NO YELLING: Technical Competence

Today we continue our new journey into a practical study of leadership development titled: NO YELLING. The lessons contained within our study stem from the book "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business" by Wally Adamchik.

Many within (and outside of!) the Delta Companies, Inc., organization will know Wally from his many training sessions at Colas University, various Colas meetings, and even our own Delta Days training events. As a former U.S. Marine Officer, Wally led a tank battalion before becoming a pilot of AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. Today, he serves as President of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. To learn more about Wally, visit his website at www.firestarterspeaking.com.

Our exploration of "NO YELLING: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business", continues with the second secret: TECHNICAL COMPETENCE which includes: The Foundation of Credibility, Success Triangle, and Setting the Standards.

There is a high expectation that the leader be competent in the assigned task or specialty he/she is supervising. This expectation exists to some level in all endeavors. Workers want the boss to know what they do and to have, at least, a rudimentary understanding of how it is done. At a minimum, the leader should be familiar with the task. Even better, he/she should have some proficiency at it.

The Foundation of Credibility

First, this is a respect issue. Second, it is a direction issue. Employees correctly believe that if a boss does not know what they do and how they do it, he/she will be unable to make the right decisions on how to effectively employ them, implement changes that positively impact performance, and improve the team's ability to capitalize on future opportunities.

Even more important is the willingness of the leader to admit when he/she does not know how to do something. They do expect him/her to be familiar with it and to take an interest in it. When the supervisor asks questions about what the employees are doing and sincerely listens to the responses, he/she establishes a positive relationship with his/her employees.

Asking questions about what an employee is doing is worthless - unless you care about the response.

Technical expertise, as opposed to competence, can be a dangerous area for any leader, particularly a new one. One risk arises when a new leader tries to establish credibility by jumping in too often to lend a hand or show he/she can do the work. A second emerges when the new leader's expertise overshadows his/her employee's ability to do the assignment in question. A third risk crops up when the leader is insecure about delegating.

Success Triangle

At the base of the triangle is technical proficiency. Knowing the job is the foundation of success. But to be successful as you are promoted, you need to become proficient in managing and leading, also.

Newly appointed leaders often fail to recognize they are no longer getting paid to actually do the work. They are getting paid to ensure the work gets done by others.

By insisting on doing much of the work themselves, they are failing to exercise supervision. They are not leading. They are still trying to be the best at what they used to do. They are not encouraging their team to grow, nor are they developing their own talents as a supervisor. This behavior creates several bad situations:

• Poor morale. The vast majority of people pride themselves on doing a good job. They relish the opportunity to make a contribution.
• When the supervisor does the work, the subordinates lose the opportunity to train and grow.
• If the supervisor is too busy redoing his/her team's work then he/she is not using his/her time to carry out his/her own responsibilities.
• Additionally, the supervisor is holding himself/herself back.

To overcome this problem, a company must provide the following:

1. A thorough description of the supervisory position;
2. Strong leadership from those who oversee the new supervisor;
3. Training for the newly promoted supervisor in management, leadership, efficient use of time, delegation, and profitability; and
4. A statement of why this person was selected for the positions

Setting the Standards

Technical competence of the leader also ensures that standards are maintained. In the absence of technical competence from the leader, the product, process, or service may be substandard, but the leader does not know it because he/she is not familiar enough with the output to make an appropriate evaluation. The standard must be maintained and leaders have a duty to ensure that it is. They can do so only if they understand the task. Again, though, we are looking for competence and NOT expertise.

Technical competence enables the leader to make accurate assignments and to assign the task to the most qualified person.

Summary

Successful leaders know and understand the jobs they supervise. They are able to make decisions based on that knowledge, thereby increasing their credibility. Successful organizations recognize the new skills and responsibilities necessary for continued success at higher levels, and they work to put qualified people into those positions of greater impact and responsibility.

The willingness to "get dirty" once in a while demonstrates respect for the people being led. It enables the leader to understand the conditions the employees face and to craft strategies to help them succeed. They leader who knows the requirements of the task is better able to troubleshoot when things go wrong and help employees. Competence also enables leaders to know how to detect when they are being told (or not told) the whole story.

Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc