Rising to the Challenge: Transforming Yourself to Senior Leadership

By Marty Stanley

Let’s get one thing straight: transforming yourself to senior leadership is not about what you know or whom you know.
Now, don’t get me wrong, those things are important, particularly in the early stages of a career. In fact, I remember looking for opportunities to prove I was a good leader, and reading every how-to-succeed book.

I “acted as-if,” wearing the boxy power suits and donning glasses to look the part. (I adopted the look so powerfully, that on a casual-dress day, I wore a jumpsuit that actually hinted “femininity” and co-workers didn’t recognize me. That was a warning sign that maybe I’d gone a little overboard!)
I hung out with the up-and-comers, and joined the right groups and volunteer organizations to position myself as a leader. I studied my field relentlessly to be the expert.

So, do these activities contribute to leadership skills?

Good question, and one that’s not easily answered.

I still recommend similar approaches for young aspiring leaders. After all, what else do they have?
Most young people don’t have the experience to draw on for enduring leadership skills. For many aspiring leaders and business people, a lot of things came easily and at a young age, including making a lot of money. Think about it. Many people in the workforce now never experienced a recession before 2001. They never had to manage in uncertain times.

Our future leaders may have some good tactical skills that will contribute to learning how to strategically lead, but I’m talking about leading when the chips are down and the troops are battle weary.

“Transforming yourself to senior leadership” occurs when you truly recognize the skills that helped you get where you are may not be the ones that will help you grow the business or lead your folks to do what you used to do yourself.

Rather than share my experiences in this transition, I want to share the insights of some of my clients. I have had the privilege of coaching new and experienced CEOs, vice presidents, directors and managers of large companies. I have also coached owners of small and mid-sized businesses, both new and established.

So what separates the “wheat from the chaff,” so to speak, when it comes to senior leadership? Here are some common themes from my clients:

Vision
New leaders can get caught up in office politics; or in the case of business owners, caught up in the tasks needed to accomplish their vision or simply pay the bills. Senior leaders are clear about their vision and don’t get sidetracked. Not only do they create it, but also are passionate about it and get others involved in the vision. Strategic decisions are made based on the vision and the senior leader understands that.

Charisma
We’re not talking snake oil here. We’re talking about the ability to communicate in a way that makes people want a piece of the action. How do you do that? It’s the “P” word again. Passion. Charismatic people speak passionately from the heart, not from their heads. Trust me, you know the difference when you hear it and when you speak it.

Delegation
From a tactical standpoint, senior leaders resoundingly talked about delegation. The difference between the senior leader and the aspiring or emerging leader is they recognize that their top people are capable of making decisions, and their role, now, is to endorse, support or redirect in most situations, not make the decision.

Senior leaders understand the importance of putting the structures in place to provide checkpoints regarding key performance indicators. They understand that delegation doesn’t mean abdication. These structures help them monitor for the results they want. In addition, senior leaders understand the flow of communication. There are few surprises.

As one CEO said, “The responsibility can be overwhelming at first. There’s really no one to turn to but you. Before, I could always ‘look up’ for guidance. Now, I have had to learn how to look across and down and, especially, within.”

So here’s the coaching for the month.

Who are you turning to for wisdom and guidance? Who do you consult when big decisions need to be made? Who do you look to in shaping your vision, and in staying true to your vision?

When you’re ready to give up on your dream—even if it’s momentarily—what or who is driving you to be true to yourself and your passion?

Do you have passion?

Are you willing to take the time to look within so you can transform yourself to senior leadership?

Marty Stanley is a certified business and life coach. She works with business leaders and their teams to put the structures in place to increase personal, professional and organizational effectiveness and get results. She can be reached at (816) 822-4047 or .