Does your role involve being an "integrator" across teams? Supporting. Connecting. Cohering. Resolving. Balancing. Listening. Translating. Absorbing. If so, there is a good chance you have a view of your organization that no one has (not even the CEO). You see and hear things most people don't see. You are taking on an emotional burden that most people don't take on. And you are shouldering an emotional burden that often goes unrecognized and unappreciated...and unpaid.
I would also flip the question and ask how the organizations can use their integrators better? What needs to happen for their full potential to be fulfilled? What needs to exist in the environment, what feedback and learning loops the organization should establish in order to do that? Being an integrator can be extremely fulfilling when people appreciate you for it, but appreciation itself is not enough to make these roles successful. And for an organization is extremely valuable to have those integrators and to use their skills as the organizational "6th sense".
@John, this made my day. My question is, how can we create a rewarding/recognition model for these integrators? In some cases, I even heard that "this is HR's business...", where they don't even expect managers to get involved at that level.
This articulates so much that I see right now. I've been working with clients for years, working with them to understand gaps, events and their organisations, to then work to improve them. I thought this was obvious, but just not top of their agendas. I recently moved role and work with many teams now, and just realised why I'm now excited and tired all at the same time - I'm doing this internally.
Towards rewarding “integrators”, or those who do “glue work”: I’ve seen some career ladders (in Engineering especially) recognize this as one of the axes on which someone can have high impact. If I one day have the chance to design such a ladder I’ll want to incorporate this concept.
Thank you for your post, this is not often talked about! I agree that this significant work often occurs discreetly and is frequently overlooked. It generally requires someone gifted, often resembling a 'martyr', a label I'm not fond of. Yet, as you note, this work often comes with a personal cost, such as burnout and illness, as in my case. This underscores a broader issue in how organisations value emotional labour. It highlights the necessity for healthier organisational structures where such labour is less needed. The persisting question is whether these challenges stem from inadequate leadership, processes, structures, or if they are an inherent part of the complex dynamics within human groups, our inherent messiness leading to dysfunctional dynamics and complicated organisations
Check out Adam Grant's "Give and Take"; I think integrators are "Givers" and need to learn how to "protect" themselves as well as understand what helps them keep going. Chapter 6 - "The Art of Motivation Maintenance" - really helped me think about what I need to make sure that happens - to keep me from burning out.
Actually I have a question today, John, what would you look for when hiring a product owner (SaaS product)? I'm asking this as a QA who would obviously want to work well with their PO, and how I can help a new PO.
Quote from someone I am happy to no longer work with: "if you as a $VP, if you're not resolving incidents, what are you here for? We didn't hire you just to cut checks"
Total erasure of all the things leaders do, much of which you describe, which is entirely invisible in many orgs. And in the worst ones, entirely unappreciated and, in some cases, seen with suspicion.
The only way out of this trap, IMO, is that you have to align your work around achieving metrics, and hope people aren't judging you for how you get there.
How true. I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years now. And feel energized and exhausted at the same time. But any bit that helps people and the org makes me happy and keep going.
This is very timely. A career coach recently told me that these are not things that people usually see, and it blew my mind. A part of me has always assumed that seeing the cracks and making the connections is something that naturally develops (over the course of being an engineer, but that was especially biased based on my experience).
I would also flip the question and ask how the organizations can use their integrators better? What needs to happen for their full potential to be fulfilled? What needs to exist in the environment, what feedback and learning loops the organization should establish in order to do that? Being an integrator can be extremely fulfilling when people appreciate you for it, but appreciation itself is not enough to make these roles successful. And for an organization is extremely valuable to have those integrators and to use their skills as the organizational "6th sense".
@John, this made my day. My question is, how can we create a rewarding/recognition model for these integrators? In some cases, I even heard that "this is HR's business...", where they don't even expect managers to get involved at that level.
This articulates so much that I see right now. I've been working with clients for years, working with them to understand gaps, events and their organisations, to then work to improve them. I thought this was obvious, but just not top of their agendas. I recently moved role and work with many teams now, and just realised why I'm now excited and tired all at the same time - I'm doing this internally.
Towards rewarding “integrators”, or those who do “glue work”: I’ve seen some career ladders (in Engineering especially) recognize this as one of the axes on which someone can have high impact. If I one day have the chance to design such a ladder I’ll want to incorporate this concept.
Thank you for your post, this is not often talked about! I agree that this significant work often occurs discreetly and is frequently overlooked. It generally requires someone gifted, often resembling a 'martyr', a label I'm not fond of. Yet, as you note, this work often comes with a personal cost, such as burnout and illness, as in my case. This underscores a broader issue in how organisations value emotional labour. It highlights the necessity for healthier organisational structures where such labour is less needed. The persisting question is whether these challenges stem from inadequate leadership, processes, structures, or if they are an inherent part of the complex dynamics within human groups, our inherent messiness leading to dysfunctional dynamics and complicated organisations
Check out Adam Grant's "Give and Take"; I think integrators are "Givers" and need to learn how to "protect" themselves as well as understand what helps them keep going. Chapter 6 - "The Art of Motivation Maintenance" - really helped me think about what I need to make sure that happens - to keep me from burning out.
Any reason this one is titled TMB not TBM?
Actually I have a question today, John, what would you look for when hiring a product owner (SaaS product)? I'm asking this as a QA who would obviously want to work well with their PO, and how I can help a new PO.
I think Systems Convening are trying to give this role a language...
https://wenger-trayner.com/systems-convening/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/spread-and-adoption/systems-convening/
Quote from someone I am happy to no longer work with: "if you as a $VP, if you're not resolving incidents, what are you here for? We didn't hire you just to cut checks"
Total erasure of all the things leaders do, much of which you describe, which is entirely invisible in many orgs. And in the worst ones, entirely unappreciated and, in some cases, seen with suspicion.
The only way out of this trap, IMO, is that you have to align your work around achieving metrics, and hope people aren't judging you for how you get there.
How true. I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years now. And feel energized and exhausted at the same time. But any bit that helps people and the org makes me happy and keep going.
This is very timely. A career coach recently told me that these are not things that people usually see, and it blew my mind. A part of me has always assumed that seeing the cracks and making the connections is something that naturally develops (over the course of being an engineer, but that was especially biased based on my experience).