Common Phases of Leadership Development: A Roadmap for Aspiring and Emergent Leaders

Read time: 5 minutes??

The intention of this week’s newsletter is to help bring a little more awareness and hopefully, clarity, to the phase of your leadership journey so that you can focus your effort and energy on meaningful and relevant habits to help you grow to the next level.?

Several clients come to me because they feel like they keep getting passed up for promotions but don’t know why. Others reach out because they feel like they are barely treading water in their new leadership role. Unfortunately, too few?of their bosses or entourage have the courage to tell them the truth. When the limitations are technical in nature, it’s easier for them to provide more direct?feedback. However, when it is behavioral or “soft skill”-related, the answer they often get for not getting the job?is “It’s not your time yet.” While that?may be the case, it is rarely helpful in providing guidance for?the individual to better prep for the next opportunity. ?

Despite the lack of obvious guidance, individuals in these positions have more power than they realize. Soft skills gaps in leaders at various ranks can be addressed with a shift in mindset and a few habit changes IF?the leader is open to the possibility of learning the skills that will help them successfully lead.?In either case, the new or aspiring leader?will first have to stop doing things that led them to their current level of success. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, which complicates a rather simple concept.?But this will need to happen to make space for new, more efficient and effective habits. The speed at which the learning will occur will depend on their openness to the process, as well as the amount of practice they incorporate into their day. ?

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While there are many models of leadership development out there, a?popular and one of the more specific ones?is the "Leadership Pipeline" model, developed by Ram Charan and his colleagues. The model describes how leaders typically progress through what they call the “6 leadership passages” as individuals?advance in their careers.?

Inspired by Charan and his colleagues’ work, and my experience coaching leaders at various ranks these past few years, I’ve further broken down the leadership journey into 8 passages, and included?key descriptors of the typical leader’s?mindset at each phase, how the leader?typically leads, and what they need to do to evolve to the next phase of leadership:?

1. Managing Self: At this initial stage, the individual is not yet leading others, but is seen as your typical?high potential team member. They are primarily focused on developing their own skills and competencies. They are often perceived as individual contributors who are reliable, diligent, and detail oriented. They may struggle to delegate tasks because they know the work will get done faster or “better” if it is completed by themselves. They may also struggle to?take on broader responsibilities beyond their immediate area of expertise out of fear of failure. To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a broader perspective and start thinking about how their work fits into the larger picture.?
2. Managing Others: At this stage, the leader may be more open to collaborating and may even begin to take on more responsibility for managing projects. One of the major differences between this phase and the last one is that the individual begins to look up from their own work to see a slightly bigger picture. We see a?shift from perfecting their technical skills to allow?more time and focus on developing their interpersonal skills and helping?others. While there is more of an openness to collaborate and delegate, they may still lack the “know how” to do so effectively. To evolve to the next phase, they need to start thinking more strategically about their team's goals and how to align them with the larger organization's objectives.?
3. Managing Managers: At this stage, the leader is responsible for managing other managers or team leaders. They need to be able to delegate effectively, manage the social dynamics between team members when conflicts arise, and ensure that their team's work is aligned with the organization's overall strategy. They may struggle to let go of their own technical ability and to trust their team leaders to make decisions. At this level, I often see that leaders are more willing to delegate – but will only do so to team members?they trust.?While they may be willing to delegate, they may also be perceived as micro-managers. To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a more strategic mindset and focus on developing the capabilities of their team leaders.?
4. Functional Manager: At this stage, the leader handles an entire function or business unit. They need to be able to set strategic direction, allocate resources, and manage a complex portfolio of projects and initiatives. The strategic piece is a common obstacle at this stage in their development. They may struggle to balance competing priorities, especially when they don’t have a sharp vision of the direction of the organization. Again, they may still struggle to delegate effectively to their teams, or consistently across different teams. At this point, I also find that clients tend to struggle letting go of being the go-to between team functions.?To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a more holistic view of the organization and learn to collaborate effectively with other functional managers, and trickle down the learning to empower their own team members to collaborate without having to be the sole go-to for communication between different teams or departments.?
5. Business Manager: At this stage, the leader is responsible for managing a business or profit center. They need to be able to drive revenue growth, manage costs, and make strategic investments to drive long-term profitability. They may struggle to navigate complex regulatory or market environments or to build strong partnerships with external stakeholders. I’ve also found that clients in this phase find they are having to juggle too many priorities at once and getting all their teams to buy into the vision, and ensuring that the vision is communicated all the way down to entry-level employees.?To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a more strategic perspective and to build strong relationships with key customers, partners, and regulators.
6. ?Group Manager: At this stage, the leader is responsible for managing multiple business units or product lines. They need to be able to balance competing priorities, allocate resources across different areas of the organization, and build a strong culture of collaboration and innovation. I often find that while they?may successfully lead one unit or product line, they struggle to support consistency across different business units or to drive alignment around a common vision or strategy from all teams. The result is each unit being treated as silo, and initiatives are often disjointed.?To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a more strategic mindset and to build a strong network of relationships across the organization to ease execution of projects around priorities.?
7. Enterprise Manager: At this stage, the leader manages the entire organization. They need to be able to set the overall strategic direction, manage risks, and drive transformational change across the organization. They may struggle to maintain a focus on long-term goals while also addressing short-term challenges or to build a strong culture that supports innovation and risk-taking to not only remain a?relevant player in the industry and?one step ahead of the competition. To evolve to the next phase, they need to develop a deep understanding of the external environment and the organization's stakeholders, and to cultivate a leadership team that can drive change and execute the strategy.?
8. CEO: At this final stage, the leader is responsible for working with the organization's board, setting the overall vision and strategy, and representing the organization to external stakeholders. They need to be able to manage a complex network of relationships, make tough decisions under uncertainty, and inspire and motivate their leadership team and employees. They may struggle to balance the demands of various stakeholders or to manage their own personal and professional lives effectively. To be successful as a CEO, they need to have a deep understanding of the organization's purpose, values, and culture, and to be able to create an environment that enables the organization to thrive over the long term. Much time is spent shaping their legacy within the organization, and if planning for retirement, some focus is sometimes also spent on leaving an impression beyond their work family and into?the?industry.?

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What to do with this information??

Do any of these leadership phases resonate with you??If so, which one? ?

How does having this awareness around where you stand in your leadership journey help you? ?

Where should you perhaps focus your efforts moving forward in your professional development??

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While I typically focus my coaching on leaders finding themselves in phases 1-4, there are many coaches out there who solely focus on the later phases. If you find yourself needing support in any phase, there are multiple other resources at your disposal, which I discussed in my earlier?edition of the Emergent Leaders Newsletter, “How to Master Your Leadership Development to Succeed in Any Industry”. ?

Of course, feel free to reach out if you need professional development guidance. I encourage you to?book a complimentary 30-minute Discovery call to help you gain clarity on your next leadership development steps. Contact details are below.??

Whenever you are ready, there are 2 other ways I can help you:

1.?If you are still looking to further improve your leadership skills, let me recommend starting with?an affordable course:

→?The New Leader’s Survival Guide: Time Management?

→??Stand Out From The Rest: Communicate Like An Effective Leader ?

2.? If you are looking for a more customized leadership development experience, leadership coaching may be the better option to get you to your professional development goals faster. Book a complimentary “Discovery Call ” to discuss your goals and see if working with a leadership coach might be the way to go.