Neglecting this leadership role comes at a steep cost
Neglecting this leadership role comes at a steep cost
Neglecting this leadership role comes at a steep cost
They’re in direct control of building the baseline of your talent pipeline
They tie the organization together up, down, and laterally
They secure a high level of execution power
A few questions to ask yourself:
How can this be?
What are the inherent challenges of the Leaders of Leaders role?
What are we going to do about it?
A significant issue arises from the mistaken belief that there is minimal distinction between the role of Leading Others and the role of Leading Leaders.
Hence, organizations assume an experienced leader of others can easily step into the much more significant leader of leaders’ role.
This false assumption is what causes many companies to struggle while executing their business strategies, and causes most companies to struggle building their internal pipeline of qualified leaders.
If you do not get the leading leaders transition right, then your talent pipeline will significantly suffer both short and long term.
Furthermore, leaders will carry the burden of not having made this transition successfully all the way into executive roles.
They’re not a strategic layer—they’re very much an operational layer, so they don’t get as much attention.
There is a lack of clarity on what the role is all about.
Managers themselves oftentimes don’t recognize their role—they find it an extension of their manager role.
With this interview with Drotter and Jonasen:
Across the thousands of leaders of leaders we have worked with, these are the most typical transition issues that almost all leaders of leaders are facing:
Failing to develop their direct reports into effective leaders
Holding direct reports responsible for technical proficiency only
Following up directly on individual contributors instead of following ups through the leader of others
Focusing primarily on their own unit and does not value building relationships and working across the value chain
Inability to lead both leaders of others and individual contributors
Stepping into the Leader of Leaders role is not just about acquiring a new skill set. It’s about fundamentally adjusting their work values, time application and skills.
In particular, they need to adjust their work values.
A leadership framework clearly defining leadership expectations for Leaders of Leaders versus Leaders of Others
Clearly defined work values, time application and skills for Leaders of Leaders
Leadership Transition Support: Training programs, coaching, on the job learning, peer support, direct manager engagement, etc.,
A solid leadership framework will also include a fact-based assessment of leadership performance and potential.
