From Expert to Leader: What Is Your Job Now?
“Oh no! I’m not actually doing my job…”
A client of mine had this very realization when she went from overseeing a small accounting department to leading three separate functional teams. Moving from leading 4 people to 26 was a completely different game for her—and she wasn’t prepared for the shift.
If you’ve recently transitioned from expert to leader, you might find yourself in a similar situation—realizing that what you thought was your job isn’t actually your job anymore.
And it makes sense.
A typical career will progress from individual contributor to manager, and then at some point, manager to leader. This transition requires a shift—from tactical deliverables to strategic initiatives—and that can be a challenging adjustment.
In my client’s case, this caught her off-guard. She admitted that she struggled with being strategic, and couldn’t even fathom how to motivate her people. She knew she was micromanaging, and needed to find ways to improve her team’s performance and motivation. She also recognized that she needed to stop over-relying on herself to get all the work done. It was clear: what had worked for her in the past—being the expert—was no longer serving her in this new role. During our coaching session, she had a lightbulb moment and exclaimed, “Oh no! I’m not actually doing my job!”
She was right. Whereas she had been in charge of her small team's deliverables, she was now tasked with her department's performance. She needed to lead them, to motivate and inspire them—not do their work for them. This level of leadership is a whole different game.
Like many transitioning leaders, she felt overwhelmed, unsure of her ability to lead, and constantly questioned whether she was the right person for the job.
Three Leadership Distinctions Every New Leader Must Embrace
As we began our work together, I shared three key leadership distinctions that helped her navigate this new journey of leadership:
When it comes to new deliverables, what got you here won’t get you there. Many leaders struggle with letting go of their previous role as a high-performing individual contributor, and realizing that their whole job description has changed. Stepping into leadership requires a shift from doing to leading.
When it comes to expertise, yours is not always required—yet your leadership always is. Your main job is developing your team’s capacity and empowering them to be the best experts, so you can shift to a more strategic role.
When it comes to development, you cannot give what you do not have. Prioritizing your own growth as a leader enables you to be a better leader and mentor to your team.
Over the next several months we worked to identify a clear vision for herself, her direct reports and her department. She became clear about her role in being a reliable source of clarity, calm and inspiration. She committed to making her leadership growth a priority, which in turn made her more effective in growing her team’s capacity to perform well.
Now, instead of micromanaging, she leads with confidence. Her team is more productive, engaged, and motivated—and she’s no longer questioning her place in leadership.
Ready to strengthen your leadership skills and create lasting impact with your team?
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Stay tuned for our next posts, where we’ll be diving deep into how to navigate this journey from subject matter expert to effective people leader. HINT: whatever you want from your people, always begins with YOU.
