When do you "own" your leadership role?

October 26, 9:23 PMLeadership ExaminerSteve Arneson

Previous Next

3 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Leadership Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

There was a wonderful column in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal by Peggy Noonan about the fact that it’s time for President Obama to “own” his presidency. Noonan wrote that it’s been 9 months since Obama took office, and it’s time to stop using the excuse that this administration is mopping up the mess they inherited. Noonan’s premise is that the American people will give that argument only so much playing time before they start asking: “what are you doing to fix things?” Noonan believes the polls indicate that we’ve collectively declared: “you’re officially responsible now, Mr. Obama.”

I think she’s right. There comes a time in every leader’s tenure when perception turns from “they’re just getting their feet on the ground” to “what’s taking them so long?” But in the real world, we don’t have the benefit of regular polls to help us figure out when that perception has shifted. Sometimes that realization comes hard and fast in a 1:1 with your boss, or in a staff meeting where you get called on to defend a position (or lack thereof).

We’ve all assumed a new leadership position at some point – do you remember how that felt? It literally feels different, doesn’t it? You’re busy getting the lay of the land, meeting your key stakeholders, plotting strategy and putting together a new team. All the while, people are treating you with kid gloves, because they know you’re assimilating and haven’t had a chance to put your stamp on the role yet. But sooner or later, you become synonymous with the job. It’s your position, and people are looking at your body of work. “What’s she done?” becomes a fair question, and if you’re not careful, you’ll miss the signals of when people feel you’ve had long enough to make your mark.

How long do you have? That depends on the situation, of course. If you’re being asked to lead a major turnaround you’ll probably get longer to play the “we were in a deep hole” card that if you take over a successful group. But I would say you have anywhere from 3 to 4 months, and maybe less, before people expect you to put your stamp on the role.

I think Obama has the hardest job in the world, so maybe 9 months is about right for him. Certainly, though, the challenges that he inherited (two wars, economic downturn, etc.) are now his, too. There’s no getting around it… he has to deliver, because he’s in the big chair now. These are his problems, and he needs to solve them.

The same is true for you. At some point, the job becomes yours, and it won’t matter what your predecessor did. Know this, and get into this mindset very early; anticipate the bend in the road where this shift in perception is likely to happen for you. Hopefully, it will spur you to take action and make decisions that you can call your own, which starts you on the path to building your own track record of results. Don’t wait for others to gauge how long is long enough – adopt the attitude that these are my challenges and issues to solve, and start owning the role from the very beginning.