Leaders up and down the organizational food chain sometimes suggest to a high-potential team member that it is high time for them to “take a step up.”
The vision they have in their minds is of a team member with the initiative to take on the responsibilities of even more leadership.
However, because the specific actions in this picture are fuzzy to them, they leave the feedback plain and without explication.
The team member, for their part, is not just confused by this feedback but views it negatively. After all, they are already busting their butt to make a significant contribution.
“Step up to what?” they think to themselves.
Does this mean to show up for the day 10 minutes earlier? Or does it translate into a challenge to produce even more results at a faster rate? The more the statement echoes in their heads, the more uncertainty it produces.
So, what specifically does it mean to “take a step up?”
If leaders could fully articulate what they mean when they offer that feedback, it would go something like this: In the words of legendary NFL coach Bill Walsh, “Champions behave like champions before they are champions.”
Taking a step up suggests behaving like you have been promoted now — before you receive the formal recognition.
Take up more space, advocate more persuasively for your ideas, insist on being involved in critical decisions, hold others accountable, and possess the confidence to be even more candid in your feedback to others, including your leader.
Taking a step up also includes identifying risks to the team and seeking new opportunities.
As someone who is being asked to take on more leadership responsibility, the leader also wants you to own all problems on the team and to take the initiative to resolve or manage them. In other words, to lead by example months before any formal recognition.
By the way, taking a step up is meant as a compliment.
Leaders who offer this feedback do so because they believe the team member is ready for the challenge. They believe strongly in their skills and talents.
So, they offer up this request as a motivation and recognition for their potential. The fact that they fail to describe what they mean is now beside the point.
You’re now ready to step up. Just take it one step at a time.
