When I separated from the military after 9 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, I had no idea what I wanted to do next. I remember having a conversation with my wife about what I was good at and how that compared to what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, what I was good at was something that I no longer wanted to do; go to war. When I was approached by the CEO of a large metal buildings company based out of Texas, and asked to come work for him, my first instinct was “I know nothing about metal buildings!” Even more, he wanted to hire me on as a “Leadership Trainee” with the idea that I would shadow current leadership within the organization and move into a leadership role once I got my feet on the ground, hopefully in 6 months or less. I was blown away by the opportunity however I felt as though I may be getting myself in over my head. How can I lead when I don’t even know what I am doing?
As I was reading the Skills Approach chapter this week in Northouse (2016), I was pleasantly surprised to find that skills and abilities “can be learned and developed” (p. 43). Unlike the trait approach, the skills approach focuses more on an individual’s ability to learn the three basic skills required to be a leader: technical skill, human skill, and conceptual skill (pp. 44-45). I immediately began to correlate the reading to my present situation in order to decipher the applicability, as well as my chances for success, to my future.
The first of these skills, technical skill, was one that only reaffirmed the fact that I was getting in over my head. According to PSU WC (2016), technical skills include the knowledge and ability to use the tools and processes already established within an organization (L 04, p. 4). I have no idea how a metal buildings company operates nor do I know the first thing about metal buildings in general. The military is the only thing I know, and I doubted very much that this company was run like the military. When I read however, that “technical skills play an essential role in producing the actual products a company is designed to produce” (Northouse, 2016, p. 44), I took a deep sigh of relief. I know was brought on to lead, not to manufacture a product. I also know that I am going to be paired up with some of the industries finest people who are more than willing to teach me everything they can about metal buildings.
As I continued reading, my confidence eventually began to surface and I felt more confident about what I was getting into. Both the human skill and the conceptual skill are skills that I excel at. I have been lucky to receive training that taught me how to work with people and how to think on my feet. On top of that, I have always found that I was great at interacting with individuals, as well as groups, and understanding their motivations. I think that my understanding of these two skills are probably what caught the attention of this company long before I even knew the existed.
As I stood outside the door for my first day only one week ago, I remember thinking “fingers crossed”. Confidence is something that I never lacked however I have to admit that I was feeling a little shaky. As I walked through the door for the first time, and saw smiling faces standing there waiting to greet me, I knew that I was in the right place. These current leaders knew that I was not molded into a perfect leader yet, but they were excited about the opportunity to play a vital role in my future, as well as teach me as much as they can about the business. After reading the material this week, I would say that I have a renewed sense of confidence that although I may not know the technical aspect right now, skills can be taught, and I am willing to learn.
References:
Northouse, Peter G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th Ed.). SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Print.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2016). PSYCH 485 Lesson 4: Skills Approach. Retrieved on February 7, 2016 from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/001/content/04_lesson/04_page.html
Philip Christopher Desbrow says
It is interesting how we think leaders are born but they are really using the strengths to excel and learn how to lead. Northouse discusses three skills, technical, human and conceptual. As he discusses the the thechnical skill, ” knowledge about the proficiency” appears that you will be able to learn that when discussing the metal buildings.(Northouse 44). This should come with time, he does state that most CEO’s or leaders knowing the technical side is not as important in certain situations. The human skill and the conceptual skill are in my opinion the ones that are important. Under the human skill Northouse states that this is how you “work with people” and the conceptual skill is ” the ability to work with ideas”(Northouse 45). Being able to show empathy with your team and openness to ideas will drive the team to success.
I enjoyed your post, thank you!
Northouse, Peter G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th Ed.). SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Print.