Analyzing “Being the Boss” by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback
In the framework of Armenian Science and Technology Center project by TSD
Who is a visionary? One who clearly sees the goal knows where is standing and take action towards that goal. Some people are abstract thinkers. Other people are very pragmatic and concrete in their thought. Visionaries are people who weave together these different ways of thinking. They have the ability to allow their mind to flow freely, creative by programmed channels of thought. Yet a visionary also has the ability to bring everything together and seamlessly integrate it with the real world. An abstract thinker is like a kite without a tail, spinning wildly in the wind. A concrete thinker is like a tail without the kite, unable to soar freely in the conceptual skies above. A visionary integrates the two - a kite with a stable and unshakable tail that soars freely into the sky[1]. It is one thing to be a visionary and has a creative idea that you are really passionate about, and another to have an idea that’s also practical and strategic. To unleash the visionary thinker inside us, our first step will be the answer to this simple, yet difficult question: Where are we standing? Where are we on our journey? There are few people that can answer this question - realize where they are standing, because this requires a strong “honesty” to see the reality and take actions to improve it.
However, what about this case: let us imagine that with hard work we have achieved our dream-job or dream-business? What’s next? Is that enough just to establish or launch a business? Indeed NO! If you create something, you should also protect it. Protection does not require artillery or special armaments. First, it requires great managing skills, that’s why if we have become a manager, we don’t need to be a leader. But if we are a leader, we can’t but BE a manager.
Management skills are hard to bear. It requires organizational, time management, event management, communication skills, and strong interpersonal skills. For example, if I am a marketing manager, I will need to develop collateral material, promotional materials for events, as well as traditional and social media campaigns targeting the company’s diverse internal and external audiences globally. I will also need to develop and implement marketing strategies and marketing communications activities to support and promote company’s programs, develop the branding, advertising, events, prepare and manage timelines and budgets for marketing projects. And the crucial – have the ability to work both independently and with a team with diverse cultures and personalities.
“Becoming a Manager Requires Personal Learning and Change. Second, becoming an effective manager requires that you not only acquire new skills and knowledge but also undergo difficult personal change[2].” Becoming a manager is a JOURNEY - a journey most managers fail to complete. So, how to complete the journey? Harvard professor of business administration Linda A. Hill and business writer Kent Lineback suggest that BEING THE BOSS can help us to complete our journey. In the book Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader”[3], they offer a lucid blend of cogent theory and practical strategies. They educate and inspire novice and experienced leaders who want to practice the fundamentals of good management.
Why these “3 Imperatives”– “manage yourself, manage your network and manage your team” (Figure 1) – are vital to leadership? How they can guide our development as a manager and as we follow team goals and career growth[4].
3 Imperatives Model
The 3 Imperatives summarize the essence of what we must do to fulfill our responsibility as a manager. They are the fundamental levers of influence we can use with both the people who work for us and those who don’t. They provide the tools for managing the paradoxes, and they are flexible enough to accommodate the changes now occurring in the workplace and the workforce[5]. However, learn how to manage people and be a better leader, is not only about skills or training taken. Being the BOSS is about realizing our capabilities, that we lack in something, then try to feel that empty space with the right people. But not only RIGHT people but also at the right time. Because if we are beginning or undertaking a project, first we should understand what WE are doing then to delegate it to other people – team-workers. Having a loyal team is not an easy thing, and being the boss either. BEING THE BOSS BEGINS WITH ACTING HONESTLY TO US AND OUR TEAM.
Sources
[1] “Unchain Your Mind and Begin to Think Like a Visionary” https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/282379
[2] Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, “Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader”. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011, p. 18.
[3] "Being the Boss" is an indispensable guide for not only first-time managers, but all managers seeking to master the most daunting challenges of leadership.
[4] Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, “Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader”. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011, p. 33.
[5] Ibid.