Here’s a story of one of my clients:

He works in an Engineering role at the senior most level one can in his organisation, without directly managing anyone. While he is an individual contributor and not in a managerial role, he is also the go-to person the less experienced engineers in his team often approach.

He’s incredibly good at his job, so much so, that he is usually the one the buck stops with, whether it is in a crisis or a meeting with a very important customer. While he feels good about the trust his organisation has in him, he’s also bothered by the responsibility he needs to shoulder time and again, that is not part of his work profile.

He shared with me his desire to grow beyond the role he currently fills.

When I asked him “Is there anyone in your team who can replace you,” his answer was — a long sigh.

The hidden barrier to individual contributor growth

While it’s expected for a manager to groom their team and find a replacement for themselves in order to move up to the next level, there is less of an expectation like this from people who are individual contributors. However, like my client’s example tells us, the absence of another capable individual to take on their role can hinder their growth too.

My client decided to build up the engineers in his team to take up and deliver work at the level he currently functions at. And he is going to spend some of his time and efforts supporting them in the process. Thus, we have actively begun to work on his people leadership skills. He’s been engaging with other engineers in his team with the aim to coach them to take up his role, building relationships with his skip manager and CTO along with other teams in preparation for the new role, one he is both creating and looking to move into over time.

In this process, his manager who ideally should be doing the work of developing the team but has not been active on that front, has also become an important stakeholder. As he builds his managerial skill set, he’s also beginning to better lead his own manager.

What leading without a title actually looks like

My client’s story is not unusual. Most people in similar positions are carrying more than their job description asks of them and growing in isolation.

Many people look at their professional growth as a journey they have to walk alone. They look at the next milestone and wonder what must I do to get there? They go about it by themselves, stressing about the time and effort it’s taking, and wishing they had more support.

What if you could create that support system for yourself? What if it might also make your work life more fulfilling in the long-term?

Those relationships can exist both at work and outside of it, with people at different levels.

Instead of waiting, consider taking the initiative to invest in relationships. When those relationships are with people less experienced than you and those who can benefit from your mentoring and coaching, it creates opportunities for others as well.

It turns you into a leader who chooses to lead even when they’re not under pressure to do it.

It also gives you a chance to see someone grow faster because of your efforts. And it leads to more possibilities for you since there is someone ready to take your place when you move to the next level.

If you’re looking to groom someone in your team or someone you don’t directly manage for the next level, here are three questions to start with:

  • What is it that they would like to do more and would naturally want to take up?
  • What is that they’re good at and you can see the potential to build on?
  • What could make it easier for them to attempt something beyond their current skill level?

How you go about finding the answers to these questions is also an important leadership skill. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking them directly. Sometimes it requires watching how they show up when nobody is asking anything of them.

It shapes the way you lead and can become a strength when leading others.

That’s why they say –

‘How you do the small things is how you will do the big ones.’

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