Moving from Manager to Leader: How Women can Unlock Career Growth

Every 6 weeks the women leaders in our InsideOut Design Leader Community gather to explore topics through the shared lens of females in leadership. We've tackled topics ranging from the basics of overcoming gender biases, to supporting other women, to finding (and honoring) our authentic leadership styles.

Recently, these brilliant leaders chose a meaty challenge that affects every woman in leadership: Moving from Manager to Leader. Together we brainstormed actions to START, STOP and CONTINUE in order to be seen as the leaders we are.

While the women in our group work in high profile brands leading creative, design or experience teams, the ideas they generated are universally relevant. So we're sharing them here to help female leaders everywhere reflect on their own actions and how they may be showing up to others–and start taking actions that lead to more growth opportunities.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Before we get started, the smart leaders who attended this session all agreed that there's no solid line between "Manager" and "Leader". For example, a great leader should be able to manage, but managers don't always have leadership skills (though they often do!).

Both are involved in strategy, though often managers are developing the strategies that get work done, while leaders are defining the longer-term vision to guide their teams. And of course, both skill sets are important to the success of an organization.

All that said, those seen as "Leaders" are generally afforded more growth opportunities on the org chart, in their scope of responsibility–and in their paychecks. So when it comes to career advancement, it's important to learn and exhibit the leadership behaviors that will lead to growth. Now, let's check out those lists and see what you think!

START: What can we start doing to be seen more as a leader?

• Analyzing company goals, identifying growth opportunities, and understanding our role's broader impact.
• Uncovering what leaders above us value in leaders they promote–then figuring out if that's the kind of leader we want to be.
• Proposing new ideas, trusting our instincts and challenging the status quo. Be bold!?
• Using data effectively and getting great at tailoring our message to executives and peers.
• Building a feedback loop by giving and receiving honest feedback.
• Evaluating where we're spending our time, then prioritizing high impact work and delegating lower priority tasks effectively.
• Fueling our learning by dedicating time to staying industry-current.
• Being authentic and leading with our unique perspective.
• Balancing action and reflection by allocating time for strategic thinking alongside execution.
• Helping organizations define leadership attributes to help with career development.
• Nurturing and protecting great culture by crushing "culture killing" behavior.
• Crafting succession plans to make space for new challenges.

STOP: What are we currently doing that we should stop?

• Spending time on low impact activities.
• Doubting ourselves and our abilities.
• Trying to solve ALL the problems.
• People-pleasing and taking on everyone's work.
• Saving everyone!?
• Jumping in with quick solutions.
• Trying to control everything.
• Being quiet when we're not sure we have all the answers.
• Getting stuck in the weeds.
• Aiming for A+ and trying to be perfect, when often B+ is what's needed.
• Avoiding challenges and putting off difficult conversations.
• Working all the time and deprioritizing our own well-being.
• Being an information silo and looking inward instead of seeking external perspectives.
• Wasting time on lost causes and holding on to projects that won't succeed.

CONTINUE: What are we doing now that works and should continue?

• Giving context and showing the bigger picture.
• Using that context as a springboard–not as cement that prevents growth.
• Providing visibility to our team and others so they can make better decisions.
• Asking questions, actively listening, and communicating clearly.
• Nurturing positive relationships, and celebrating team success.
• Challenging ourselves and seeking growth.
• Clearly articulating what success looks like.
• Being a thought leader by sharing knowledge.
• Creating a safe space for open communication and exploration.
• Advocating for the team with partners and other leaders.
• Developing platforms that give the team an opportunity to stand out.
• Being adaptable and open to new ways of thinking.
• Being confident that we add value.
• Remembering "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" to guide decision-making.
• Learning by drawing on successes and building upon them.
• Being transparent to build trust–and knowing what to share with whom.
• Amplifying the ideas of others.
• Crushing Imposter Syndrome, as often as possible.

Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list, but it's pretty impressive from a 60-minute session! In preparing for our discussion, we found lots of resources online that aim to define the difference between managers and leaders, and these leaders love to learn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on how women can successfully make the transition from being seen as a manager to being widely viewed as a leader. Please share in the comments so we can keep the conversation going.

Why do we care? Our mission is to connect leaders to find solutions–and we love supporting women leaders. If you're a senior design, experience, or creative operations leader of an in-house team at a high-profile brand and want to connect with others who share your unique challenges, let's talk. Our InsideOut community hosts small format roundtables to support the learning and growth of our members, and we’re honored to facilitate those discussions.