I recently read a thread about workplace practices millennials refuse to enforce now that they are in leadership roles. It got me thinking about how strange the transition into management actually is. Becoming a manager or stepping into a leadership role is a bittersweet promotion.

​

Someone is very good at their job. They understand the work, people trust their judgement, they solve difficult problems. The reward? A new role where much of their time is no longer spent doing what they are best at, but making sure others can do their best work.

​

And suddenly, being good at the thing is no longer the whole job.

​

This can be particularly uncomfortable for people who are used to being good at what they do. You reward expertise with a position that often has no clear script or procedure.

​

Working with first-time managers over the years has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work. And their questions are often surprisingly practical.

​

How often should I have 1:1s? What do I do when someone's performance changes over time? How do I give feedback that is direct but thoughtful? When do I make the decision and when should the team make it? How do I support someone without solving the problem for them?

​

But underneath these questions is a bigger shift.

​

As an individual contributor, your judgement, grit and ability to get things done can take you a long way. As a manager, part of your job becomes creating the conditions in which other people can do good work.

And your own determination can't do that work for them.

​

It means giving context instead of instructions. Having a difficult conversation instead of quietly fixing the problem yourself. Making expectations explicit. Knowing when to step in and when to get out of the way.

There are frameworks and tools that can help with all of this. But some of the most useful development I've seen happens much closer to the actual work.

​

“I need to have this conversation tomorrow. How do I approach it?”

​

Trying something, getting it wrong,  collecting feedback, adjusting and slowly figuring out your own way of leading.

​

That's why I don't see leadership development as something that happens only through a leadership programme, a 360, mentoring or a workshop. Those can all be useful. But they aren't the only way to learn.

​

And when resources don't allow for those things, sometimes development can be as simple as having someone to think with when you're not quite sure what to do next.

​

Becoming a leader isn't about having all the answers. It's also about learning which answers are no longer yours to provide.

​

What clients have found useful when working through this:

1:1s · Shadowing & mentoring · Leadership onboarding · 360 feedback · Hogan assessment · Leadership workshops · Difficult-conversation practice · Coaching & reflection

Next article