a leadership position requires you to reevaluate what delivery and getting things done mean. For example, the bonding and connecting activities with your peers, doing other things that are important to your stakeholders, identifying a cultural interpreter in your team/department, et al.
A few learnings and reminders over the last few weeks:
Job alignment - there’s the job, and there’s the job. There is almost always a difference between what you think your job is and your boss thinks your job is. Clarification at an early stage is highly recommended and crucial.
What problem are you here to solve? - recruitment is solving a problem. By being hired, the organisation has identified you as the best person to solve this. Asking the right questions to the right persons can help identify this.
Become your boss's confidant - somewhat controversial but necessary. The idea isn’t to become best friends with your boss but to identify the gaps that he/she/they have that you can fill. For example, is there a particular relationship that your boss wants you to handle, perhaps a challenging stakeholder or developing a relationship with someone they are unable to.
What are others doing - connect with someone in your team/department doing a similar role and ask, how do you spend your day? You will find that only a portion of their day is spent on their work responsibilities, i.e., delivering. Your colleague may be spending parts of their day building relationships, being visible to potential sponsors, effectively delegating in their team to allow for the Google 20%.
Emotional intelligence and optics - as my friend pointed out, “if you’re that colleague who is always working, laser focussed on delivering, you will eventually become unpopular with your colleagues and risk losing the ability to bring them onside when needed.
Lesson: It’s not all about work, view delivery through a different lens.
This post was originally published on November 9th, 2021.