From Managing to Leading |Leila’s House of Corrections

Have you ever wondered how the great leaders you interact with learned how to do it? Do you want to take your role in managing to the next level? If your answers are an emphatic YES, then Come on managers, it s time to transition from managing to leading.

Moving from managing to leading is a step many managers miss along the way in their careers. A lot of us assume that once we get promoted to director or above, well, leadership just happens. Wrong!

Once you become proficient at key management tasks, you need to step back and consciously think about leading more and managing less. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Tip #1: Talk less and listen more.

Leaders are excellent listeners. They listen for when help is needed and desired: when their ideas or comments are crucial. They don t jump in and add value just because there is an opportunity to do so.

Tip #2: Know the big picture inside and out.

Leaders take us where we sometimes don t want to go. To do that, you need to know the ins and outs of your company s mission, vision, and strategy. Your employees have an innate radar that identifies shallow management speak -- like synergies , low hanging fruit , and let s leverage that ! So take time to learn to speak about the big picture without the BS!

Tip#3: Determine your personal leadership style.

Leaders lead from their souls, and they live by personal values and visions. And their style is no accident. Leaders have taken the time to determine their person values and vision and you should too. A great place to read about this and complete exercises is Kouzes and Posner s book, The Leadership Challenge .

Tip #4: Be honest and disclose.

Everyone makes mistakes and has fears, doubts, and worries. Leaders disclose these things. They bring their teams closer to them and to results by disclosing fears and failures.

Tip #5: Adapt and then adapt some more.

Management is about predictability while leadership is about adaptability. Leaders know things change a lot and they are comfortable with change. They expect it and they help their teams understand it.

Great leaders still set goals, give feedback, and do everything managers do: they just do it in subtle and indirect ways.

Remember, leadership qualities are valued in any role at any time in your career. It s never too early to exhibit leadership behaviors.