How do managers become leaders?
*An article from Harvard Management Journal*
Harvard_business_review
Many rising stars in companies stumble when they are promoted from leading an operation to leading an organization and for the first time assume responsibility for profit and loss and overseeing the entire operation of the organization. In order to understand the reality, with an in-depth look at this critical milestone, comprehensive and extensive interviews were conducted with more than 40 executives. The results showed that for this transfer to be done successfully, managers must make changes in their leadership skills in a smart way, which can be referred to as seven stages of transition:
*From an expert to a leader with general macro knowledge*
The first challenge is the transition from leading a simple unit to overseeing the entire business performance. Organizational leaders must be able to firstly make decisions that benefit the entire business, and secondly, evaluate the talent of their team members. Leaders must be able to speak the language of all organizational departments and, if necessary, interpret concepts and use appropriate criteria to evaluate and employ people in fields they do not have expertise in.
* From an analyst to a person with the ability to create a coalition between components*
The first responsibility of organizational leaders is to attract, develop and manage people who are skilled in specific business activities. The art of an organizational leader is the ability to create unity between the collective knowledge of teams and establish a suitable balance to solve important organizational issues.
* From a skilled and thoughtful person to a strategist*
Leaders who are referred to as leaders with strong tactics always consider cultivating the three skills of level change, understanding patterns, and mental simulation. Shifting the level means being able to identify the right time to focus on details or focus on generalities separately and how to make connections between the two. Understanding patterns means the ability to distinguish between causal relationships and other important factors in complex businesses and their surrounding environment, and mental simulation means the ability to predict possible reactions from key factors outside the organization (including competitors, legislators, media and the public). It depends on the decisions of the organization and determining the best strategy.
* From a bricklayer to a master architect *
Leaders, at the same time as they are promoted to higher organizational levels, become responsible for designing and changing their organization’s architecture, strategy, structure, processes and skill bases. To become an effective enterprise architect, they must think systematically.
* From a problem solver to a legislator *
Although most managers are very capable in solving problems in the organization; However, when they become organizational leaders, they should focus less on solving problems and focus on defining the problems that the organization must deal with.
From a warrior to a diplomat
Corporate diplomats use the tools of diplomacy, including negotiation, persuasion, conflict management, and alliance building, to shape the business environment in support of strategic goals. In this regard, they cooperate with their competitors.
* From the role of a supporter to a person with a leadership role*
Ultimately, becoming an organizational leader is about moving under the spotlight. Managers at all levels play the role of a role model; But at the organizational level, their impact is very high, so that everyone looks at them as a model of “correct” behaviors and attitudes.
This post is written by shadmanamini