Very few people start their careers in a leadership role. Most grow into it from a specialist position. The challenge is that this transition requires becoming a leadership expert, not just an industry expert. The questions every aspiring leader should face are: What does it take to lead well? Do I have the prerequisites to develop those capabilities?
It is absolutely possible to grow into a strong leader, but for some, it is a long and demanding journey. If the journey never starts, the appointment alone won’t move a team in the right direction. Many leaders remain specialists long after they have been formally promoted.
A simple piece of advice: when a top specialist steps into leadership, their development areas need to be identified and a conscious leadership development path designed. Without this, the risk of failure is far greater than the chance of success.
Leaders set KPIs, run performance reviews and highlight gaps, but they should also be asking themselves: What have I done to help my people feel satisfied, committed and capable of performing at their best?
Working relationships, like any other relationship, require mutual investment. When that balance is lost, people lose enthusiasm and joy in the partnership. Work is no different.
It’s a promising start when a leader recognises the need to balance giving and receiving. The key is understanding what to give. Good intentions aren’t enough. Leaders need to know their people, not only as personalities but also through their professional interests, ambitions and motivators.
Don’t offer what is meaningful to you. Offer what is meaningful to them.
In my coaching work, I often see assumptions and judgments that simply don’t hold. Only genuine curiosity, careful listening and real empathy enable a leader to understand their team well enough to lead effectively.
Today’s leadership landscape is fast-paced, demanding and full of competing expectations. Leaders are required to navigate constant change, manage hybrid teams, integrate new technologies, and support the well-being of people with very different needs. Under this pressure, many slip into reactive mode and rely on outdated habits. Without developing the skills to stay present, communicate clearly and create psychological safety, even capable leaders quickly find themselves overwhelmed. And when this happens, the team inevitably feels the consequences.
When leaders fail to develop themselves, fail to understand their people and fail to build balanced relationships, the first visible sign is usually a loss of respect. What follows is a chain of events that creates even bigger challenges. Over time, the team disengages, trust erodes, and performance suffers. To avoid this, leadership roles should be taken only by those who are willing to learn, evolve and consciously commit to the craft of leading.
