Hi,
I'm Caroline Kostryung,
The founder of Corporate Escape Artist.
After 25 years climbing the corporate ladder,
I decided to launch my own business and become a career coach so I could help people like you get the most out of life at work.
Today we're going to talk about one of the most important transitions you can make in your career,
Going from manager to leader.
Successfully making that transition is essential to climbing the corporate ladder.
But just because you have a fancy job title doesn't automatically mean you're a great leader.
So what's the real difference between a manager and a leader?
Effective managers are project focused and might be described as organized and detail oriented.
On the other hand,
Dynamic leaders are visionaries who inspire teams to go above and beyond.
A leader adapts their management style to the individual and can get the most out of each team member.
Ultimately the skills that got you where you are may not be the ones you need to get to the next level.
Moving from manager to leader is a process that involves training and focus.
Now I'm going to share five characteristics of a leader to help you make a smooth transition.
The first one is that a real leader inspires.
Great leaders don't just tell people what to do.
They are masters at motivating their direct reports.
Going from manager to leader means you're tapping into your own sense of purpose and can articulate that to your team.
If employees are truly inspired by and proud of the values communicated by their leaders,
They'll not only perform better in good times,
But also stick it out when times are tough.
A real leader also creates a shared vision.
In addition to defining the tone for the company culture,
Effective leaders must learn how to communicate big ideas to everyone in the company,
Not just management.
Learning from manager to leader means understanding how to craft transparent and consistent messaging that inspires the best work from your employees.
Leaders create and drive the overall company vision so effectively that it becomes a shared vision.
A real leader is emotionally intelligent.
While traditional management skills are important,
A greater degree of emotional intelligence is necessary to nurture and motivate teams.
Emotionally intelligent people understand their own emotions and how they affect their decisions and behaviors.
They know how to read others and respond in a way that acknowledges their needs and concerns.
People with high emotional intelligence,
Sometimes referred to as EQ,
Are great listeners and go out of their way to consider others' points of view.
One study actually concluded that there's a strong correlation between EQ and job performance.
Often,
EQ is the difference between those who move up within an organization and those who don't.
A real leader is transparent.
As a leader,
It's important to set the foundation for transparent communication.
In a survey from Harvard Business School,
70% of employees said they're most engaged when management communicates openly.
Being open and honest is essential to create trust with your employees.
This practice will in turn make your team more comfortable opening up to you.
And then finally,
A real leader delegates.
Even if it were possible to stay completely involved in all aspects of the job,
That would severely limit how your team can grow.
Not to mention the fact that it's not a scalable model.
It's crucial to develop a group of talented people around you that you can rely on.
Allowing your employees to take on new projects will free up time on your calendar to focus on more critical,
High-level tasks.
It also helps foster opportunities for your direct reports to build new skills.
One study even found that companies with more talented individuals who can delegate have greater growth rates,
Higher revenue,
And create a greater number of jobs.
In other words,
It's a win-win.
While moving from manager to leader is an exciting transformation,
It's not without its challenges.
And here I go with another inspirational quote.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said,
A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader.
A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.
I couldn't have said it better.
