05 Aug Accidental Managers

Can you remember what you wanted to be when you were growing up?

While most children aspire to become astronauts, movie stars, or doctors, very few, it is safe to say, would choose leadership or management as their dream job.

I was no different!

In fact, I feel like I stumbled into leadership and coaching by accident.

And I am not alone.

During my coaching sessions, over the last two decades, many leaders have confided to me that they have become ‘accidental managers’, slipping into leadership by complete chance.

My ‘accidental’ journey into leadership started many years ago.

It all began on a typical Monday morning at the office. I was sat at my laptop when an email landed into my inbox.

Team building workshop — Today — 3:00pm

Admittedly, I was not filled with much excitement.

My mind drifted, imagining the trust falls and awkward icebreakers that were to come later that day. This was certainly not my idea of fun, but the workshop attendance was mandatory, so I decided to go along with an open mind and embrace what was to come.

Fast forward to the workshop, and I found myself in a conference room filled with my colleagues, a whiteboard, and a very enthusiastic facilitator named Linda. Thankfully, Linda was an amazing and engaging speaker and presenter, one of those people who could make reading a phone book sound exciting.

Linda kicked off the session by dividing everyone into small groups. She then announced that each group needed to pick a leader for the upcoming activity — building the tallest structure possible using only spaghetti, marshmallows, and string.

The catch?

The leader could not touch any of the materials — they could only guide and encourage their team verbally.

As my group started to look around at each other, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who might volunteer them, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. Panicking, I instinctively pulled my phone out my pocket and quickly tapped the screen to silence it, not wanting to disrupt the workshop.

But that tiny action was all it took.

“Great! It looks like we have ourselves a leader!”, Linda announced enthusiastically, with an encouraging smile aimed in my direction.

I froze!

The situation began to dawn on me. I realised that in my haste to mute my phone, I had also accidentally volunteered myself to become the leader of my group. My colleagues, visibly relieved to be off the hook, all quickly nodded with Linda in agreement.

Suddenly, by complete accident, I was leading the spaghetti tower challenge. Determined not to let the team down, I took a deep breath, channelled my inner Bob the Builder, and we were off.

I started directing my teammates, surprising myself by how confident I sounded. “More spaghetti on the base!”. “No, that’s far too much marshmallow, it’ll topple over!”. “Try a triangle shape, it’s far more stable!”. All the while, I kept thinking to myself — I have no idea what I am doing.

Miraculously, my team’s tower grew taller and sturdier with every passing minute. Somehow, my random advice was working. People were listening to me. Linda even walked by and gave me an approving thumbs up, further fuelling my growing confidence.

Finally, the task ended, and the time was up. All the groups stepped back to admire their weird and wonderful creations, and to my complete surprise, my team’s tower was the tallest, and even more miraculously still standing! My colleagues all cheered and gave me pats on the back, praising my leadership skills.

As I basked in this unexpected glory, while also congratulating everyone else, I suddenly realised that being an ‘accidental leader’ was not so bad. And from that day onwards, whenever a task came up that required leadership, I would always volunteer. As time passed, my confidence and leadership skills grew.

My story goes to show how sometimes the unexpected can lead to pleasant surprises. It also proves that a bit of confidence (even when faked) can go a long way!

Since those early days, I have completed my two master’s degrees in leadership and coaching, plus acquired invaluable on-the-job experiences, over the past 25 years, working as a professional coach.

But sadly, not all leaders receive the correct training and education to help them thrive in their management roles.

In fact, a joint study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and YouGov found that 82% of people entering management positions, for the first time, have not had any formal management and leadership training. These people have become known as “accidental managers”.

And not receiving suitable leadership training not only negatively effects these ‘accidental managers,’ but it also impacts the individuals they support, leading to a poorer work experience.

Managers have a deep effect on their employees, including on their motivation levels, job satisfaction, and the likelihood of them leaving their job.

The research revealed that half of workers who say their bosses are ‘ineffective’ plan to quit their roles within the next year.

This is why quality leadership training is of such high importance.

Looking back, I can honestly say having that guidance from my employer and a structure in place encouraged me to overcome my imposter syndrome and pursue a career in leadership and coaching.

In my current role with Accipio, I have supported hundreds of aspiring leaders to achieve their dreams through management apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are for everybody! Whatever your age, gender, or background. I have seen first-hand the transformative power of apprenticeships, with so many opportunities for leaders to turn the theory into practice. Apprenticeships have helped organisations too, providing value, while also avoid the ‘accidental managers’ phenomenon.

Accidents can happen, but they will always provide learning opportunities – an apprenticeship does too.

So, remember, always switch off your phone in training workshops and think twice before saying ‘no’ to an opportunity that comes along.

You never know where it could take you!

By Mark Ellis, Leadership and Coaching Success Manager, Accipio

Mark Ellis specialises in coaching and leadership. He has Masters degrees in both areas, plus, a Level 8 CMI certification in Strategic Leadership. Mark has worked in the education, business, charity, and training sectors for over 25 years.

Read more of Mark’s Leadership blogs.