Leader Profile #2
My second informational interview was conducted with someone within my organization who can provide direct career advice. I have worked with her in various capacities for several years and just recently moved into a role where I indirectly report to her in a management capacity.
What company do you work for and what is your position?
Finance & Planning Manager for the US Federal services business at IBM
What are the duties/responsibilities for your job?
Staffing plans, systems implementations, and overseeing the finance line managers to ensure processes are being followed and that our unit financials are reported with integrity and consistency
What is your professional background?
I have a bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in finance & accounting. I have held several finance & planning roles within IBM as well as multiple first-line management roles.
Which past jobs have been most helpful in getting you to this point in your career?
My key account planner role was my first experience in relying on and influencing people to do things for you and taught several skills that would be useful in management. My lead consolidation planner role gave me the business acumen to help tie the technical side of the business to the management side of the business. They both provided opportunities to work with effective leaders who were great role models for management.
What skills or talents are essential to being effective in your job?
Listening to people and truly understanding both sides of the story before making decisions are key to being a good manager. Understanding what motivates people and that not everyone responds the same to a given incentive is also important. Finally, delegation is important because you can’t do everything yourself. This was one of the more difficult things to get comfortable with going from a line position to a management position, especially having significant expertise on the technical side.
What part of your job do you find personally most satisfying?
Watching the people I manage develop in their careers and have success, and helping them make connections that enable them to do that.
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
Respectful and appreciative of all the things that my employees do for me.
Could you tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult situation?
Resource actions are always a difficult situation. I try to make things as easy as possible for the person affected and provide as much clarity as possible to help them deal with this difficult situation.
What is the best way to communicate a message to a large group of people?
Providing clarity is one of the most effective ways to communicate something to a large group of people. Encouraging interaction during a large conference call helps ensure people are engaged instead of multi-tasking. Finally, creating supporting Powerpoints in a way that allows them to also serve as standalone documentation is also effective.
Summary
The advice I received in this interview will be extremely useful to me in my new role and beyond. The advice on delegation confirms that is something that I should put significant effort into working on as I know this will be one area that I will struggle with initially as I take on the responsibility of managing a large team who does the same work that I myself have done in the past. The advice on helping people develop and reach their goals is also very meaningful to me and I plan on making that a focus area as I get started in management. This person is someone I look up to and it makes the advice that much more meaningful as I have seen her succeed as a manager.