The Leadership Pipeline

are met?” or “How well do your people understand the quality standards and what are you doing to assure they meet then?” These questions elicit quite a different response and help the manager of others to focus on the right work. Failure to ask them the right question inhibits their development.

Learning to ask the right questions is an especially tricky skill for managers of managers. Most likely they have been asking production or quality-oriented questions to their “manage self” people, such as “When will you be finished with the project?” or “Why is quality slipping?” When they ask those same questions to managers of others, these people will take personal responsibility for getting things done; they will assume from the questions that this is what their manager wants in order to speed things up or improve quality. Managers of others who were selected based on their technical prowess will frequently revert to type and become “manage self” employees. Managers of managers, therefore, should ask management and leadership questions. For example, “What should you do to your organization to assure that due dates

Observations from the Field

A. The first sign is failure to engage properly with direct reports: not being available, not holding meetings, not getting to know them as people and not communicating. Another indicator is failure to get clarity with their boss on things like standards for success, problem areas to be addressed, and priorities of the business. Working in isolation from their management ultimately leads to inappropriate performance.

These managers of others all do the same things: plan the work, assign the work, monitor progress, give feedback, coach, measure performance, hire and fire, and so on. The work itself is the same for all six categories. What needs to be adjusted are time frames and emphasis.

Assigned reading—articles, books, and so on—can provide an outside perspective on the leadership passage they’re mak

Meetings, Readings, and Travel
These techniques can all supplement more direct intervention. Staff meetings at which first-time managers talk about what they’ve learned during the past month (or longer period) give them a chance to articulate their understanding of the passage they’re going through and express concerns.

Suppliers, Customers, and Other Relevant Individuals
This type of relationship demands broader thinking and a wider perspective than was necessary for an individual contributor. Establishing “common purpose” relationships with these people—relationships in which both parties work toward the success of the business—is often a new experience. Supplying information and providing early warnings on problems to an “outsider” requires an adjustment in perception.

building mutual respect and support.

Direct Reports
This isn’t about liking subordinates or socializing with them but about