Beyond the operation: redefining success metrics as a Leader
The shift in mindset: from executor to facilitator
Have you transitioned from an individual contributor role, and are you familiar with that sense of frustration from having accomplished little during the day because you weren't able to write any code (or more generally, working on no operational tasks)?
I am very familiar with this feeling. I went through it myself, and it was quite difficult to understand what I was doing wrong. It took some time to realize that the problem isn't that you write little code but that the criteria for evaluating whether you're doing a good job have changed.
I have already mentioned in another issue that the transition is not painless and that it radically changes the way feedback is received. In some way, today’s issue could be considered the part two of it 👇
What the comfort zone of a Leader looks like
I was an individual contributor for more than a decade and the activity that I enjoyed the most in my role was always coding. You have the power to create things with your hands and see applications take shape thanks to your effort. Even though it may not be considered an easy activity, it gives you immediate feedback:
It doesn't just change the way feedback is received on whether you’re doing a good job or not; as mentioned, the criteria for measuring performance are completely different. Similarly, the impact of your work and the decisions made on the team and the organization is also different. It becomes crucial to shift the mindset.
But how can you determine if you are doing a good job? What are some possible metrics to understand if you are heading in the right direction? Before sharing what I consider important, I would like to explore what is necessary for a proper shift in mindset.
Shifting from executor to team facilitator
I already mentioned the sense of frustration that overwhelms you on days when you can't work on operational tasks. It’s not just that; it’s often accompanied by the anxiety of needing to quickly finish tasks that are actually part of your new role because they seem of marginal importance. Everything that isn’t operational tasks feels like it slows down projects progress. Sometimes, you even find yourself making excuses to avoid focusing on the core activities: a simple example is saying “I need to fix this bug” when, in reality, there are team members whose job it is to handle exactly that and who could resolve it without your intervention.
I consider these feelings completely normal. We are still used to thinking in the same way we did in our previous role. When transitioning from an individual contributor role to a leadership role, your primary function shifts from executor to team facilitator.
Embracing the role of facilitator means accepting that the team's success is your success. You need to shift from thinking “how many tasks did I complete today?” to “how can I help my team achieve its goals?”. The mindset must evolve from focusing on the tangible product (for instance the code) to focusing on the process and the team. You need to concentrate on improving workflow, solving problems, and ensuring the team has everything it needs to excel.
This doesn’t mean that you need to be completely detached from operational tasks. It depends on many factors, such as the size of the team, technical skills, the time of year, deadlines, and so on.
It’s perfectly normal to be hands-on, but it should be planned properly and should add value to the team, not be a hindrance. If actively engaging in operational tasks becomes a way to neglect other responsibilities, it will soon come back like a boomerang, demanding a reckoning.
If team members are stuck waiting for your help, if other teams are blocked because you don’t have time to discuss an important issue, if the roadmap definition or planning is delayed, the cost will be far greater than just a project moving more slowly.
But how can I focus on what really matters? There are several activities that aren't part of the team’s planning but are still important for the team and the organization. I don’t have any magic formulas, but what works for me is to list them all and set a deadline for each one. A Notion dashboard, for example, with dedicated views can be helpful in these cases:
The screenshot above is from my Notion home page, the page I keep open throughout the day. It contains, in addition to bookmarks to the most important documents and the calendar (useful to have on hand for easier scheduling of activities), a to-do list with different views. On Monday morning, as a very first activity of the week, I plan the activity across the days so that I’m already aware of the effort required during the week.
At the top of the dashboard, there are two views of the same to-do list showing the tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day and those to be completed by the next day. This way, I can keep track of things to do, and the dopamine released from marking a task as done is a great incentive to complete them 😀.
Key Metrics for Leaders
A leader's contribution is often more difficult to quantify compared to that of an individual contributor. There are many metrics that can be adopted, and not all of them work the same way in every context. There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but it is important to find a balance that works for you and your team.
The following are some of the key metrics I consider important to determine whether I am heading in the right direction or not.
Team Satisfaction: measure the level of satisfaction and motivation of your team. Asking for feedback during 1:1s or gauging the mood of the team during meetings, for instance, can be a way to understand the team's morale
Team Effectiveness: analyze how your team is achieving goals and deadlines. Also, make sure that the delivery does not come at the expense of the team's well-being
Growth and Development: monitor the progress and development of team members
Problem Solving: assess how effectively you can solve problems and remove obstacles
Organizational Impact: consider the impact that your decisions and work have on the organization as a whole (improvements in processes, cross-functional relationships, overall outcomes, etc.)
I’m aware that all of them are not expressed in a measurable way but it is on purpose. Going into more detail about team effectiveness, I could talk about more specific metrics (eg. the DORA metrics for software) but I believe every leader and every team should find their own measurable metrics that work in the specific context. And yes, context is the key word here, as the same metrics could lose effectiveness within the same team if the context changes.
If you’re looking for more resources to explore the topic further, here are a couple of articles I recommend:
TL;DR
The transition from individual contributor to leader implies a radical change in your role and your perception of success. It is essential to adapt your mindset and embrace the new role of facilitator and team support. At the same time, it is normal at the beginning to feel like you are not being useful and not adding value. You need to give yourself time as the decisions made in this role have different response times.
Credits: Illustration 1