But, I'm only the Finance Director
…Or the Operating Director. Or the HR Director. How many times have you said that?
You've spent years building up your specialist knowledge. You've been promoted and promoted because of your expertise.
Suddenly you are in that coveted senior leadership position and the tectonic plates have shifted. You are expected to contribute much more than your specialist knowledge and expertise. In fact you now have to have an opinion on a whole lot more.
You are expected to input into strategy, service developments, staffing, money, business process and procedure, building external partnerships. The list is endless.
You are being asked to represent the Board and the organisation at events, to give presentations, to update staff and local communities. To talk about all these things with confidence and clarity.
This wasn't what you trained for and it is well beyond your zone of genius. You often question why you are being asked to do these things when that isn't what you were recruited for.
The truth is, you might be a leader in your profession, but to be seen as a leader in your organisation you need to be interested and involved in all the areas that make up the business.
Your direct reporting teams will expect you to be keeping them up-to-date with the bigger picture and what it means for what they do.
Whilst staff in the broader organisation - and indeed your external stakeholders - will see your authority position as one that will be able to represent the business on all topics.
Now that doesn't mean that you need to become the expert in everything. But you need to be prepared to talk about and act on the big strategic priorities and the issues that are impacting the business at that time.
So, how can you do that:
Listen to your colleagues, teams, wider staff groups, customers, stakeholders and communities - understand what drives them and what they are concerned about. This will help you to ask the right questions when making decisions and to ensure your organisation is focussed on the things that matter.
Talk to the experts (your peers) and get from them the key takeaways that you can use when you talk about an issue. This will help you to best represent your colleagues and the Board.
Take action. Follow up on the things that you commit to do. If you don't have the answer or know what else to say - don't make it up! Promise to find out and get back to the person who asked. This will help you to build trust.
By doing this regularly you will not only build your own confidence and skills as an all-round senior leader, but you will also add immense value to your organisation (which also means that you can get your professional agenda taken a lot more seriously too 😊).
Let me know what the biggest shifts have been for you moving into that coveted senior leadership role.
And if you are still worried about that transition into senior leadership, then I have a package for that. My 100 day plan will help you to develop your skill set so you can contribute fully as a senior leader.