I am so excited to join with you to kick off the new softuary.net blog! This website is something I have been looking forward to and the content has been simmering in the back of my mind for many years.
Does the world really need another blog about leadership and management?
Short answer: Absolutely!
Long answer:
The world has changed, folks. Today’s business environment is not what it was when Drucker was king. It’s not the same as when Ioccoca and Welch were working miracles. Nor is the same as when Jobs rose and fell and rose again. In fact, in some companies the word manager has become a tainted word. A 2011 Harvard Business Review column by Lynda Gratton (Column: The End of the Middle Manager) neatly sums up the prevailing attitude that the middle manager is all but dead in today’s corporate world.
Or is it?
I used to work for a manager whose only criterion when interviewing candidates was “smart people who get stuff done.” That was all. Degrees and experience didn’t matter. Not really. What mattered was did the person have the right mix of talents, energy, humility and grit to get the job done at the toughest moment?
That same fundamental principle applies today. There will always be a need for competent people who can get stuff done. That skill transcends companies, industries, and cultures.
“There will always be a need for competent people who can get stuff done.”
Are you that type of person? If not, do you want to learn?
In the past, traditional management positions were revered and the responsibilities were clear: make sure your employees did what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it.
In today’s information economy, that thinking not only doesn’t apply, it will actively inhibit you from succeeding. The managers and leaders of today are being asked to take on more responsibilities and tasks, at the same time the long standing strategies for how to excel are showing they are unsuitable in today’s business world.
The life of a corporate middle manager is different now, but it is just as necessary today as it was 10, 20, and 30 years ago. Today, businesses and large corporations need to have kick ass managers and leaders. In fact, they cannot live without them. Is my firm belief that companies, corporations and small businesses cannot achieve their dreams and ambitions without strong leaders and managers operating day-to-day within their hierarchies. These so-called "middle managers" are the heart and soul of an organization.
Conversely, It only takes one bad person in a position of power to undermine an entire operation. The potential for organizational greatness or disaster often potentially rests in one person. I’ve seen it many times.
Are you driving yourself and your organization forward? Or are you unknowingly holding them back?
Here at softuary.net, the goal is to create a diverse community of leaders wanting to grow and improve at the science and art of leadership and people management. Together, we can help each other achieve the best performance we possibly can!
A few housekeeping items
Culture
I am American and I have spent many years of my career outside of the U.S. working with non-native English speakers. I write with an American-inspired point of view, but my thoughts and methods are tested and refined while working with many cultures around the world. When trying to convey an idea or concept verbally, an idiom, colloquial phrase, or pop culture reference often works well. I will do my best to avoid using such types of shortcuts. On the odd occasion that I do, I will link to a definition so the content is still accessible by non-native English speakers. If you see that I’ve used a North American-only phrase without providing a definition, please post a comment so I can update the post.
Content
Softuary.net is a place to read and discuss topics that matter to the leaders and managers all over the business world. My target audiences are the mid-level leaders (those of you leading employees and have a manager above you) but the concepts will apply to leaders and future leaders of all levels.
To enable the goal of developing leaders, I will post original content containing thoughts and strategies about leadership, business and people management. With each post, I aim to be thought provoking and will give strategies that people can try out and use the very same day. Experimentation in the workplace is often the best teacher, and I would love to hear which strategies and techniques work for you, and which ones failed for you!
There are so many excellent websites and resources discussing business, leadership and management, I will never simply post links to other sites’ content. If I see something that I think is absolutely fantastic then I will refer to the other blog and provide a few thoughts of mine about the content.
Frequency
I work more than full-time as a mid-level manager in a very exciting international company. Trying to kick ass at my day job, and spend equal time and energy with my family is a constant balancing act that consumes most of my time. With this time constraint in mind, my initial ambition for softuary.net is to post content twice per month.
Length
I imagine most of you are just as busy as I am and do not have a lot of free time to spend perusing websites. For all of us, there are many personal and professional resources competing for our limited free time. I will do my best to keep the posts short, less than 1000 words, to enable the average reader to finish them in approximately five minutes.
Iterate together
In true Agile development fashion, I plan to start with a few initial goals, and then refine the website as I receive feedback and softuary.net naturally evolves. To do that I need feedback from you!
So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!