We were told that managers are an administrative layer that handles a set of individual contributors and manages administrative tasks such as salaries, hiring, competence development, work assignments, and performance appraisals. While, leaders build strategy, manage businesses, and bring direction to the organisation. The narrative is seriously flawed; leaders are not suddenly created one day. They have gone through the pains of turning into leaders, mostly unguided.

This narrative has had a highly negative impact on the individual and the organisation. This has led to a notional divide between Managers and Leaders. The reality is that Managers are leaders, too. Leadership development has to be viewed as a pipeline that extends from an individual contributor to the enterprise head. Development needs vary as an individual matures as a leader over time and with added responsibilities.

The first major transition in an individual’s career is transitioning into a people manager role. This is one of the most significant changes that can happen in a person’s life and one of the most stressful changes that an individual can go through. A well-performing individual contributor does not necessarily convert into an effective team leader. Organisations and individuals fail to understand the significance of this phase of their careers. There is a seismic shift in expectations as an individual transitions from “Managing self” to “Managing others”.

The Leadership crisis stems from not focusing adequately on this early phase. Many careers stall at this stage as individuals fend for themselves without guidance or training. Transitioning from an Individual contributor to a team leader requires a leader to become aware of team management dynamics, senior leadership expectations and, more importantly, themselves.

The narrative that Managers are different from leaders has to fundamentally change. Leadership has to extend from Self to others. It’s time to shift our perspective and recognize that developing Leadership traits early helps both the individual and the organization. An individual will undergo multiple transitions in a career span of 40-45 years. Getting this first major career transition right sets the path for future success both for the individual and the organization.