Loud Thoughts

My first real director job was at Sun Microsystems. (Although I obtained even more impressive titles earlier.) Soon after I got the job, they sent me to the director school: a 2-session, multi-day, off-site, too much food class called “Take Charge,” or something like that. (Soon after I finished, Sun cut back the costs and made it on-site and much less foods.) The message was simple: being a director is a critical turning point in the managerial career; you must be prepared else you will fail.

Lately, someone, a new director, asked a rather simple question, “Everyone is talking big ideas. Is this something I must learn to do as a director?” Come to think of it, many of you have become directors in recent years. Did you have similar questions? How come you did not ask me?

For clarification, a director is a junior executive position that has one or two layers of management structure underneath and reporting to, usually, a VP, who reports to the Boss, someone who is accountable for finance, sales, marketing, and product development. Counting down from the boss, the director is at the 3rd level.

What are the differences between a director and a senior manager?

• Think business:

  A director think what are the right things to do for the business. Frequently, this makes him appear less human that will cold-heartedly sacrifice people for profitability or other business objectives. The best directors are usually great people managers. But the position requires him to place business priority ahead of personal needs.

  Interestingly, at least for the industry that I am in, taking care of people are usually the best way to take care of the business. So for the most situations, there is no conflict. But there are times when the director will face the choice and he is expected to make the hard decisions.

• Turn paper into reality:

  Directorship is the bridge between strategy and plans. At strategic level, implementation details are usually omitted. Then, the directors are called to turn that strategy into executable plans that can be carried out. This, arguably, is the most important business function of all. All visions, strategies, and architectures are mere slidewares without solid execution skills. All plans, no matter how brilliantly made, needs people to carry them out. Without such implementation layer, no company can achieve the aspiration.

• Accomplish through peers:

  It is no longer possible for directors to complete his assignments with only resources of his own. Every jobs, every projects, need collaboration from a vast network of peers. A director is at the same time at both sides of the supplier chain, usually internal but sometime external too. Influencing skills (negotiation and persuasion) are way more important than commanding ones. This is why directors’ calendars are always booked. They are always in a meeting.

• Make rules, not just follow them:

  Directors interpret vision, strategies, and policies, most come down from above, but not all. They become operational practices, rules, or priority that guide the troops on day-to-day basis. Since those vision, strategies, and polices change frequently, directors must balance the stability of the operation with the new direction of the company. As we knew, the line between interpreting and making laws is thin and blur.

• Agree or quit:

  The phrase “disagree and commit” does not apply anymore. At this level, there are too many judgment calls and situations to handle. One must sign up to the spirit of the objective. If there is no sincerity or true belief, there can be no success.

• Make it happen:

  No bullshit, no whining, no excuses. The bucks may or may not stop here, but the accountability does. The boss does not expect to check on you. By the end of the process, he/she expects results, or your head falls.

For those aspiring middle-managers, I always tell them that directorship is a life-style change, not just a promotion. If you don’t want that life-style, you really don’t want the job.