Leaders v. Managers

leadership versus management

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, career transition expert Michael Watkins shared insights on how people can more successfully transition from managerial roles to leadership roles.

He identified seven “seismic shifts” that are associated with the journey:

  • Move from being specialists to a generalists
  • Move from analyzing data to integrating knowledge from multiple sources
  • Move from implementing tactics to developing strategies
  • Transform themselves from bricklayers into organizational architects
  • Shift from being problem solvers to becoming agenda setters
  • Move from simply trying to beat the competition into serving as diplomats who engage with a full range of stakeholders
  • Move out from the wings and get used to living on center stage

“To make the transition, managers have to acquire new capabilities quickly,” Watkins said. “And though what got them to the top may no longer be enough, there are steps that they and their organizations can take to prepare them to succeed.”

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