Three powerful insights to remember as you transition into a leadership role.
For many professionals, career progression is built on individual achievements; hitting targets, delivering results, and mastering technical skills. The better we perform, the more we get noticed. And, often, the more we get promoted.
However, stepping into leadership requires a fundamental shift. It’s no longer about what you personally achieve, it’s about how well you enable others to succeed. The transition from high performer to high-impact leader is one of the most underestimated career challenges.
Here are three practical and powerful leadership lessons for new leaders:
- Clear expectations
- Trust
- Balanced feedback
These lessons are essential for anyone transitioning from high performer to leader of high performing teams.
1. Set Clear Expectations
The challenge – don’t assume people just ‘know’
New leaders often assume that people already know what is expected of them. However, clarity isn’t automatic, it must be deliberately created.
The story
Two months into his first management role Paul was feeling frustrated. His team wasn’t following the new close-down process, and he just couldn’t understand why they weren’t interested in doing it right.
He stormed into his manager’s office and asked, “How can I get them to follow the close-down process?”
His boss chuckled and said:
“Paul, it’s no use talking to me. You might want to find out if it’s clear what you expect them to do. Be straight with them and be decent. Sometimes people are busy and genuinely just don’t know. They’re good – but I don’t think any of them are mind-readers.”
The conversation was over, but the lesson stuck.
Paul realised that he had never actually explained to his team what the process was or why it mattered. He had assumed they already knew. After reflecting that the process had changed recently, he recognised that while he was keen to learn it, his predecessor may never have passed on the details.
That day, he learned a simple but powerful lesson - expectations only mean something when people know what they are.
The practical takeaways
- Never assume clarity. Spell out expectations clearly, what needs to be done, why it matters, and what success looks like.
- Be explicit, not vague. Instead of saying “Do this properly”, say “Follow these three steps to complete the process”.
- Check for understanding. Ask: “Does this make sense?” or “What challenges do you see in implementing this?”
2. Trust Your Team
The challenge – let them solve the problem
High performers often struggle to let go of control. Their instinct is to fix everything themselves instead of trusting their teams to solve problems.
The story
Katherine, a junior manager, was finding herself in a constant loop of fixing mistakes made when orders were processed through her company's systems. Every day, she had to stay late correcting errors. In a 1-2-1, Katherine complained to her manager, “This is ridiculous! They just don’t care! How can I get them to take more care?”
Her manager stood up, put on her coat, and starting walking out of her office, saying:
“Katherine, this may not be what you want to hear, but have you thought of asking them? Let me know how you get on.”
And then she shut the door. Katherine was stunned.
What she thought she needed was a solution from her boss. What she actually needed was a solution from her team – and that would mean engaging with them, sharing the issues, and trusting them to solve the problem.
That moment helped Katherine learn a valuable lesson - treat intelligent, skilled, and experienced people as intelligent, skilled, and experienced people.
The practical takeaways
- Instead of fixing, start facilitating. When faced with a challenge, ask your team for their input first.
- Empower problem-solving. Instead of saying, “Here’s how to fix this”, ask “What do you think is causing this issue?”
- Give ownership. Trust people with meaningful responsibilities—this builds confidence and engagement.
3. Balance Praise and Feedback
The challenge - people need to hear what they’re doing well
Many new leaders focus heavily on correcting mistakes, but forget to acknowledge what people are doing right. Psychological safety, long before it had a name, was a critical part of leadership.
The story
David was a senior leader in his organisation who was managing managers.
He was perplexed by one of his team members and discussed it with his boss, “She use to be a great performer, but lately she’s really fallen behind. I’ve told her over and over what she’s doing wrong. I’m clear, precise, and outline exactly what she needs to change. But instead of getting better, it’s getting worse!”
David's manager paused before asking a simple question:
“How clear and precise are you when you tell her what she does right?”
The penny dropped.
David was horrified to realise he had never taken enough time to acknowledge what she was doing well. He had focused too much on what needed improvement.
After that, David changed his approach, and started offering clear, precise and genuine praise, along with constructive feedback when it was needed. Two years later, that same team member called David to say she had just received a major promotion, and that his balanced feedback had played an important role in her development.
That moment reinforced a critical leadership lesson for David. People need feedback on what they’re doing well just as much - if not more - than what they need to improve. We have a language for that now; psychological safety.
The practical takeaways
- Balance correction with encouragement. For every critical piece of constructive feedback you give, make sure that, over time, it is being balanced by at least two or more pieces of feedback which recognise a strength.
- Be specific with praise. Instead of saying “Great job”, say “Your attention to detail on that report really improved our accuracy, well done.”
- Create a culture of feedback. Ask: “What feedback would help you perform at your best?” And ask subordinates or peers regularly, “What advice would you give me?”
Final Thoughts: Creating high performers through leadership
Making the shift from high performer to leader of high performance teams is a transformation in mindset, skills, and behaviour. The best leaders:
✔ Set clear expectations - so their teams know what success looks like.
✔ Trust their team - engaging them in problem-solving instead of dictating solutions.
✔ Balance feedback with praise - so people feel valued and motivated.
The question every leader should ask themselves is this:
Am I simply managing, or am I creating an environment where others can thrive?
Because the best leaders don’t just achieve success, they multiply it by empowering the people around them.
For information visit the new Leading People Effectively programme webpage.
