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Successful Leadership Comes From Leaning Into Your Own Style

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Do You Know How To Use Your “Puppy License”?

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Puppies can get away with a lot more than older dogs!

When our dog, Lumos, was young, we took him to puppy training. It started with Good Dog 101 and he loved it so much we went onto 201 and then Basic Agility!

One of the things the trainer said in that very first class was this: your new dog has a Puppy License. When older dogs are around him, they will put up with his antics—jumping and nipping and playing. But as he gets older, he loses his Puppy License, and you’ll notice the other dogs will quickly put him in his place if he gets a bit too rambunctious or playful.

I always think of this when we’re on a walk and meet a puppy along the way. Lumos will let the puppy, well, be a puppy. But at a certain age, he’ll only put up with it for so long before a short but definitive bark will settle the other dog down. “That’s enough! Time to act your age,” he seems to be saying.

When you start a new job, position, or project, you have your own Puppy License. Only we call it a Ramp Up Period.

During this period you are allowed to introduce yourself and ask lots of basic questions. You’re expected to, in fact. And your job is to gather a lot of information about your new world because before you know it, the time for ramping up is gone and you lose your Puppy License. You’re expected to have analyzed the information and come up with solutions, not ask more basic questions.

Here’s how to get the most out of your Puppy License:

  • When introducing yourself, let people know who you are, how long you’ve been there, and what your role is. You are definitely not at the top of everyone’s mind. Don’t feel bad if they forget exactly why you called a meeting!
  • Let them know you’re gathering information and may ask a few very basic questions. This way they won’t worry you don’t really understand what you’re doing.
  • Ask them if there is anyone else you should be talking to, or any information that you need but haven’t asked for. People want their new colleagues to succeed. They also remember what it was like to be “the new guy.” And they enjoy sharing their knowledge.

Every once in a while you’ll run into someone who couldn’t be bothered with someone new. In this case, I save them for last. I gather as much information as possible so when I talk to this person, my questions aren’t so basic.

The next trick is moving from Puppy to Adult without spending too much time in Adolescence! But that’s a topic for another day.

Dumbledore and How to Avoid Mistakes

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As we grow, our mistakes become “correspondingly huger.”

We’re big Harry Potter fans in the Buttiglieri household. (Our dog is even named “Lumos,” which is the spell for lighting up the end of your wand!)

One of the most impactful quotes from the series comes from Albus Dumbledore, the school’s Headmaster, genius wizard, and complete icon. He says, “I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being–forgive me–rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.”

It’s not much different for mere “muggles,” either.

When we are just starting in our careers, our mistakes are plentiful…but their effect is typically minimal. They may be embarrassing but only require an apology and a quick fix. (I remember one time I saw a shelving unit in a storeroom with old books sitting on it. I thought, “Great! We need this to house our marketing literature!” and took it. Little did I know the Documentation Manager was using it to store her old materials. Ouch!)

As we gain more responsibility, the mistakes that were simply cringe-worthy start to impact our project: Incorrect data analysis; forgetting to include someone in a critical meeting; sending out the wrong training dates; purchasing a software application that isn’t the right fit; ignoring a risk until it blows up and we need to call an emergency executive meeting. These grow “correspondingly huger.”

We’re professionals, so when something happens on our project we scramble to do what it takes to set things back on track.

But there is another consequence: our reputation suffers.

We spend years working to build trust within our teams and our companies. We’ve built our reputation as someone reliable and knowledgeable.

The loss of reputation can be far worse than the mistake itself.

Of course, it doesn’t take one misstep to bring it all crashing down. But as we string them together, seeds of doubt can start to grow in our stakeholders’ minds.

How do we avoid this?

  • Write it down: If you struggle to remember dates or actions from a meeting, make sure you take good notes and refer to them when you’re using that information in the future.
  • Enlist a second set of eyes: The more important the communication, the more eyes should be on it. (If I take the time to have someone proof-read my Leadership Notes blog, the less I need to worry it will have the wrong subject line ;-).)
  • Trust your gut: If something feels “not right,” don’t ignore it. You may not know what is wrong, but take a step back, maybe take a little time, and then look at the task or issue from another angle. If you still need to move forward despite the “something’s not right” feeling, make sure risk mitigations are firmly in place.
  • Take your time: It’s easy to rush through communication because we have ten other things to do. Or toss some budget numbers out there because “they’re good enough.” The extra time is worth it – ten minutes can save two hours of re-work later.
  • Avoid tough work when your brain is tired: Personally, I struggle to be creative in the late afternoon and evening. I’ve learned to schedule my day so presentation slides and blog posts are drafted before lunch, saving the afternoon for edits or more analytical tasks. Take the time to learn your most efficient pattern. If your project updates are more easily written at 8 a.m., or if you work best after the household is asleep, follow that pattern.

All these suggestions are simple and aren’t new concepts. The question we should ask ourselves is: how often do we follow them?

Do we ever tell ourselves “it will be fine” and send out an important communication…even when our gut is telling us otherwise? Do we ever think “I’ll get to it later” and then forget key information from a meeting?

Recognize that mistakes will happen. Set up your own mitigation practices. And follow them consistently. Your project will run better, your reputation will remain intact, and you’ll have fewer apologies to make.