The transition into senior leadership

By Dr Ann Hutchison

The transition from middle management into senior leadership is an interesting one. It can be a huge professional shift to be plunged into the responsibilities of ‘executive life’; for, indeed, being a senior executive involves a certain lifestyle too. It is not just about the content of the work; it is also the responsibility, workload, pace, and complexity that comes with the role.

The shift involves going from a functional expert to a fully competent executive peer who now has skin in the game with enterprise-level decisions, and is a viable and respected business leader in their own right. The leader may previously have been a marketing guru or a finance leader; but now they are an all-rounded executive, functioning at C-suite level and carrying visible leadership in the eyes of a whole organisation.

A gravitas comes with this, or an expectation that they will be able to hold a room; when really, imposter syndrome is often waiting at the door, depending on the executive’s personality. Some don’t suffer from imposter syndrome, but those who don’t, do have other issues. We all do.

The language the executive uses must be different to the way they couched things at middle management. Instead of speaking about processes and frameworks, they must now speak about business risks and opportunities. They must also learn to delegate strategically, lifting themselves onto the balcony rather than being involved in execution; and they must see themselves now as a co-leader of an enterprise. The top management team becomes their main team, and their attachment to their department (e.g., the marketing or finance department) arguably must come second. Is that it possible to relegate their department and its interests to second behind the executive team? It’s difficult.

There is also a degree of stewardship and governance required at this level that is not experienced at lower levels. The executive must learn to look afresh at the processes within their remit, to make sure that they are effectively stewarding the organisation on behalf of its owners or funders.

And then there is the self-care required to thrive at this level, a level that is faster paced, more precarious in terms of visibility, lonelier, and busier. It is easy to neglect in executive life, but it is critical for the executive’s longevity.

So with all that said, it is indeed a transition to go from middle management to senior executive management, and executive coaching can help. There are techniques that coaches use to help clients accelerate through a transition successfully.¹

An executive coach can —

• Support executives psychologically, including emotionally, through a professional transition.

• Help the executive question and rethink what they are seeing in their environment

• Support the executive with self-insight and confidence

• Help the executive reshape their behaviour to fit the new environment

• Discuss coping strategies, new skills, and new resources with the executive

All in all, then, it is an exciting transition, but one where the executive would benefit from scaffolding themselves with support. If they do, their journey in executive leadership can be one of longevity and success. And, recognising the features of this transition is a big part of their growth.

1. Panchal, S., Palmer, S., & O’Riordan, S. (2018). Coaching through developmental transitions. In S. Green & S. Palmer (Eds.) Positive Coaching Psychology in Practice (pp. 207-222). Routledge.