As I enjoyed Boston College’s thorough beating of Notre Dame last weekend I couldn’t help but think about how far Charlie Weis had fallen since his days winning Super Bowls with the Patriots. Perhaps you are not familiar with Charlie or football for that matter, but it strikes me how challenging it is for people when they get out from underneath their mentor and must have success on their own. In this analogous description it was the shadow of Bill Belichick, the Head Coach of the Patriots, but you can apply this to several business instances as well as, I’m sure, your own career…and please don’t forget the music world.
Both main coordinators under Belichick have failed thus far in their efforts to branch out on their own, the other being Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. Why? This post isn’t long enough and this blog is not the appropriate platform for me to analyze the football side of these failures, but there are lessons for all of us when we attempt to move beyond the shadow of a mentor, which is something I’m trying to do in my new position (yes Len, you are my Bill Belichick!). Here is a list I created before I started this new position and I t
hink it is something that resonates for people in the same position. I won’t be sharing with Coach Weis however, since my loyalty to Boston College runs deeper than my ability to be transparent.
Succeeding On Your Own
- Be yourself, not your mentor: Many people see that one management style worked for their former boss and try to emulate, this is a bad idea. You need to remain yourself throughout the process.
- Stay true to yourself: Similar to above, but important now when you are dealing with a new boss and a new team of people. You might be intimidated or perhaps persuaded to go with actions you previously would never have suggested to impress the new people. You start moving away from what made you successful in the first place and you will fail.
- Don’t pin yourself down: When you have done a job for a long time you create habits, some good, others bad. Either way don’t believe that you can just come into a new position and implement the same cookie-cutter plan you used in previous positions. This is the time to break out of your own norm and be original.
- Ask for help: Make sure that you ask your mentor for help, even if now you may be in a competitive position. They know you, they know how you work, how you feel…use that to get good advice from time to time. This will also help ground you!
5 Responses
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What’s interesting is that Coach Belichick made a very successful transformation from working for a Guru Head Coach…..So in your example you have both.
Justin, you are SO right…but I think he failed when he tried to be Parcells in Cleveland, but success came when he drove his own path.
/kff
Leaders also cultivate other leaders.
To add to that analogy– Belichik found the seeds of his path in hos Cleveland failure: he had Drew Bledsoe’s number– he seems to be able to spook star quarterbacks - and some of his Mentee coaches, like Eric Manghini of the Jets– out of their shoes.
Great analogy. I would add that these are great tips to implement BEFORE you leave your mentor. You can rise with the association, but you need to be seen as more than a caddy even while you still are under your “guru.”
@dough–Putting this stuff into place prior to leaving actually is a huge benefit, you are right. But I think it may be more challenging to do it within an org (separate yourself).
Allan–That was certainly the point.
/kff