From Manager to Leader- Understanding Transition and how it affects us

Posted on September 09, 2020 by Polly Wain, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Making the shift from Manager to Leader

You are adaptable, and extraordinarily creative. How do I know? You’re human – just look at how we have, for the most part, coped and adapted through this blinder of a year!

We’re usually great at embracing, even championing change and then something comes along that really knocks us for six.

Understanding Transition and Change

How we make sense of change is called the transition process. And it sort of runs backwards – it starts with ending, has a confusing middle and then a new beginning emerges!

If it’s a change we haven’t chosen, like a re-org, a merger, a redundancy or being fired, it’s no wonder we might feel at a loss.

If it’s a change we’ve chosen, like a promotion to manager, or to a position of leadership, it can come as quite a surprise to feel a bit lost after a while.

If you’re a manager, and you’re feeling that the skills that got you where you are aren’t the only ones you need now – you’re probably right.

Executive Transition Coaching with Polly Wain – For the shift from Manager to Leader

The Coaching Process

I specialise in bespoke, one-to-one coaching. The transition process is the same… and you’re unique. You’ll have your own reasons for considering coaching – and your own path to embracing yourself as a leader.

Together, we’ll look at your key strengths, dig deep and explore your blind spots, consider your natural abilities, and your professional and personal skills in these three key areas – and you’ll plan and act to achieve your goals, with me alongside you each step of the way:

1. Personal greatness: You’re self-aware, smart, hard-working, trustworthy, resilient and emotionally intelligent. You look after your whole self – body, mind and spirit – as well as those who rely on you

2. Engage greatness in others: You’re also aware of your impact on others, you’re great with stakeholders, you empower your team, you’re an effective negotiator, you can manage conflict and you allow yourself to be seen – you’re an open and effective communicator

3. System awareness: You have system awareness & the ability to influence stakeholders through your knowledge of the external and internal business, financial and strategic factors affecting your company

– tick, tick tick! And if any of those areas need work, we’ll find out which and work on those.

Transitioning from Manager to Leader

Some people work with me because they’ve been promoted to a more senior role, they’re managing others who aren’t in their area of expertise – and they’re finding it’s a whole new ball game.

Others work with me because they’ve been offered a promotion, and they’re not completely sure why. They’ve accepted and they really want to boost their skills and understand their strengths, so they don’t let anyone down.

And others work with me because they want a more senior role in their current company, and they’re being overlooked – or they want to make sure their skills are top notch to help them land a better role elsewhere.

You’ll have your own reasons for wanting to work with me and I look forward to learning what they are.

My path to Executive Transition Coaching

My corporate life began in Marketing, Communications and PR 20+ years ago (stopped counting!), mostly in IT, Defence and consulting, and ended as a Director and Leadership Team member of the professional services arm of Subway (the sandwich people).

My belief in the value of organisational development in businesses and the part coaching plays in that, coupled with the love I have for helping people made the move into full-time executive coaching a natural progression.

I’ve benefitted from leadership development training and executive coaching myself. One of my coaches had a personal development approach, but they weren’t particularly aware of corporate life.

I felt what I really could have used was a coach that had a broad business and leadership experience with a coaching approach that combined professional and personal development. When I decided to become a coach, I chose two different coaching courses to achieve this.

I loved making the move from manager to leader – for the most part, it suited me well. When the time came to leave my corporate role, even though I wanted to leave work to pursue coaching – it still took me ages to work through the transition process!

That’s when I knew I wanted to specialise in transition coaching for people making the shift from manager to leader – and support them to make the shift more quickly than I did, for themselves and all those who rely on them.

Now, I coach full time, supporting professional people to make the smooth, successful transition from being technically expert managers and decent leaders to being remarkable leaders.

If you’re ready to invest in yourself – let me know why, what’s brought you to coaching now & get in touch.

My Coaching Philosophy

Working with me is experiential and co-creative. I use a whole person and wholehearted bespoke coaching process that supports and advances your capacity to attain your organisational, professional and personal development aims.

Together, we are partners, guided by mutual trust and respect, working in a space held by me, entirely for you. With me, you will examine issues more deeply, think differently and then define your own solutions. I’ll offer you unconditional, non-judgemental support, challenge and perspectives – to make sense of change and make the successful shift from Manager to Leader.

Take the first step, drop me a line, let me know how I might support your transformation. Let’s get to know each other a little.

x Polly
polly@singlestep.uk