The Evolution of Super-Doers

Life is full of transitions. One that seems to be particularly common in the technology realm is that of super-doer to super-manager. Unless you were born with a super-rich daddy, most of us started our careers with a whole lot of heavy lifting. Our success was measured by the quality and quantity of work we could individually produce. Sure, we were part of teams but the team stars were those whose Herculean feats were greater than the others. But a strange thing started to happen. Those Herculean feats of strength became a calling card, and as your success grew so too did the number of people seeking your advice and support when they were up against a challenge. One moment you were the student and the next you were the teacher.

For each of us that make the transition from doer to leader, there is a point time when you realize the task(s) at hand exceeds your Herculean strength. It is no longer about what you can do, but rather what the team can do. It is a concept that you read about and study but until it actually happens, it is all rather academic. And so it is that the transition can be a little intimidating. The super-doer likely grew up always knowing that when push came to shove, they could simply overcome whatever challenge lay in their way through pure grit and dogged determination. Suddenly you are a manager, and your success is no longer in your own two hands. You cannot just pick up the ball and carry it across the goal line. Somebody else has to do it, and if you are any sort of leader, they are looking to you for how to do it. Most people think of managers as having more power and control, but for a super-doer it can feel quite the opposite. Control of their destiny has been dispersed among a broader group of people. It isn’t more control, it’s less and frankly it is a scary transition. Not everyone makes it, or should even try.

Entrepreneurs are by their very nature super-doers and they take justified pride in being the chief cook and bottle washer of their start up enterprises. In the early days, everything depends upon them. But over time with some success and luck, the team grows from one to many, and the business becomes more than any one person can handle. Suddenly the business no longer needs a Herculean do-it-all entrepreneur, but rather a super-leader entrepreneur. It is a scary time for everyone involved with the company. In the best-case scenario, the entrepreneur makes the transition to super-leader. In the second best-case scenario, the entrepreneur realizes their limits and hands the reins to a new leader. And in the worst-case scenario, the entrepreneur fights the transition and drives the business into failure. Unfortunately, the third scenario is the most common. It is as if the same pure grit and dogged determination that created their early success becomes their Achilles’ Heel.