The Essence of Leadership: 'I' to 'We'

I was discussing about leadership with a friend this week, and he asked - how would I describe the change of Individual contributor to people manager?

Without a blink, I said - It's, I to We transformation

While the difference is just one additional letter. The change is quite profound, it goes through multiple facets of your character and demands changes in your attitude, personality, purpose and life's outlook. The shift isn’t just about a new job title - it’s a change in mindset, focus, and responsibilities.

Here are my top 4 key, I to We transformations:

1?? From Personal Success to Team Success: Success is no longer about what you achieve, but about what your team accomplishes. Your impact is now measured by how well others perform.

2?? Self growth to Team growth: Instead of focusing on your own growth, you’ll now be responsible for guiding, mentoring, and developing others. Your role is to help your team reach their full potential.

3?? Tactical to Strategical thinking: you’ll need to think about the bigger picture. It’s not just about solving today’s problems but planning for the future and aligning your team’s efforts with the company’s goals.

4?? Emotional Intelligence Matters: Leading a team means understanding their emotions, motivations, and challenges. Building trust and fostering a positive culture are vital for a successful team.

Transitioning from an IC to a manager is challenging but rewarding. It requires shifting focus from technical execution to leadership, team-building, and strategic decision-making.

?? If you're signing up for this transition, remember - it's about enabling others to perform at their best. Your success is directly proportional to their success!!

Few gotcha's

• Several books and academic programs offer 1 --> 4. But real transformation and realization happens when one travels through levels of leadership.
• Both I (IC) and WE (manager) roles are uniquely different and yet powerful. Both offer growth in unique and distinct ways.