From Rockstar to Strategic Leader: Coaching for Growth - a Manager's Role

High performers are the backbone of any team. They execute flawlessly, meet every deadline, and deliver results without fail. But when it comes to stepping into strategic leadership, many stall. They stay heads-down, focused on doing rather than leading. We regularly give her raises, but the scope of work wasn’t changing nor was her job title.

As leaders, our job isn’t just to reward execution—it’s to help individuals scale their impact. You may think you have given them feedback to “be more strategic.” But have you explained what that actually means? If they knew how to change their thinking process, they would have tried it.

"So, how do we transform an exceptional doer into an influential strategist?", I get asked by managers.

Here’s how I have approached this shift—and seen rockstars grow into strategic leaders. It gives me the greatest joy to witness it as I coach them to see their own potential and grow towards it to achieve their aspirations.

1. Shift the Perspective: Redefine What Success Looks Like

"Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different." – Michael Porter

Most high performers define success by output—how much they accomplish. At the next level, success is about impact, not effort. Encourage them to ask:

? Am I solving the right problems?

? How does this fit into the broader strategy?

? What would happen if I didn’t do this myself?

This shift moves them from task execution to strategic decision-making.

2. Delegate to Elevate: Scale Their Impact

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling while they do it." – Theodore Roosevelt

High performers often believe doing everything themselves is the key to success. It’s not. Teach them:

? Delegation isn’t offloading work—it’s creating leverage.

? Their role is to multiply results, not just contribute.

? If they’re indispensable in execution, they can’t step up to lead.

Start with small delegation exercises and coach them through it. Over time, they’ll see that trusting others leads to greater impact.

3. Expand Their Time Horizon: Think Bigger

"The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious." – John Sculley

High performers often focus on immediate deliverables. Future leaders think quarters, not weeks. Help them zoom out:

? Instead of “How do I complete this project?” → ? “What will make this process irrelevant in a year?”

? Instead of “How do we fix this bug?” → ? “What systemic issue caused it?”

? Instead of “What’s next on my plate?” → ? “What should we be prioritizing?”

Encourage them to anticipate problems before they happen—that’s strategic thinking.

4. Create Strategic Exposure: Put Them in the Right Rooms

"You can’t be what you can’t see." – Marian Wright Edelman

Execution-focused employees often don’t get a seat at strategic discussions. This. is usually the biggest struggle that women face. Change that:

? Invite them to cross-functional meetings where bigger decisions happen.

? Assign them a stretch project requiring broader thinking and broader access and visibility.

? Encourage shadowing senior leaders to see the strategy in action.

The more they see the bigger picture, the faster they’ll start thinking strategically.

5. Assign a ‘Big Picture’ Project: Force Them to Zoom Out

Give them one initiative that forces them out of execution mode:

?? Automation – Reduce toil for the team.

?? Process Redesign – Improve efficiency in a workflow.

?? Customer Impact – Lead an initiative tied directly to customer experience.

Hands-on experience accelerates strategic problem-solving.

6. Provide Mentorship & Sponsorship: Show Them the Path

"A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out." – Bob Proctor

?? A mentor provides insight into the mental shift required.

?? A sponsor advocates for their growth and puts them in key situations.

This combination fast-tracks their transformation.

7. Overload Them (Strategically) to Practice Delegation

High performers often say they’ll delegate but rarely do.

?? Stretch their workload intentionally.

?? Set clear priorities—force them to let go of lower-value tasks.

?? Guide them on how to delegate effectively while staying accountable.

They’ll quickly realize that leading means enabling, not doing everything themselves.

8. Recognize Strategic Wins, Not Just Execution Wins

"Celebrate what you want to see more of." – Tom Peters

Shift the reward system:

? Celebrate when they influence a decision, not just execute it.

? Recognize when they challenge the status quo with a better approach.

? Applaud when they solve systemic issues, not just patch symptoms.

Make it clear: Strategic thinking is as valuable as flawless execution.

Final Thoughts: The Shift From Execution to Leadership

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." – Warren Bennis

Helping high performers transition to strategic leadership isn’t about pushing them harder—it’s about helping them think differently.

If you’re coaching someone through this journey as a manager:

? Challenge them to step back and ask “why.”

? Give them the right opportunities to think bigger.

? Celebrate mindset shifts, not just output.

And if you’re that rockstar looking to grow, remember:

?? The next level isn’t about doing more—it’s about leading differently.

This is how I have achieved excellent results in building a great pipeline of leaders. It takes investing in them, watching out for their growth, and following through consistently as a maanger.

What strategies have you used to help high performers think more strategically? Managers, share your insights below! Have you been helped this way?

#Leadership #CareerGrowth #Coaching #StrategicThinking #HighPerformers