The real work of leadership is never on your TODO list.
Ken was stressed out.
As a newly promoted manager of a small engineering team at a startup, he had the most experience with the systems. He knew the software and firmware better than anyone else, so he reviewed every PR. He created the work tickets, wrote the requirements, and validated the builds. and acted as manager, architect, and programmer. When things went wrong, it was his phone that rang.
His personal TODO list was miles long, and the team’s backlog and roadmap stretched to the horizon.
As you might imagine, Ken faced a constant pressure to get things done – and get done right.
One Monday morning, riding the train into the office, Ken found himself without internet. Shutting his laptop, and finally his eyes, Ken wondered, “Is this what being a manager is supposed to be? Am I doing it right? How does anyone do this as a career…”
As the train moved, thoughts of his family came to mind. His partner and their small children, 5 and 7 years old. Ken had enjoyed the weekend spent teaching his 5 year old how to ride a bike. There would be lots more bike lessons to come, but he and his partner looked forward to sharing their love for bike riding with their children.
He contrasting how he approached bike lessons with leading the team. At work, he was there to unblock the team and ensure everyone was working on the right thing, in the right way, with the right requirements, to hit the right milestones at the right time. He smiled as he noticed the word “right” repeated over and over again. At work, everything needed to be perfect – and he had to stay on top of everything or it would go off track. It was as if he was driving a city bus, and it was his job to hit every stop on-time.
Then an image of his family came to mind, traveling together by bicycle. Ken might be “in front”, but each person had their own bike. The kids laughed as they rode zig-zag routes, or zoomed ahead and raced back. Everyone was heading toward a common goal, but everyone was responsible for their own bike, their own speed, their own safety… and Ken trusted each of them. He knew that in time, his kids would have their own bike rides without him, and he looked forward to hearing what adventures and marvels they disovered.
Eyes closed but fully awake, Ken wondered: is that what leading his team could be like?
What if the work wasn’t to “get people on the bus”, but “teach them how to ride safely”? If he could be less bus driver and more lead bike rider? What if it wasn’t about getting it right, but about helping each person know how to get it right, together?
As the train slowed, his phone buzzed. The internet was back, and Slack was blowing up. It was time to strap in for the day.
Packing up to leave, the bedtime book he read his kids last night, Winnie the Pooh came to mind…
“Here is Edward Bear, coming down the stairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.“
If only.
Now it’s your turn.
Did a part of this resonate with you?
What could be better next week, if only you could stop bumping for a moment?