Stepping Up To Management:
A First-Person Account
By Ludee T. Kudera

If I were asked to share my management practices before August 17th, I would have shared practices that can only be described as misconceptions and far from reality, and continue to pass them on.

After that date, which was the first John Clements Harvard Lunch & Learn, the realization of past mistakes and the eagerness to carry on learning simply continued, and this does not only apply to myself but also for the new—and reborn—managers and leaders of John Clements.

It was indeed a great, invaluable experience. Being a manager for half of my career with the company, it never crossed my mind that I would have a chance to undergo any Harvard training. Before then, I probably believed that I would have to be a C-level manager to be a credible Harvard “student”. But it is Harvard Business School Publishing’s mission to “improve the practice of management and its impact in the changing world.” I saw this as an opportunity to participate in this effort by helping improve the practice of management in John Clements, starting with my own practices.

In this first development program, we were introduced to Stepping Up To Management—an e-learning tool that provides self-assessment of our knowledge and our needs to help determine how we can prioritize our learning. This program includes modules like Understanding Your New Role, Working Through Others, Managing Performance, Organizing Resources, Meetings & Time, Managing a Group, Supporting Your Boss & Organization, Networking with Colleagues and Evolving as a Manager.

Overall, the program aims to assist in properly assessing one’s knowledge and skills as a manager. This serves as a guide to improving one’s role through self-management, peer and subordinate management, and management in the broader context of the organization. Finally, realizing that new role as a manager and a leader will ideally create a continuous learning path.

Each participant was given two weeks to log on to the e-learning program.  After two weeks, the participants met over a two-hour Lunch & Learn session where the key points were discussed and where a blended approach—utilizing related topics from Case in Point and Harvard Manage Mentor—was applied.

In brief, Case In Point provides reality-based scenarios on diverse subjects and managers’ roles where managers are able to learn through engaging and practical discussions. Cases are basically presented in time-maximizing, 20- to 30-minute segments. Harvard Manage Mentor, on the other hand, is presented via 42 modules with practical advice, downloadable tools, and time-saving tips on key management topics to build skills quickly for an immediate impact on performance.

In between those eight Lunch & Learn meetings, we likewise participated in several Case In Point sessions on topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Influencing Others, Cultivating Customer Loyalty and Managing Performance. What makes this learning experience excellent is the opportunity given to managers like myself to cascade the learning to our own team and our colleagues in the organization.

Facilitating Case in Point on Difficult Interactions with my team revealed a significant understanding among my team members with regard to their behavior when faced with conflict on the level of interpersonal relations in the workplace. Another good opportunity extended to me was to handle one of the modules of Stepping Up To Management on Supporting Your Boss and Organization and conducting a Case In Point session on Aligning Strategy in one of our Lunch & Learn sessions.

Personally, I feel I have developed good habits concerning the Harvard corporate learning leadership programs. As I go to the office everyday I always try to check my online launchpad for topics to pick for the day’s reading. Even just a short part of a module or an article usually yields useful information. And as the busy day goes by and I get exposed to certain challenges, no matter how small, I try to run through the library of insights and key ideas in my head and see how I can apply those in the situation at hand.

Apart from having just-in-time tools to help busy managers address common challenges they experience everyday, I personally believe that by embracing Harvard training and passing it on to every individual in the organization will make a radical change in improving practices in John Clements. As our President and CEO always says, “I want all of us to become leaders.” I think this is where Harvard is taking us.

One of my personal favorites so far is the insight from the Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, Amelia Fawcett:
“I think it is critically important that management takes the responsibility because they are best-placed to ensure that every player is a player, performs to his full potential and understands everybody else's value. At the end of the day, we need to show respect for each other and for the contribution that everyone makes because people who work for us look to us for leadership. If our standards are any different to the standards we ask of them, then we really don't have a right to expect them to behave any differently. In the language of change, you need to walk the talk.

“You need to start by respecting the contribution and work that everybody does and then encourage your team to understand that to get those planes off the deck and get them back on safely, everybody has to work together seamlessly. In an era where there are no easy answers and no silver bullets, you need to harness the talents of every individual if you're going to service your clients, find innovative solutions and grow your business.”