New Role, New Rules: Making the Shift from Doer to Leader
Early in my career, I observed a familiar pattern repeating itself again and again.
A high performer, who is smart, driven, and technically excellent, gets promoted to a management role. Everyone celebrates. It makes sense. They've mastered their domain. They're reliable. They get things done.
But within a few months, the glow fades. Deadlines are slipping. Tensions are rising. The once high-performing contributor is overwhelmed, overextended, and, above all, disoriented.
Not because they aren't capable. But because they were never taught how to lead.
It's a New Identity
We don't talk enough about how jarring it is to transition from doing the work to leading others through it.
That shift is psychological because it's an identity transformation.
As individual contributors, people find success by mastering their craft. Their value is defined by how much they know, how quickly they move, and how well they execute.
But leadership requires a different metric for success:
It shifts from what you can do to what you can empower others to do.
Being the smartest in the room is no longer a key factor. What's more critical is drawing out the brilliance in everyone else.
And it's not about control, it's about clarity, coaching, and letting go.
That's a challenging shift for even the most brilliant professionals, as it requires them to relinquish the very identity that brought them success in the first place.
The Mindset Trap: "I'll Just Do It Myself"
One of the most common signs that someone is stuck in the "doing" identity is a subtle, familiar phrase:
"It's faster if I just do it myself."
This statement might be true in the short term. But in the long term, it creates bottlenecks, burnout, and resentment on all sides.
New managers often feel the pressure to prove themselves. Without clear guidance, they revert to what they know: doing the work, solving problems, and staying hands-on. But that's not leadership. That's unsustainable multitasking dressed up as service.
What they need is permission and support to lead differently.
Smart Doesn't Mean Equipped
Failing to transition from the "doer" role is a leadership development gap that many organizations overlook: being smart doesn't necessarily mean being ready.
We assume that someone great at their job will naturally be great at managing others. However, leadership is a discipline that "doers" must develop. One that requires:
Emotional intelligence
Self-awareness
Communication and coaching skills
Comfort with ambiguity
The ability to create psychological safety
Without these, even the most brilliant contributors can flounder.
Research supports this: according to DDI's Global Leadership Forecast, over 60% of new managers report that they've never received any formal training to help them lead. The result? Many high-potential individuals step into leadership roles without a clear roadmap and end up feeling isolated, overwhelmed, or ineffective.
What New Leaders Actually Need
If we want to set smart people up for success, we need to do more than hand them a title and a list of responsibilities. We need to equip them with both the mindset and the skill set to lead.
Here's where to start:
Normalize the discomfort of transition.
Make it clear that the shift from doer to leader is supposed to feel awkward. That doesn't mean someone is failing; it means they're growing.
Invest in real development beyond orientation.
New leaders don't just need to know company policy. They need hands-on, scenario-based, and experiential learning that reflects the real challenges of leadership, such as giving feedback, holding boundaries, facilitating conversations, and navigating team dynamics.
Leadership development should never be a checkbox activity. It should be a practice.
Create a culture of support, not silence.
Too many first-time managers feel isolated. Give them space to ask questions, share doubts, and learn from others. Manager peer groups, coaching, and mentoring are powerful tools in this context.
Honor their expertise but expand their lens.
Acknowledge their technical brilliance, then invite them to build the muscle of influence over control.
Leading Through Others Is a Skill And a Gift
The transition from doing to leading is challenging, but it's also where many professionals experience their most significant growth.
When we equip smart people with the tools, support, and mindset to lead well, they don't just perform, they transform.
They go from executing work to empowering teams.
From holding knowledge to building trust.
From proving their value to creating space for others to rise.
That's what sustainable leadership looks like. And that's what smart people deserve.
Two Workshops
Concerning Learning offers a two-hour mini workshop, "Using SCOPE for Delegation," and a half-day workshop, "Sharpening Supervisory Skills with Delegation," to equip organizational leaders with a practical framework and skills to delegate with confidence and clarity.
Let us know if you or your people managers need help building capacity, empowering others, and multiplying your leadership impact.