Don't Channel Steve Jobs

Like most of you, I did not have any kind of formal management training. Instead, my route to figuring out how to do it right was fraught with twists and turns, leaving my early-career staff members confused and unhappy.

At one point back then, I tried mimicking my boss since everyone responded quickly to his every request. But as soon as I tried talking his talk, he made a beeline to my office to tell me to knock it off. "You have to be you," he said. "You can't 'do' me and expect people to respond well to it; it's not genuine."

It wasn't the magic bullet but it sunk in and helped me recognize how lost I was at understanding my role as a manager. In time, I began to realize I didn't need to have all the answers. It was more important to know what questions to ask, examine a problem from every direction and seek the counsel of my entire team.

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