What changes need to occur as managers advance from front line responsibilities to managing other managers to executive leadership to the C-Suite?
According to the authors of Leadership Conversations: Challenging High Potential Managers to Become Great Leaders, Alan S. Berson and Richard G. Stieglitz, your conversations, activities and approach must evolve.
It is certainly true that a person can lead from any position in an organization. However climbing the corporate ladder requires an evolution of skill sets and mindsets. And, the relationships required to influence others at each level also must evolve.
I believe that the table below (extracted from the book) helps to clarify the progression of relationship and activity changes that need to occur as you advance to the top of the org chart.
Learns the value of relationships and how to use them
Learns to manage across as well as up and down
Includes other industry leaders in network
Learns the value of relationships and how to use them
Develops the technical skills of is or her people
Learns to coach first line managers and direct reports
Coaches and mentors others as an essential task
Builds culture to develop people at all levels
Considers resources to be a constraint
Engages team in decisions and in securing resources
Uses best practices and is open to mentoring
Makes decisions based on the vision and the strategic plan
Directs people to complete specific tasks
Coordinates across teams to achieve larger goals
Converts vision into strategy
Empowers the enterprise to succeed
What about YOUR leadership development? I challenge you to ask yourself:
Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.
– Arthur Ashe
Tom Lemanski serves as an executive coach and trusted advisor to successful Chicago area executives who are driven to be more successful. Tom has developed leaders in over 60 different industries of the the past 20 years.
Powered and secured by MailChimp
“Power today comes from sharing information, not from withholding it.'” – Keith Ferrazzi
One Response
Tom,
Leadership is other directed. The leader is out front doing first what is expected of the team. The leader gives credit to the team for all success and conversely takes sole responsibility if there is a failure or a setback. Leaders a quick with praise and recognition, rewarding the behaviors desired.
Best…Scott