Are you a transactional manager or a transformational leader?
Leading at the right level is where you are doing the work appropriate for your pay grade. Sounds obvious I know but there are heaps of people out there and teams who are operating at levels lower than their pay grade.
High-value work and thinking is where you focus on future aspirations and goals, apply a strategic lens to your area and its role in the organisation’s overall purpose.
The benefit of this is that when you do step up, you will lift your abilities, which will lift your team, and everyone levels up.This is the difference between being a transactional manager and being a transformational leader.
A transactional manager
- is still doing the tasks from their old role, that other people are now employed to do
- thinks there is only one way – their way
- struggles to let go
- is disempowering of people in their team
- doesn’t focus on future goals and outcomes.
A transformational leader
- understands what they should be doing and what the team should be doing
- is able to let go of the technical work and let their team do it
- understands that there are different ways to achieve a result
- is empowering
- focusses on meaningful, well-defined goals and outcomes
If you haven’t managed and lead a team of people before you are more likely to default to being a transactional manager and keeping the technical tasks from your old role. These feel safer and easier because you’re good at them – right?
Wrong – if you want a long and fulfilling career, learning to lead at the right level is essential.
If you aren’t yet a leader, understanding what you should be doing at your current level is essential to maintain momentum in your career.
If you want to step up – book a 20-minute chat with me to find out how.
Because leadership is a learnable skill.