What I have been working on and what I value since becoming a leader a year ago

Hello everyone, this is Teraoka, an infrastructure engineer.
It's already been over six months since I last wrote a blog post.
A year really flies by so quickly, and lately I've been doing nothing but playing online games.
However, I think if I only wrote about games, it would be rejected in seconds, so I'll write something serious;;;
As the title suggests, I'll summarize what I've been working on this past year and the values ​​I've been keeping in mind.

current situation

I lead a team responsible for internal talent development. We
've named our team Lore.
Lore refers to knowledge gained through experience and the traditions/wisdom (that should be passed down to future generations)
, and it embodies our desire to become an engineering group that is recognized by both ourselves and others by refining our Lore.

On the other hand, in terms of internal company titles, I'm a team leader.
Strictly speaking, it's more of an entry-level position rather than a management role, so I'm
not solely focused on management. I continue to perform my duties as an individual contributor as before,
essentially acting as a playing manager.

I'll list a few things that I try to do every day, even though it's a struggle

• As a player, I want to complete the projects and tasks I am in charge of without any problems
• As a team leader, provide specific explanations and information to help team members complete tasks on their own
• As a trainee manager, I need to understand the thoughts and ideas of managers and translate them into concrete measures and systems

The days when I could simply focus on my own work as an individual player are over. I'm now
to grow the team, I need to develop members, and
facing a new role:

What we have been working on

Over the past year, we have been working on systematizing our in-house training programs. These
are divided into two types: training for new employees who join the company, and training for existing members who have already been assigned to departments.

Until now, the content to be taught to new employees was not well-organized, and
the necessary materials for conducting training were not in place.
Although training was conducted, it relied on the skills of existing members, resulting in
inconsistent content and quality depending on the person in charge.

Therefore, starting with the question of what knowledge and skills actually need to be taught,
we created a curriculum from scratch and prepared the necessary materials to proceed according to that curriculum.
This year's new graduates have undergone training after the curriculum was developed and are now working hard in their assigned departments.

We also introduced Google Classroom for this year's new employee training.
A member of my team, who put in a lot of effort, has written a blog post about it, so please take a look. [Link to blog post: "
A First-Year Training Coordinator's Experience with Remote New Employee Training Using Google Classroom"]

Including the Google Classroom issue, you always help me out and, in turn, give me energy. I
'm truly grateful, thank you always.

For existing members, we
dedicate a portion of their work time to training focused on technologies and workflows that everyone in the department needs to understand.
Here are some examples (others are still under consideration or in the POC stage within the team):

• Training to review past failures and problems and discuss causes and improvement plans
• Training to learn the skills necessary for maintaining physical equipment

Currently, we are conducting on-the-job training (OJT) while simultaneously reviewing and evaluating the results of the 2020 new employee training program
. Based on this information, we are revising the training guidelines and curriculum for the following year.
publicly available in e-learning format
, we hope to make this know-how

The ideas that are important to me as a leader

Don't exaggerate your power

This is based on his belief that "just because you have a position does not make you a great person, so you need to let go of your complacency."

When you are given a managerial position, your responsibilities increase, but so does the authority required to fulfill them.
regarding all matters related to your team's policies and initiatives, which
You have the right to make decisions at your own discretion
means you can proceed to a certain extent in a self-serving manner.
This is equivalent to your opinions being more easily heard within the organization, so it is a considerable amount of power.

However, since I also have a superior, I always make sure to report, communicate, and consult with them.
If I neglect this, the department will not function properly.

Team leaders and team members are the same people, just with different responsibilities.
Having a higher position doesn't make you a better person.
Rather, it simply raises the level of your thinking and what you can accomplish.
You must continue learning more than ever before.
Abandon complacency, don't rely on power, and keep improving yourself.

Don't be the boss

There's a quote I really like.
It's also quoted and spoken by President Toyoda in the following Toyotatimes video.
It was originally a quote from Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of a famous British department store.

Don't be a boss, be a leader: Toyota Spring Negotiations 2020 Part 2 | Toyota Times

A boss drives his subordinates. A leader guides people.
A boss relies on authority. A leader relies on ambition and goodwill.
A boss instills fear. A leader instills enthusiasm.
A boss says "I." A leader says "we."
A boss says "be on time." A leader arrives early.
A boss holds people accountable for failures. A leader silently handles failures.
A boss keeps their methods to themselves. A leader teaches their methods in detail.
A boss turns work into drudgery. A leader turns work into a game.
A boss says "do it." A leader says "let's do it."

