[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ background_image=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/large-leadership.jpg” custom_padding=”0|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”|auto|-54px|auto||” custom_padding=”467px|0px|0|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ text_font=”PT Sans||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”72″ text_line_height=”1.1em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”785px” custom_margin=”-98px||0px|||” custom_padding=”||168px|||” text_font_size_tablet=”52″ text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet”]<\/p>\n
The New Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ min_height=”3368px” custom_margin=”-5px|||||” custom_padding=”134px|0px|9px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_margin=”-43px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”20px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/david-ivers.png” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.23″ custom_margin=”-45px|||||” animation=”off” sticky=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#02b875″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.2em” header_text_color=”#000000″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||0px|”]DAVID IVERS<\/span><\/a> I want one <\/em>moment<\/em> in time<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n When I’m more than I <\/em>thought<\/em> I <\/em>could<\/em> be<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n When all of my <\/em>dreams<\/em> are a <\/em>heartbeat<\/em> away<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n One Moment in Time<\/a>. Song by Whitney Houston.<\/em><\/p>\n Written By: Albert Louis Hammond \/ John Bettis.<\/em><\/p>\n Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n So, Happy New Year! Congratulations, you won a promotional position at an interview on 18 November last year and today\u2019s the day! You\u2019re a new leader, with a new team at a new organization. Your family is excited, you\u2019ve worked for it, you won it on merit. As Whitney Houston says, \u201call of your dreams are a heartbeat away.\u201d Amidst all the excitement, is an eerie sense of nervousness that the joy may be short-lived. For whatever reason, you keep thinking that they never quite prepared you for day one of leadership in \u2018grad school\u2019!<\/p>\n The Fictitious Case Study:<\/u><\/p>\n To keep this narrative going, the fictitious job is \u2018Manager Supply Services\u2019 at the fictitious \u2018Department of Government\u2019. You will be responsible for the procurement of goods and services, government supply contracts, and the like for all state government departments and agencies. It\u2019s a job that might seem inconsequential to some, as you will be responsible for the ordering of screws and nails for government building projects. However, you will be negotiating multi-million dollar contracts for paint, air conditioning units, cabling, hand sanitizer, and so on. The potential impact – positive or negative on the government\u2019s budget is immense.\u00a0<\/p>\n You arrive at the newly built government center in the downtown area, sign-on, and meet the Assistant Director that will be your direct report. The Assistant Director indicates that they will come down at morning tea (tea\/coffee break) at 10:30 am, to formally introduce you to the branch. The Assistant Director confirms your (fictitious) pay grade is \u2018Executive Level 6\u2019 or colloquially \u2018E6\u2019. Being new, you enquire \u2018how many pay grades are there?\u2019 The Director-General (top position in the Department) is an E36. You suddenly realize that you are not a senior-junior manager but a junior middle manager, with that many pay grades in the organization. Nonetheless, you think positively. There\u2019s plenty of scope for further promotion if you can simply prove yourself to be a great leader. It can\u2019t be too hard, you have the theory in your MBA from \u2018grad school\u2019.<\/p>\n You have already gone through your initial induction\/onboarding with a small group of leaders joining the Department with you. This was off-site early in the New Year. After the meeting with the Assistant Director, you head back to your office and your team of 100 people. You move into your office which is a series of glass walls and a door. You turn your computer on, sign in, and take your seat in your office. You start to answer some emails from others in the organization, people you are yet to meet, welcoming you, and introducing themselves to you. After replying to six of these emails, you glance through the glass wall and notice your 100 strong team, diligently working away at their desks. That\u2019s when it occurs to you. You haven\u2019t met any of these people, you don\u2019t know their names, how long they have been in this branch, what qualifications they have, what aspirations they have, even who your leadership team might be! You realize to your horror, despite all of the courses and graduating from the Master of Business Administration \u2018With Distinction\u2019 from a well-known \u2018grad school\u2019, you know nothing at this point in time! Your formal introduction to the team with the Assistant Director won\u2019t be for another 45 minutes! An important decision point has been reached, one which may well set the tone of your leadership. The obvious options are:\u00a0<\/p>\n Option:<\/p>\n Whichever option you choose, in choosing your own adventure, the choice and the outcome means you are choosing the adventure your team will go on as well.