The Journey from Good Manager to Great Leader

Looking back at my early days in management, I remember the moment I realised that managing tasks and leading people require completely different skillsets. I had just been handed my first major project with a team of five and I approached it like a to-do list with people attached. Unsurprisingly, we stumbled.

It wasn't until my mentor pulled me aside and said, "Kingsley, you're focusing on the clipboard when you should be focusing on the people holding it," that things began to click. That conversation changed my entire approach to management—and eventually led me to founding Kinetic People Development.

Many of us get promoted into management positions because we excel at execution—we complete tasks efficiently, solve problems effectively and consistently deliver results. Then suddenly we're responsible for helping others do the same and we wonder why our tried-and-tested approaches aren't working.

The skills that make you an outstanding individual contributor are rarely the same skills that make you an exceptional leader. This is the paradox that causes so many new managers to struggle.

I've seen this pattern repeatedly with clients across industries. The financial analyst who becomes team leader but can't understand why everyone doesn't just "do the work correctly." The marketing specialist promoted to manager who keeps redoing team members' work rather than developing their capabilities.

The transition from technical expert to people leader requires a fundamental mindset shift. When I work with new managers, I often start with this exercise:

Write down your answers to these questions:

• What made you successful in your previous role?

• What does success look like in your current role?

• How much overlap exists between these two lists?

Most discover less than 50% overlap—a revelation that explains much of their frustration!

The Three Leadership Mindset Shifts

After coaching hundreds of managers through this transition, I've identified three critical mindset shifts that transform managers into leaders:

1. From Doing to Enabling

As a football-obsessed kid in London, I idolised the players who scored spectacular goals. As I matured, I began to appreciate the captains who made everyone around them better. Leadership follows the same evolution.

Real leaders measure success not by what they personally accomplish, but by what they enable others to achieve. This means:

• Providing clear direction without prescribing methods

• Asking powerful questions rather than giving quick answers

• Creating psychological safety for experimentation and learning

• Celebrating team achievements more enthusiastically than personal wins

2. From Knowing to Growing

I remember my early karate training with my father. If he had expected perfection from day one, I would have quit immediately. Instead, he focused on my growth, celebrating each small improvement while continuously raising expectations.

Great leaders approach team development with the same philosophy:

• They see potential rather than limitations

• They provide specific, constructive feedback balanced with appreciation

• They create development plans tailored to individual team members

• They connect daily work to long-term career aspirations

3. From Controlling to Trusting

During my university days in Brighton, I joined a group project where our team leader insisted on approving every decision. Progress crawled, motivation plummeted and creativity vanished. Contrast this with another project where our leader set clear expectations, then trusted us to deliver—the difference was night and day.

Strong leaders understand that control is an illusion that:

• Bottlenecks progress

• Diminishes motivation

• Stifles innovation

• Prevents team members from developing judgment

The Leadership Practices That Make the Difference

Beyond mindset shifts, specific leadership practices accelerate your evolution from manager to leader:

Regular one-on-ones focused on development, not just status updates Schedule uninterrupted time with each team member, focusing 80% on their needs, challenges and growth.

Clarity about what success looks like Define clear, meaningful outcomes while allowing flexibility in how to achieve them.

Feedback as a continuous process, not an annual event Create a culture where feedback flows naturally in all directions—up, down and across the organisation.

Vulnerability and authenticity Share your own challenges and learning moments to create psychological safety.

Leadership development isn't a destination but a continuous journey. Even now, after years of coaching executives and building Kinetic People Development, I find myself learning and evolving as a leader.

The most powerful realisation? Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about having the courage to ask the right questions and the wisdom to listen deeply to the responses.

For all the new and aspiring leaders reading this, remember: the transition from manager to leader isn't about adding more to your to-do list. It's about fundamentally changing how you view your role and measure your success.

Your greatest achievements as a leader will be the moments when your team accomplishes something they never thought possible—and realises they had the capability within themselves all along.

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Kingsley Johnson is the founder of Kinetic People Development, helping professionals achieve their highest potential while occasionally reminding them it's okay to not have all the answers!