Sideline savvy skills
On the sidelines of the soccer pitch, speaking to another soccer dad I have not seen in a while;
“How’s business?”
“Not bad, travelling a lot, company’s going through some restructuring, looks like the boss here (a S. African) is now reporting to Sydney instead of the US [and the dad I’m speaking to is Australian] so not sure how that will work, who knows–and even though I’m Australian, not sure I like this one.”
“How does it affect your job?”
“Not much, not much that I can think of, but who knows.”
“How about your boss?”
“They’re putting pressure on him, who knows, not my problem; I do sales and keep out of it, [regional AP Sales Director] but he is getting squeezed, I can see that much.”
“If he got pushed out, who would take over?”
“Not sure, could be me, to be honest, but I don’t get involved with it, can’t stand the politics, so keep out of it.”
“Yeah, but if you are a likely candidate to take over, shouldn’t you at least be thinking about it, and getting your profile a bit higher, not just sales?”
“Yeah, I guess so, but haven’t, been so damned busy working and travelling. I’ve got to go back to the US for a trade show next week, all the bigwigs will be there–funny, we are having a dinner and they told me to sit at the head table.”
“Done that before?”
“Sure, a dinner every year, but no, never asked me to sit at the head table. Think they’re trying to tell me something [Laughs]”
“Good God, don’t you think that means something?”
“Nah, who cares, same small talk every year.”
“Are you serious? Do you think it’s arbitrary that they’re putting you at the head table?”
“Haven’t thought about it.”
“Don’t you think you should, in case someone asks what’s going on in Asia, what you’re doing, feel you out on your potential?”
‘You think they’d do that?”
“HELLO!! Are you serious?”
“Well, maybe I should think about it, but not sure what I’d tell them. I hate to make it seem like I’m kissing up to them. Anyhow, we go back to Oz over Xmas, stay along the beach at my brother’s place, I need a break.”
“Where?”
“Near Sydney”
“Where is the Oz office?”
“Sydney–ah, I know what you’re up to.”
“Don’t you think you should pop your head in while you’re there?”
“Never thought about it–nah, the boss doesn’t like that, makes me look like a brown-noser, and he keeps things close to the chest–wouldn’t work.”
“Will the Oz people be in the US at the dinner?”
“Yeah”
“And if you told them you were in Sydney, would they not want you to come by”
“Probably”
“And you could tell the boss they asked you, no?”
“Ah, I get it.”
“And don’t you think you need to figure out what you’ll say at the dinner?”
“Probably right–what should I say? …”
Now, my soccer dad friend is in his late 40’s, been with the company for 10 years or so, done quite well, and has absolutely no sense of organisational savvy. None. But he does a good job of what he is supposed to do, and let someone else do the rest..
By the time we parted, he was (I think) pondering it over, and figuring out what he needed to do. And is on his way to the US, so will find out how he did at the next soccer practice. I have conversations like this regularly–people who are high achievers, do well at their job, but don’t care to poke their head up to see what is going on around them, or find it all distasteful (which it isn’t).
The lesson here is quite simple–do not focus on your job only, focus on those undulating waves of influence all around you at work. Understand the importance of building your alliances–with your boss, and others–and be cognizant of power shifts, as they often impact you, And do not think that hard work alone will allow you corporate success; it is a big, but insufficient, component.
