A Day in the Life of a Senior Leader

Chapter 7. Become the Consequence

I am of the opinion that when you start a new role—one you have never done before—becoming good or competent requires a minimum of three years.

This window of acclimation grows with the complexity of the role. I’d suggest that while you’ll be a good manager in around three years, becoming a competent director will take more like five years.

I’m fond of reducing very complex topics down to a single thought. My primary rule for becoming a good manager is “Delegate until it hurts.” It’s a counterintuitive strategy of giving the tasks you love to those on your team. It’s not about letting go; it’s about building scale into your team by building the essential skills you take for granted into your leadership team via delegation. Read that again. I’m changing your professional life right now.

A director or a vice president is an entirely different role. I wrote this piece toward the end of my time at Slack as the vice president of engineering. Acting last to let others be heard, reading the room to understand the essential subcurrents of a situation, and thoughtfully asking informed questions to get the best sense of the group sitting in front of you. I like these three habits, three tactics, but while they are good habits, they don’t have the poetic weight of “Delegate until it hurts.”

Are you a good director? Vice president? I don’t know, but I have recently figured out my boiled-down pithy advice for the role: “Become the consequence.”

A Lack of ...