Inside The Edge
About
The Executive Chair
The one question you always want to ask a successful person in a senior leadership role is “How did you get there?” In developing your own career, you learn more from hearing what worked – and didn’t work – from senior leaders and hearing their wisdom than from any other source.
We are embarking on a series of interviews with leaders who exemplify success for us. In their words are insights that can give you direction for moving your own career forward.
To read a summary, written by Michael DeVenney, of the past 12 interviews this year - click here.
| Bret Mitchell: Aggresive Aspirations - Understand the Results Needed, Learn How to Contribute, and Align Your Efforts to Deliver |
Michael(MD): What did you do to move to a leadership role?Bret Mitchell (BM): I think to really succeed in leadership roles you need both the ambition and the attitude that goes beyond your aptitude. You need to believe you can do it. You have to want something deeply enough that it will lead you along a path to actually do things – even with a bit of aggressive aspirations. For me, I have been very fortunate to have worked with some of the best mentors in the retailing industry. They provided me the opportunities to be challenged and experiences that supported me to advance my career. In the early days, they would step in on their own and take an interest in me. I like to think the reasoning was a personal connection but I also believe that some people saw I could perform and wanted to push me further. Later in my career, I actively looked for people with the skill sets and knowledge of areas of business where I needed to grow and develop. I identified the people who I thought I could learn from and approached them. Mentors have always been a support to help me harness what I can stretch and attain. (MD): What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of?(BM):I would encourage developing professionals to reflect the attitudes and aspirations to invest and succeed. Leaders look for those attributes and ask if you are a worthwhile investment. Most leaders want to drive results and, ultimately, it comes down to showing what you can deliver. Young professionals need to gain an understanding of the results the organization needs, learn their role, and align their efforts to deliver what is needed most.(MD): What about doing less of?(BM): There seems to be a sense of expecting or wanting things right now or today. It is important in my perspective that young professionals show less hesitancy to get into the details of their roles and the organization. It is hard to gain experience so it is critical that people take risks and try new things based on the opportunities they have. When you develop your expertise in delivering results, you will gain the confidence to take on greater challenges. (MD): What experience helped you the most in your career and why?(BM): I think what really helped me most in my own career was taking on special projects that moved me out of my own areas of operations and comfort. When I participated in these additional projects, I learned how to make a significant contribution while developing in me the dynamics of working cross-functionally. It expanded my ability to work collaboratively as well to generate results together with a diverse team. I can think of about five major projects over my career where I volunteered to get involved. With successes in the initial projects, my work and investment beyond my own role was recognized and people began to seek me out for other projects. It definitely takes time to build your reputation through those experiences and you have to be willing to invest to earn it. You need to persevere – not just wait for someone to ask you – to engage aggressively to acquire what you need to move your career forward. I don’t believe you just sit there and wait for it all to unfold. (MD): What was the greatest challenge moving your career forward?(BM): For me, the greatest challenge was transitioning from more of a managerial style and role to one of leadership. It is a difficult move from focusing more on the task to working with leading people. Many fail at this. Developing those leadership skills is more about team performance than achieving results on your own. This shift was a tipping point for my own career. I had to learn how to perform through others and not just on my own. Working on the special projects, as I mentioned in the prior question, required me to move out of my immediate job description and take on projects that were cross-functional, broader in scope, and involved taking on responsibilities without direct authority. I needed to use influence and develop that skill set to be able to achieve results. (MD): What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership?(BM): My greatest strength is my ability to collaborate with others and take a more developmental style to enhance team performance. With this approach, I believe you gain a greater level of engagement. However, it is important to be adaptable – that is what has worked for me but it is dependent on your environment and situation as to what works for you. There is not one style that will be a strength for you in every situation as a leader. I think it is critical to understand your own strengths, find out what fits you and your organization, and leverage that to everyone’s benefit. (MD): What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role?(BM): The surprise for me has been the extent of the impact that your own decisions can have on both you and others on a personal level. I have always been a believer in using empathy as a resource. You can feel people’s pain when you have to make difficult decisions and it can be hard on you as you feel it as well. Similarly, when someone rises and wins, you can feel that as well with them. (MD)What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role?(BM): The role – the nature of being able to really contribute to making a difference is the real benefit for me. It is rewarding to see the personal development of those around you and the impact of their results to support an organization that is growing. I feel I am a stronger leader through the growth of these people and take pride in the overall organization’s performance growth rather than just my results. (MD): What is the next achievement you want in your leadership career?(BM): For me, the sign of a great leader is that the day after you leave you are not missed. I want to create the confidence for our organization of a seamless succession route that will give the Board and the business the same level of sustainable performance. And not just necessarily in my own style of leadership. I recognize that our organization’s ongoing success is not about me but rather determined by the young managers developing in our company. I want to create an organization that is ready for the next step and not necessarily with me. It is my responsibility to set the organization up for success and not get caught up in self-importance. Think about where you are now in your career and what you can take from Bret's observations. We would love to hear your comments about what are your key takeaways from our conversation with Bret. Tell us your progress – we want you to succeed. ______________________________________________________________
You can find out more about the NSLC at www.mynslc.com. |
