Good How Managers Become Leaders Essay Example

Leaders who came from the ranks is almost always well-rounded, someone who has experienced what it feels like to get their hands dirty, experiencing what every other employee has experienced. A manager who has gone thru the ranks make for a good leader with a pool of experiences that he can draw from when it comes to making the tough decisions. However, it is in the transition from being a manager to heading a business, that managers experience the most struggle. To overcome these difficulties, the manager turned leader should now be able to shift his focus from managing to leading. Managers possess a skill set that enables them to be specialists in their field, analyze processes, implement specific tactics, lay down the foundations of the organization, solve and fight off operational problems, and support members of the team. However, in becoming a leader, managers need to learn to become generalists, integrator, strategist, architect of processes, set agendas, solve problems in the most diplomatic way, and most importantly, lead. The article calls this shift in a manager’s focus and skills as seismic shifts.
Since a manager is considered the “specialist” in his respective department, for one to become a leader, he must now become a generalist. The manager must now learn to oversee the whole business unit rather than just the functions of his department. The scope now covers an entire unit and would entail more responsibility which can leave the new leader in a state of disorientation and can be overwhelming at the same time. Most often than not, the new leader has some experience in the different sectors of the business but are not considered experts in them. However, knowing a little about everything would certainly help in managing the whole business. He must also be aware of how the different departments are interconnected for him to be able to utilize each department efficiently. In each of these departments, he must recognize the talent that he can maximize to become experts to manage these areas.
In relation to the first seismic shift, the leader must now focus on getting the right people to do the job. With the help of these experts, the leader can now consolidate learnings from each team to guide him in making informed decisions to solve challenges and problem that arise. From this, the leader goes on to understand how each department is interrelated for him to be able to integrate their functions effectively.
More importantly, in one’s new role as a leader, there needs to be paradigm shift in terms of one’s mindset. Since a leader is to be expected to oversee the overall operations of a business, his mindset should be focused on matters that are considered of higher levels. Three skills are needed to develop a strategic mindset. There are several levels of analysis and moving swiftly amongst them is called level shifting. This entails one to know when to focus on details, or when to look at the bigger picture and finally, how to relate. The next would be pattern recognition wherein you are required to be able to identify which should be taken into consideration and which could be dealt with in passing. In mental stimulation, you should be able to anticipate the responses of others so you can predict their actions and act accordingly.
Being a leader, managers should now think of the systems and processes that make up the business. An understanding of how each system works and how each is interrelated is necessary. Only upon full understanding can a leader revise the systems to benefit the company.
Managers, being on the floor at all times, get to solve problems firsthand. Their ability to do so, earns them a promotion to becoming leaders. From here on, the newly appointed leader should now set their focus on filtering these problems based on which should be taken on by the organization. From problem solvers, leaders should now become agenda setters. The leader should now lead the team into shifting their focus on the important problems, guiding them into setting priorities in achievement of set goals.
As a leader, the manager must now devote time to coordinate with groups of people outside their organization that creates impact on their business standing. He must learn to negotiate, persuade, manage conflicts, and build alliances. To be effective as a diplomat, the leader must actively seek out ways to align interests, understand the rationale behind decisions in different organizations, and learn to create strategies to influence others.
The last seismic shift requires the leader to move to the spotlight, from being a supporting cast member to performing the lead role. This time, a leader’s influence is heightened, now being a role model to everyone, now being observed on a larger scale. Everyone looks at the leader for inspiration, on how to act and most especially for his vision. Most often than not, a leader’s behavior influence others, so it is very important that the leader is cautious on how he is perceived by his subordinates.
It is very important for leaders to have a right-hand man who will have to take on his previous role as a manager so he may focus on taking on bigger responsibilities. It is also very important for a leader to realize that his skills as a manager before might not be necessarily useful in his new role as leader. Thus, a shift in mindset is necessary for him to develop a new skill set which will deem him suitable for his new role as a leader.