Get out of the Weeds – What Your Manager Really Means

As a new manager I heard this many times, and I never truly understood what it meant.
I was producing good work, I’d spent time analysing the data, I’d added in extra data sources for good measure, my spreadsheet was clean and concise, my analysis was structured nicely, and the insights were presented in a way that even a non-data savvy person could grasp it. When I was promoted from individual contributor to a manager, this was some of the positive feedback that had led to my promotion in the first place. So why do I feel like I’m not performing?

The simple answer is that what got you here will not get you there.

Let’s break this down.

As an individual contributor in the data field, let’s say a data analyst, who only has to report to a manager, the formula to get to the next rung in the ladder is to be an excellent data analyst. What this usually entails in broad terms is, knowing how to clean and interpret data using particular languages and tools, knowing how to obtain insights from the data that can be used by the business in a commercial sense and then knowing how to present and talk about these insights to senior stakeholders. Do these things well and you will prove yourself to be a good data analyst ready for promotion.

So, you mastered the next step, got the promotion and now you’re a manager of data analysts.
This is a different job.
In the same way a gardener is different to a financial advisor, these jobs require different skills in order to do the job and to succeed in their respective positions.
While a manager of data analysts should still be a good data analyst, they also need to be a good manager. What this means is giving your reports the space to be good data analysts, while you set the standard by instructing and not doing, while coaching them to recognise and meet those standards to achieve business results and progression in their careers.

By and large you have been promoted because you did good work consistently that brought benefit to the business. To do good work, you need to have good frameworks, principles and practices in place whilst also having good business knowledge. Good business knowledge is critical; it is what you must bring to the table as a manager – any analyst can run the numbers, but it takes a particular skillset to understand which numbers need to be run so that they are related to business outcomes. Business outcomes can be directly commercial, meaning that they relate to making money right away, or they bring further insight. You have established ways of doing which is wonderful, it’s why those above you have recognised the work and thought, if they could teach others to do the same, we’d be even more successful.

So, get out of the weeds. Start to take a step back from being the doer and start to be the coach who sets others up for success. The more people you can set up for success, the more you amplify your abilities and their success more widely.

What your manager is saying is, stop doing your old job. You did it and you did it well, but now the business needs you to step into a management role. Bring the skills, process minded thinking, commercial knowledge and good instincts from your previous job as an individual contributor and apply them to a management mindset.

Shift your mind out of your previous role, rise and grow in your new one because remaining static won’t lead to your future growth or that of your team. Now is the time to coach others to reach the high standard you have set. If more people can do what you do, the business you work for becomes better and gets ahead, that is true growth.

Get out of the weeds of today and grow for a better tomorrow.