<\/p>\n The Discussion:<\/u><\/p>\n Without being negative, this fictitious scenario is probably not that far removed, nor are the choices for the adventure you end up selecting for yourself and in turn for your team. Suffice to say that any choice other than \u2018D\u2019 is a winner! The one that is most likely to be highly effective is \u2018C\u2019. Obviously, \u2018B\u2019 could be full of information some of which may be useful, and \u2018A\u2019 is obviously the short-term answer to your prayers. The answer though must prioritize people; hence \u2018C\u2019 is the option that gives you the \u2018best return\u2019 as you try to establish yourself with credibility amongst your new team. The clear lesson is that it is the leader\u2019s role to take the initiative, create momentum and engage the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n At some point, you will need to discern ways in which you can engage with your team, ways that will develop the relationship, carefully building the important thing that all good relationships are predicated on, trust. The important thing here is that trust is built through signs that you keep commitments made and have a true presence amongst the team that you lead. This is the decision that good leaders make on Day 1 and every day thereafter. One good example can be found in a world leader, Pope Francis. On July 25, 2014, Pope Francis made headlines because he had lunch! In the \u2018World Views\u2019 section of The Washington Post, the headline screamed: \u201cToday\u2019s lunch special in the Vatican cafeteria: Pope Francis!\u201d<\/a> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n There are a number of lessons from the decision of Pope Francis to have lunch with the employees of the Vatican in their cafeteria.<\/p>\n The first lesson: Demonstrate priorities! When you are the employer of every employee in the Vatican and a world leader, your diary is likely to be very busy. Yet Pope Francis hosts dinners for the homeless and finds time to have lunch with the people who work for him. It\u2019s a priority!<\/p>\n The second lesson: Demonstrate to the team, a real understanding that to build relationships you must spend time with the people that matter.<\/p>\n The third lesson: Demonstrate the willingness to follow through on commitments and in doing so build trust.<\/p>\n The fourth lesson: Demonstrate that trust starts in you trusting yourself, trusting that you can do these things.<\/p>\n The importance of trust and self-trust in leadership is a critical point that Stephen M. R. Covey makes in his excellent works, The Speed of Trust<\/a> (2006)<\/em><\/span> and Smart Trust<\/a> (2012)<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t mean that you stop asking searching questions to validate information, assess risks, or see where the answer sits in the grand scheme of things. You can start by asking some basic questions that are designed to quickly establish a relationship. Pope Francis at lunch, gives some insight into this.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pope sat with Vatican employees, asked them about their work and hung around afterward to compliment the food and take a few photos…Francis also discussed\u00a0soccer and the economy with the\u00a0Vatican pharmacy warehouse workers sitting at his table.\u201d<\/p>\n Ohlheiser, Abby. (2014). \u201cToday\u2019s lunch special in the Vatican cafeteria: Pope Francis!\u201d<\/a> <\/em><\/span>The Washington Post (July, 26, 2014).<\/p>\n Former Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell (US Army Retired) makes the following observation, useful to leaders, especially those just starting out in a significant leadership position.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess ultimately rests on small things, lots of small things. Leaders have to have a feel for small things\u2014a feel for what is going on in the depths of an organization where small things reside. The more senior you become, the more you are insulated by pomp and staff, and the harder and more necessary it becomes to know what is going on six floors down.\u201d<\/p>\n Powell, Colin with Koltz, Tony. (2012). It Worked for Me : In Life and Leadership (eBook<\/a>).<\/em><\/span> HarperCollins e-books: New York. p.21 of 244.<\/p>\n Good leaders know their people. They understand their story and know how to engage with them. They are in touch with the staff on the front line, the people who make big things happen for clients and customers by doing the \u2018small stuff\u2019. More often than not, if you get the small things right, the other things fall into place. At the heart of good leadership is a clear focus on relationships and trust with the team, amongst the team, and with the clients\/customers.<\/p>\n Typically, as a person moves into their first leadership position, it is often a junior or supervisor level role. These positions are where you get first-hand knowledge of the business, the customers, a small team. It is usually a fairly defined area of responsibility. As you grow and develop in your leadership, your responsibilities start to expand. In a government agency, you may find you have a greater interaction with other branches within the Department. Moving beyond these positions means having greater responsibilities across the state. For a new leader, putting in place professional development opportunities that will help to build your skillset, especially the soft \/ people skills that good leadership requires, is critical. Here a coach is highly recommended. If the Department or organization has a \u2018Leadership Framework\u2019 with core skills required of all leadership positions within the organization, then your Professional Learning should be linked to this.