354: WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT Book Launch Party With Doug Meyer

This is the recording from the conversation I had with Co-Founder/President of Brixey & Meyer, Doug Meyer, in front of many of our friends, clients, and colleagues at the Dayton office of Brixey & Meyer.

In WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT, I provide practical, actionable advice to help new managers build and lead committed teams in the face of daunting, unanticipated challenges. He presents a three-part framework outlining best practices distilled from interviews with more than 350 of the most forward-thinking leaders in the world, as well as his own professional experience transitioning from individual producer to new leader.

Through compelling stories and data-backed case studies, the book helps high performers make the leap from individual contributor to manager with greater ease, grace, courage, and effectiveness.

Notes:

The book writing process: How long did it take to write? What was the proposal writing process like? What led you to sell the book rights to McGraw-Hill?
Curiosity? Always natural or a learned skill? -- For me, this was something I learned to do... As I learned more, I realized there was so much more to learn.
The Cycle of Learning -- Operating Framework
- Consume/Learn - The intake engine (read, listen to podcasts, speak with mentors)
- Test - Experiment with what's been learned (You can't just be a learner, you have to be a doer) - "We learn who we are in practice, not in theory."
- Reflect - Analyze results, make adjustments
- Teach - Reinforce learning through sharing with others
Mentors vs. coaches. Interesting comparison and need throughout life. We discussed the difference and importance of each...
“Build the skills to do the job, not to get the job.” -- The act of putting your high potential employees in position to actually do the job, not just prepare for an interview.
Developing self-awareness -- It's important to regularly hold a mirror up to ourselves and surround self with people who will be brutally honest and caring of you and your development.
WELCOME TO MANAGEMENT will teach you
- Where the real work of leadership begins
- The greatest medicine for fear and how to put it into practice
- Why you need an “Operating Framework” and how to create one
- The 3 key elements to creating a performance culture
- The opportunity that many managers miss after they achieve success
- The seven keys to earning respect
The quickest way to build trust is through vulnerability
Managing a team you inherit -- The instant you sign for the job, those are YOUR players. Don't use terms like 'they' or 'them.' It is US and WE.
The difference between leadership, management, coaching
- Leadership:
  - The act of leading is about providing purpose, direction, aligning expectations, and inspiring the team.
- Management:
  - Figuring out how to work within the current constraints of the system you are in... It is the administration and stewardship of resources.
- Coaching:
  - The two types of coaching:
    - Coaching for performance - The 'right now' actions... Behaviors.
    - Coaching for development - Longer term
Dustyn Kim is a fantastic model for humility, vulnerability, and intelligence -- That's what she's the type of leader that I committed to doing everything I could to help her be successful.
Nobody is 'self-made.' We are are built from communities of people who care about us, help us, and show love and support.