No two leaders are called to the same degree of oversight….Knowing where you fit best is the key to an effective career. You may well be called to lead: but you may have a differentr capacity than another leader in te size of teams you lead well.
There are key competencies you must possess to successfully navigate greater leels of responsibiity. We have seen leaders crash ad burn when their authority out-paces their skill mastery.
Skiff
Start of Apple. Two guys in a garage with a vision. Or you might be the Executive Director of an organization with minimal staff and as many, if not more, volunteers who are fairly autonomous. In this position there may actually be contact with a number of outside stakeholders
Yatch
You excell at small to medium-sized project management with teams of 10 to 30, with direct oversight of 5. You have “skiff” skills plus you’re good at getting folks to work harmoniously to carry out your vision or, in a large organization, the vision and mission of your particular department.
Ferry
This is leadership of a small business (50 employees plus), a small non-profit or the middle management level (or top management of a medium sized organization) I see the most common trouble spot: Managers doing the work of lower rung employees. Directors micro-managing the departments and failing to identify and raise up competent leaders. Here you must learn to delegate
Cruise Ship
The complexities of these large organizations from government agencies to mega-corps requires that you are clear about your role, out of the weeds and steerin the ship. You must be a visionary familiar with and on top of all of the complexities that accompany such a large operation but you do it by having the best, most competent super stars to manage te various components.
In order to be successful hear you must be a master visionary, remain humble-hearted, and become a true leader of leaders. This includes
Without a superior executive team, these Captains crash, burn and sink the most luxurious of liners.
Tug Boats
More than perhaps any category, leaders in this category are often misplaced. They have superb skills, see the big picture, exemplify the mission of the organization, but they thrive best and last longest when they are in a supportive role. In organizations this might range from executive assistant to a COS, or a Presiden’s chief of staff. It’s not about size here, but whether they jhjhkh
Growing in leader-ship.
We have to start somewhere. Most C-suite executives of large companies got their start somewhere, usually as a skiff rower or captain of a small yacht. Equally important is the fact that the majority of us will thrive right where we are; not every skiff runner is meant to captain a ferry, nor should they all want to.
But if you do have larger aspirations, you need more complex management skills
Manage the team leaders. Lead the leaders.