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” min_height=”594px” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” make_fullwidth=”on” custom_width_px=”680px”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2-3-scaled.jpg” title_text=”2″ show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ custom_padding=”||0px|||” animation=”off”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_color=”#efefe9″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2-3-scaled.jpg” title_text=”2″ show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ animation=”off”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”4.6.5″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#818178″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”1.2%|10%||10%||” custom_margin_tablet=”|10%||10%” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone”]<\/p>\n Good leaders know their people. They understand their story and know how to engage with them.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#888888″ text_font_size=”12″ text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20%|” custom_margin_tablet=”20px|||” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet”]DAVID IVERS A classic piece of research into leadership and organizations is the 1985 longitudinal research of first-time managers by Harvard Business School Professor, John Gabarro. Professor Gabarro (1985, 1987 & 2007) discovered that first time managers, whether first time entirely to a leadership position or new to an organization as a leader, are likely to transition through five stages, typically across 36 months, though this may vary because of experience. These stages according to Gabarro are:<\/p>\n Stage 1: Taking Hold (3-6 months in this stage)<\/p>\n \u201cThe first stage, taking hold, typically lasts from three to six months and often sets the tone, if not the direction, for the rest of the taking-charge process…Taking hold is a\u00a0 period of intense action and learning.\u00a0 If the\u00a0 new\u00a0 assignment\u00a0 is\u00a0 a\u00a0 big promotion\u00a0 or\u00a0 change,\u00a0 the\u00a0 newcomer\u00a0 may\u00a0 at\u00a0 times\u00a0 feel\u00a0 overwhelmed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Stage 2: Immersion (4-11 months in this stage)<\/p>\n \u201cDuring immersion,\u00a0 new managers run the organization in a more informed fashion and steep themselves in a less hectic, finer-grained learning process than was possible when they were taking hold.\u00a0 Consequently,\u00a0 by\u00a0 the\u00a0 end\u00a0 of\u00a0 this\u00a0 stage,\u00a0 they\u00a0 have developed\u00a0 a\u00a0 new\u00a0 concept\u00a0 or\u00a0 at\u00a0 least\u00a0 have\u00a0 greatly\u00a0 revised\u00a0 their\u00a0 ideas\u00a0 of\u00a0 what\u00a0 they\u00a0 need\u00a0 to\u00a0 do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Stage 3: Reshaping (3-6 months in this stage)<\/p>\n \u201cThe reshaping stage,\u00a0 like the taking-hold period,\u00a0 involves a\u00a0 great deal of organizational change…Nonetheless,\u00a0 after\u00a0 13\u00a0 to\u00a0 18\u00a0 months,\u00a0 most managers studied had reached the reshaping stage,\u00a0 where they were eager to act on the learning and exploration they had experienced in the immersion period…The Reshaping stage changes\u00a0 may\u00a0 involve\u00a0 altering\u00a0 processes\u00a0 as\u00a0 well\u00a0 as\u00a0 making\u00a0 major\u00a0 structural\u00a0 shifts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Stage 4: Consolidation (3-9 months in this stage)<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout this period,\u00a0 much of new managers\u2019\u00a0 learning and action focuses on consolidating and following through on the changes they made during reshaping.\u00a0 The process is evaluative…Finally,\u00a0 during\u00a0 consolidation,\u00a0 new\u00a0 managers\u00a0 deal\u00a0 with\u00a0 those\u00a0 aspects\u00a0 of\u00a0 their\u00a0 concept\u00a0 that\u00a0 they\u00a0 could\u00a0 not\u00a0 implement\u00a0 before.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Stage 5: Refinement (4 months onwards in this stage)<\/p>\n \u201cThis stage marks the end of the taking-charge process…Refinement is a\u00a0 calm period.\u00a0 From this stage onward,\u00a0 managers\u2019\u00a0 learning will be more incremental and routine.\u00a0 Important developments in the economy,\u00a0 the marketplace,\u00a0 or technology may destroy this calmness,\u00a0 but whatever additional learning and action such factors lead to,\u00a0 they do not result from newness.\u00a0 For\u00a0 better\u00a0 or\u00a0 worse,\u00a0 the\u00a0 manager\u00a0 has\u00a0 taken\u00a0 charge.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n From Gabarro, John. (2007). \u2018When A New Manager Takes Charge<\/a>.\u2019<\/em> In Harvard Business Review Magazine (January 2007).<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”PT Serif||on||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”16″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20px||true|”]David Ivers is from Sydney, Australia. He is a qualified Primary and Secondary School Teacher. In total, he has served on school leadership teams for 16 years in senior leadership roles.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”24″ text_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”720px” custom_margin=”-104px||0px|||” custom_padding=”14px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet”]<\/p>\n\n
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”4″ column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1200px” custom_padding=”0||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.5″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”1265px” custom_margin=”-73px||52px|||” custom_margin_tablet=”40px||0px|” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”84px||83px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n