Next Generation in Government Summit - Dealing with Being a Boss for the 1st Time

Dealing with Being a Boss for the 1st Time

I’m a Boss?

Objectives/Agenda

• Common challenges for any new “boss”

• Strategies and tools for outstanding “bosses”

• Speed Round

Discussion

• Who is a “boss”?

• What makes a “boss” outstanding?

Inspiration?

You know enough to be a good boss,

but probably not enough to be an outstanding “boss”

Challenge #1

Parenting

Discussion

• What resources – training courses, columns or other written information – should you regularly consult to be an outstanding leader?

Suggested Resources• Books

– Becoming a Manager – Linda Hill– What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – Marshall Goldsmith– The One Minute Manager – Ken Blanchard

• Publications– Government Executive– Fast Company – Washington Post – Fed Page, Federal Eye, Federal Worker Page, On Leadership– Harvard Business Review– Fortune

• Web Sites & Newsletters– Harvard Business Review Blogs (http://blogs.hbr.org/)– The Federal Coach (http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/fedcoach/) – The Partnership’s Daily Pipeline (http://www.ourpublicservice.org/)

Your agency will provide basic support, but you’ll need to find

your own resources

Challenge #2

You Can – Should – Phone a Friend

Discussion

• Who should you include in your network of resources if you are to be an outstanding “boss”?

• How should you establish that network?

Suggested Network – Beyond YGL and GovLoop

• Your boss• HR• Your peers• Experienced leaders

Your team is the best source of information about

being an outstanding “boss,” but they’ll never tell you

Challenge #3

You Don’t Need to Have All of the Answers

Discussion

• How can you establish open, honest, two-way communication with your team about your leadership approach?

• What do you do with the information they provide?

No ONE Approach Will Work• What is the one thing I do that helps you perform your job?

• If you could get me to stop doing one thing, what would it be?

• How can I help you perform your job more effectively?

• What can I do to support your professional growth and development?

It Really Is Just the Start…• Report back and be honest about your feedback

• Outline your plan of action and solicit additional advice

• Remind your team when you try something new and ask whether it’s working or not

You’ll deal with more personal problems than you ever imagined, but delivering constructive feedback may

the most difficult thing you do

Challenge #4

There Are No Easy Answers

Discussion

• How can you avoid the mistakes of the past and deliver effective feedback and coaching to your team?

Suggestions for Delivering Feedback

• Spend twice the amount of time preparing as delivering– Diagnose key performance themes – challenge yourself– Identify specific examples and provide results-oriented feedback

(i.e., when you did X, the results was Y)– Outline Specific-Measurable-Actionable-Realistic-Timely (SMART) goals

• Write down your feedback so that you’re not taken off-course

• Before delivering feedback, ask each team member about his/her own perceptions of performance

• Outline your SMART goals, and enlist their help in developing a final list of goals

• Bring a box of tissues

Don’t Feel Like You Should, “Hug it out….”

Speed Round

Stump the FedCoach andYour YGL/GovLoop Colleagues

Thanks

• Tom Foxtfox@ourpublicservice.org(202) 775-2745