There are differences in how bosses and leaders exercise leadership.
A boss tries to gain obedience by using the hierarchical relationship to issue orders, while a leader,
while maintaining a hierarchical relationship, takes the lead themselves, uniting individuals and guiding the team in the right direction.

Even if it's just based on intuition, who would you rather follow: a boss or a leader?
I would want to follow a leader
, and I want to be one myself. A leader is only possible because they have team members; they can't do it alone.

Have the courage to let go of your job

Leaders need to delegate tasks to their team members.
When the team is small, one person can still manage to move things forward, but
as it grows, the workload becomes too much for one person to handle, so
it becomes necessary to distribute the work while appropriately managing its progress.

Furthermore, while a leader's hands-on involvement naturally leads to the completion of tasks, it
also deprives team members of opportunities for growth.
That's why it's important to encourage team members to push themselves a little beyond their capabilities and see things through to the end.

This also involves a struggle with anxiety and fear about delegating tasks.
Because I have a lot of experience from my time as a player myself, I tend to think, "It's faster if I do it myself."

Even so, a leader's role is to ensure that the team achieves its goals, not individually.
There's no point in working hard alone, and if you could accomplish everything by yourself, there's no need to be a leader.
Trust your team members wholeheartedly and have the courage to let go of tasks (this is also a reminder to myself).

Treat with love

There are many forms of love, but I think the love a leader has for their members is similar to that between a parent and child.
Just to clarify, even though it's done with love, if you misjudge the distance, things can go in a bad direction, so
it's essential to act with moderation.

The important thing in this section is knowing when to use praise, scolding, and acknowledgment.
There are many definitions for each of these three, but I understand them as follows:

a member's efforts and growth when a leader notices them in everyday conversation and
means acknowledging

From a member's perspective, this translates into a sense of security, knowing that they are being watched closely, which
makes them more receptive to praise and criticism, as will be discussed later.
Recognition is like a foundation that is built up in daily life.
Without it, praise and criticism will not be received.

"That initiative you're thinking of is great! Let's definitely try it!"
"I think it would be even better if we did it this way! Let's do our best!"

The key is to speak to them on a daily basis, like this

a member for achieving results in some kind of initiative
means giving positive feedback and praising

"The server built for this project was delivered without any problems! That's amazing!"

The question is whether results are communicated when they are achieved

Scolding
means pointing out areas where you want improvement to be made and conveying your expectation that they will grow.
A similar word is getting angry, but
this is about expressing your own anger without considering the other person, so you must distinguish between the two.
When scolding, you should do so calmly, explain the reasons, and keep it brief.
Also, you should generally not do it in front of everyone.
Ask them to come to a different location and talk to them individually.

In other words, praising alone is not enough, and neither is constantly scolding.
important to acknowledge the members' efforts on a daily basis, praising their good points verbally. When they
fall short, it's crucial to explain the reasons clearly.

take responsibility

I believe the leader is the last line of defense for the team.
This is because the leader makes the final decisions within the team and gives instructions and approvals for daily tasks.
Since the team members proceed with their work based on those decisions, the leader is ultimately responsible for everything that goes wrong.

If team members are unable to complete their work effectively,
it's the leader's responsibility for failing to provide clear instructions and support. Similarly,
if any failures or problems occur, it's the leader's responsibility for assigning the work. I
always strive to be prepared to resolve any issues myself in the end.

It's easy to say, but in reality, it puts an immense amount of pressure on you.
However, leaders are supposed to delegate tasks to their team members so that they can focus on what they themselves need to do.
What can a leader accomplish if they delegate work but cannot take responsibility when it matters?
I included this as the final point because I keenly felt its necessity through my experience over the past year.

summary

Becoming a leader after being a player has drastically changed my values.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say that I had no choice but to change because my previous way of thinking no longer worked.
As a result, the quantity and nature of my worries have also changed significantly, and I constantly feel that my abilities are being tested.
Even amidst all of this, I'm able to manage thanks to the support of my excellent team members who always cheer me up and the
help of our manager who gives me concrete advice.
I am grateful and want to continue to grow even more.