“…there are three things that matter. The first is competence — just being good at what you do, whatever it is, and focusing on the job you have, not on the job you think you want to have. The second one is confidence. People want to know what you think. So you have to have enough desirable self-confidence to articulate a point of view. The third thing is caring. Nothing today is about one individual. This is all about the team, and in the end, this is about giving a damn about your customers, your company, the people around you, and recognizing that the people around you are the ones who make you look good.”
– from Adam Bryant’s interview with William Green, CEO of Accenture, NY Times, November 21, 2009
Sound advice for any leader. Particularly applicable to those starting new roles:
Competence matters
If you can’t do the job, you can’t do the job. Make sure you’ve got the strengths required to be more than competent in the job before you accept it. If you aren’t competent, they will find you out.
Confidence matters
It’s not enough to be competent. You must be perceived to be competent. What people think of you is at least partially dependent upon what you think of yourself. Confidence is contagious.
Caring matters
It’s not enough to be competent and confident. You must actually care. People care about the people that care about them.
So find a job you can do, that you’re confident about doing and that you care about doing. It will make your onboarding and tenure that much easier.
George Bradt – PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding and Transition Acceleration.
