Making the shift - Functional to General Management roles.

My recent transition from a functional leadership to a general management role involved a steep upward spike in my learning curve. In my first 100 days, I realised that the responsibilities associated with resource monitoring and delivering commercial results far exceed budget cuts and ROI generation KPIs that come along with functional leadership roles. The initial experience I have gained has helped me comprehend how mission-critical a P&L role is, the challenges that come with it and its ability to shape the organisation and the teams. Here are some early lessons into a few necessary traits and what functional leaders can be thoughtful about as they prepare for such a transition in the short to mid term.

Accountability & Attitude 

Be it a small or large command of line teams, your decisions ultimately impact the organisation and have a trickle-down effect. Accepting accountability for achievements and mistakes alike go a long way in shaping success. For functional leaders, having early opportunities to lead large teams, report directly to senior operational leaders and working in a matrix builds these muscles.

Communication & Leadership Proposition

I can’t stress enough the importance of building top notch communication skills as this can be a clear differentiator. Identifying and building your voice for 1:1 conversations and also large group inspirational messages is critical and is an area that functional leaders can be thoughtful about as they build towards a transition. Being clear about your leadership value proposition and communicating it frequently and well is an important consideration as well. If your leadership currency is built around functional expertise, expanding it becomes key given the breadth that general management roles bring.

Knowing the Business, Making Decisions & Getting Things Done 

Robust business knowledge is key. Functional leaders who are ‘insiders’ can easily distinguish themselves within an organisation – they are people who make a conscious effort to think, evaluate and structure issues critically. As a functional leader, proactive involvement can give you access to areas of the business that will inspire innovation, in turn giving you the confidence and courage to make bold decisions that will ultimately have a significant impact. Getting involved in projects where you are the main decision maker also builds the muscle memory that comes in handy when the buck stops with you. Learning to delegate effectively and coaching colleagues to get things done are also areas that can help prepare for the transition. 

It does boil down to one’s ability to lead self and the teams, understand the complexities associated with a business, and inculcate a sense of collaboration into the organisation. The advantage is that the transition from functional to commercial leadership involves transferable skills. Even though it’s still early days, and there is a lot more to be done, the right questions to be asked, and numbers to be delivered, I am grateful for the opportunity to lead in a new context and hope to utilise my toolkit of experiences. 

If you have made such a transition yourself or have supported colleagues in making such a transition, I would love to hear your advice and thoughts. Over to you..

Recommended listening & reading - There is lot of advisory on this subject and here are some that I particularly gained from:

Deepak Jayaraman’s Play to Potential Podcast which covers 'all things transition' in great detail.

Deepali Nair’s podcast (Being CEO) which covers the nuances of business leadership roles through conversations with senior leaders who have made the journey.

Vivek Gambhir’s blog - Monday8AM which provides a view from the top and nuances of leading self and the business.