Authored by: Robert Eichinger
Abstract: Selecting and developing senior managers and leaders in professional organizations is a challenging mission. The options available may be few but the evidence shows the best path forward.
Over the past 50 years, we have had engagements in hospitals, law firms, engineering and architectural firms, medical schools, high tech, pharma, actuary and insurance, athletic teams, and universities.
In these organizations, there are board-certified, tested, licensed, highly educated, and high-performing professionals who form most of the senior employee base. We are usually called in to help determine who should lead the organization.
In most of those engagements competent, deeply trained professionals have been put in executive positions and have struggled, failed, or have been asked to return to their previous roles.
In the medical care world, it’s the board-certified physician. In law firms, it’s a practicing attorney bringing in significant revenue. In others, it’s an award-winning architect, an actuary, a former star, a personality that brings cache, or someone similar.
Most have a deep and narrow education that includes required, yearly continuing education in their discipline. They have little or no education in managing or leading and few have any aspiration for administration, speaking with complaining customers, or dealing with regulators and the responsibilities in their local communities.
On the other side of the challenge, professionals don’t like to be managed by non-professionals and the non-professionals have trouble getting the professional base to act on defined initiatives.
The fact is that there is little correlation between professional preeminence and management or administrative leadership success. For example, there is nothing in the preparation to be a successful and effective board-certified surgeon that informs the ability to lead a hospital.
A-B-C Talent Categorization
If you categorize a group of any kind of professionals, you have preeminent, respected, and proven legendary performers at the top. A Players. A group in the middle who are competent and suitable B Players. And lastly, C Players who trail the field due to other reasons (personality, style, work habits, cultural alignment).
We have known for decades that leaders most often come out of the B Players group. Despite knowing this, it is a hard truth to implement. Remember that A Players are not likely interested in administration, have the deepest education and experience in their chosen field, and get the most satisfaction from practicing within their specialty.
If we are going to develop senior managers and leaders from the professional ranks, it should come from the B group. They are good enough not to be fooled during decision-making and don’t dismiss the potential gains from an administrative stint. They may be “burned out” from years of carrying a heavy load, can no longer practice for various reasons or may be eager to take on the new and rigorous challenges inherent in administration. The major test for these untrained leaders will be change management, even when making small shifts in strategy.
The top professionals must deeply respect whoever takes on a leadership role, and the new leader needs to have earned that respect. Those who aspire to lead (from any of the talent groups) yet are still untested, under-perform, don’t understand the politics within a professional environment, are a cultural mismatch or are abrasive need not apply
9-Box Application
In succession planning and programming for professionals, the classic 9-box performance and potential grid can be used, with two exceptions. It should be used only for those who have expressed an interest in the opportunity and for those we would like to see in the named, senior role.
Performance
The performance rating should be focused not only on professional accomplishments. Rather, the rating should elevate examples of managing others (especially a team of experts), working on cross-functional teams or projects, community service, education in managing, their relationships with other professionals not directly in their silo, networking efforts, and building respected.
Potential
We’ve researched and written extensively on Potential. For the other 9-box axis, Potential is still Potential. This is the observable and measurable desire to grow and develop into a senior officer and leader. You are searching for someone eager to learn a new trade (leadership) while applying the same curiosity and effort that made them top professionals in their specialty.
Each highest potential professional must have a customized IDP because they likely come from widely diverse backgrounds and have unique development needs. An accelerated, actionable growth and development plan will be necessary. The best resource to help can be one of the new AI-assisted Development Advisors like TalentTelligent’s Career Blueprint or Career Architect. Each provides actionable development tips and strategies and can incorporate guidance for assignments that accelerate learning and readiness.
The process could take years, so plan ahead.
What if our first option isn’t available?
Another option is to select a non-professional from inside the organization who can and will manage high-maintenance professionals. The first (and sometimes only) requirement is that they have earned respect from the professionals they will manage. Equally important will be evidence of effectiveness and success in a similar role, excellent communication and networking skills, a preference for open collaboration, trust-building character, the ability to adopt a “beginner’s brain” and the willingness to listen to input from the professional corps.
The final option is identifying a proven management and leadership non-professional from the outside. Someone who has demonstrated effective management and leadership in a similar setting. This may be the riskiest option for a system to accept, but it’s better than hiring a reluctant A Player. When elevating an insider or bringing in a pro from the outside, it helps when you ensure that a top professional is involved in executive-level planning and decision-making.
In all cases, Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are needed to address the KSAs required for success in the senior management and leadership roles. The Knowledge of the business of the organization including both the professional and support activities. The Skills needed to be successful in the role. The Attributes aligned with both the culture of the organization and the needs of the professionals.
Parsimonious Haiku
The best is not best,
The near best might be the one,
No easy options are clear
