"These calls are really helping. I feel like I am getting a lot more done."
That came from a client at the end of his first month.
He came to me to implement new standards within his team. They had adopted new KPIs and the team was struggling to move with them.
One month in, two things shifted.
- His team started moving in the right direction on the new standards. Not all the way there, but visibly closer than they were when we started, And he reclaimed his personal boundaries.
- His team stopped coming to him for every small thing. Stopped routing every question through his desk. They started using their own chain of command, which let the leaders below him actually lead. And when they did bring something to him, they came with decisions, not problems.
This is what the work is supposed to do.
Most technical leaders I talk to assume they have to choose. A high-performing team, or space to think and plan and lead at the level they were promoted to.
They believe those two are in tension.They are not.
You can have both. A team that executes without you. Time to think about the work that only you can do. Decisions made before they reach your desk. Real boundaries between work and the rest of your life.
It does not happen on its own. But it is closer than most leaders believe.
One month in, this leader is already operating differently. The next five months are where it compounds.
