Leadership Special: There Are No Casual Moments

In this episode of Inside Out: Mental Health at Work and in Life, I'm joined by Noel Massie, leadership consultant and author of Congrats! You've Been Promoted, who spent 42 years at UPS and retired as Vice President of US Delivery Operations.

This one is a little different. Rather than working through our usual questions, Noel takes us through his career and what it taught him about leading people on the front line. He started at UPS at 19, loading trailers part time while studying engineering, and found out he'd been promoted to supervisor when he turned up for his next shift. By the end, he was supporting 17 presidents and around 200,000 employees.

Noel's argument is that leaders are always being watched. As he puts it, there are no casual moments in leadership. People decide how they see you, and they have their own terms and conditions. Cross those lines and people may quit on you, even if they don't leave.

A lot of the conversation is about what happens when organisations promote their best worker and leave them to it. Noel's example is a forklift driver promoted to lead the team she used to work in, challenged in front of everyone two days in. His view is that it's not on her to sort that out, it's on whoever promoted her. He is critical of cuts to frontline leadership development, and of leaders who start with the spreadsheet instead of the people.

We also hear about the people who shaped him, from an engineer at IBM who told him the smartest person in the room isn't always the best leader, to a UPS manager his team would "run through a wall for". On mental health at work, Noel is clear: teams with high conflict, poor relationships and poor mental health don't win.

🔑 Key Topics

• Why there are no casual moments in leadership
• People's "terms and conditions", and quitting while staying in the job
• Promoting your best worker without preparing them to lead
• Who should sort it out when a new leader is challenged
• Cuts to frontline leadership development
• Values leaders show every day, not the ones on a plaque
• Mentors, coaching and investing in people before asking more of them

💡 Did You Know?

When Noel joined UPS, the company was privately held and owned by the managers and supervisors who ran it. He says that's why, from his first promotion, he felt he had a stake in how his team performed.

📝 Actionable Takeaways

• Remember your team notices everything you do, not only what you say in meetings
• Before promoting someone, plan how you'll support them through their first year
• Ask your managers to list the values they think matter most to you, and see if they match your own list
• Open team meetings with a short conversation about one value, led by someone other than the most senior person
• Make time to coach every day, not only at review time
• Be seen where the work happens, not only in head office

🗣️ Join the Conversation

Think of the best manager you've had. What did they do that made the biggest difference to you? Share your thoughts and connect with us on social media.

Connect with Noel:

Website: https://noelmassie.com

Order the book, Congrats! You've Been Promoted: https://noelmassie.com/book-order-page/