Becoming a leader changes everything about your workday. You’ll spend less time doing tasks and more time helping others do theirs. It’s rewarding, but it’s also harder than most people expect. If you’re thinking about stepping up, here’s what you need to know.

What Leadership Actually Is

Leadership is helping people do things they couldn’t do alone. You guide teams toward goals and help them work together when things get messy.
Leadership is not a position; it’s a practice. It’s a leader’s responsibility to motivate teams, foster collaboration, and contribute their skills and knowledge to help their followers grow and develop.
But leadership isn’t just a job title. Good leaders exist everywhere – sports teams, school projects, family situations, and volunteer groups. Leaders are everywhere you look.

Why Leadership Matters

Organisations with good leaders perform better. That’s not hype. Research consistently shows that organisations with strong leadership significantly outperform those without it.

Good leaders get better results from their teams. People are more productive, they stick around longer, and they care more about their work. Companies that focus on developing leaders see real improvements in how they perform.

When people trust their leader, work gets done faster and costs less. When trust is low, everything slows down. People waste time second-guessing decisions, holding back information, and covering themselves instead of focusing on results.

Anyone can buy the same technology or copy your processes. But building a culture where good leadership exists at every level? That takes years and can’t be replicated quickly. Companies that invest in developing leaders throughout their organisation set themselves up for long-term success.

The Four Behaviours That Matter Most

Research from McKinsey across nearly 200,000 people in 81 organisations reveals that four types of behaviours account for 89 per cent of leadership effectiveness:

  1. Solve problems well – Gather information before making decisions.
  2. Focus on results – Follow through and prioritise what matters most.
  3. Get different viewpoints – Ask for diverse opinions and make it safe to disagree.
  4. Support your people – Invest in their development and coach them.

Everything else builds on these four.

This aligns with Franklin Covey’s research across over 1 million leaders, which found that effective leaders consistently do four things: inspire trust through their character and competence, create a clear vision that everyone understands, execute strategy by turning plans into results, and coach others to develop their potential.

 

Six Things Every Leader Needs to Master

1. Know Yourself

You need to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and what sets you off emotionally. When your actions match your words, people trust you. When they don’t, they won’t.
Be honest about your mistakes. Teams learn more from a leader who admits when they’re wrong than one who pretends to be perfect.

2. Communicate Clearly

Good communication isn’t just about talking well. It’s about:

  • Choosing the right way to share different messages.
  • Actually listening when people talk to you.
  • Making it safe for people to disagree or raise problems.
  • Being clear about what you expect.

3. Think Beyond Today

Leaders need to see the big picture and spot problems before they happen. This means:

  • Understanding your industry and competitors.
  • Do regular SWOT analyses (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).
  • Turning high-level strategy into work people can actually do.
  • Changing course when circumstances change.

4. Develop Your People

Great leaders make their people better. They:

  • Learn what each person wants to achieve.
  • Give regular feedback and coaching.
  • Hand off work that helps others grow.
  • Create chances for people to learn new skills.

5. Handle Emotions Well

You need to manage your own emotions and understand others’. This helps you:

  • Build strong relationships.
  • Have difficult conversations without them blowing up.
  • Resolve conflicts.
  • Include everyone, not just the people you naturally like.

6. Keep Learning

Things change fast. Good leaders:

  • Accept uncertainty instead of fighting it
  • Keep developing new skills
  • Ask for feedback and actually use it
  • Show their team that learning never stops

Why People Really Want to Lead

Before you take on leadership, be honest about why you want it. Understanding your motivation will make you a better leader.

The Practical Reasons

More money and status – Leadership roles typically pay more and come with better benefits. That’s a valid reason.

Career advancement – Some career paths require leadership experience. If you want to move up, you might need to lead.

More control – You’re tired of bad decisions being made above you. You think you can do better.

You were asked – Someone saw potential in you and offered the opportunity.

Job security – Companies always need good leaders. There’s a shortage of people ready to step into leadership roles, especially as experienced leaders retire. This creates real opportunities for those willing to develop these skills.

The Impact-Driven Reasons

Making a bigger difference – As an individual contributor, you impact your own work. As a leader, you multiply that impact through others. When you develop your team members, your influence extends beyond just your direct reports to entire teams and company culture.

Building new skills – Leadership forces you to grow in areas like coaching, mentoring, strategic thinking, and influencing others. These skills make you more valuable whether you stay in leadership or not.

Developing others – Some people genuinely enjoy watching others succeed and grow. If you get satisfaction from helping others overcome challenges and reach their potential, leadership gives you more opportunities to do that.

Creating lasting change – The best leaders don’t just get results today – they develop other leaders who continue making an impact long after they’re gone. When you invest in growing people, you’re building a system that keeps producing good leaders.

The Reality Check

Research shows that pairing leadership development with coaching can increase your success rate by up to 400%. But here’s what that really means: most people who step into leadership without support struggle or fail.

The companies that do well are those that systematically develop leaders at all levels, not just at the top. If you’re serious about leadership, you need to be serious about learning and development.

All of these motivations are legitimate. The key is being honest with yourself because your reasons will shape how you approach the role.

Management vs Leadership: What’s the Difference?

Managers handle day-to-day operations. They make sure tasks get done on time and projects stay on track.

Leaders focus on the bigger picture. They inspire people, set direction, and help teams navigate change.

The best leaders do both – they know when to manage the details and when to focus on vision.

Making the Transition: What Actually Happens

Your Day Changes Completely

You’ll spend less time on individual tasks and more time in meetings, planning, and talking to people. You’ll think more about long-term goals and less about immediate deadlines. This will mean you become more involved in top-level discussions rather than those about smaller tasks or decisions.

This can feel weird at first. You might even have more time up your sleeve than before and miss the satisfaction of completing tasks yourself.

Former Peers Become Reports

If you’re promoted within your current team, some awkwardness is inevitable. Your old peers might feel passed over. They might test your authority.

Address this directly, and be prepared to:

  • Take the lead on big decisions when issues need resolving.
  • Celebrate team members’ achievements to boost morale.
  • Have difficult conversations when necessary.
  • Balance individual needs with team objectives.

Have honest conversations about how the relationship is changing. Set clear expectations, but don’t become a different person overnight.

You’re Responsible for Others’ Mistakes

When your team screws up, you’re accountable. When they succeed, they get the credit. This can be frustrating, especially early on.

Decisions Get Harder

You’ll face choices where every option has downsides. You’ll make decisions with incomplete information. You’ll sometimes be wrong, and people will remember those times.

Remember, you can still ask for help

Being in a leadership position doesn’t mean you have to tackle everything alone. Don’t feel like you can’t be open and ask for additional time or information to make a decision. Seeking help is a strong attribute to hold as a leader, and your team will appreciate this honesty.

Getting Started as a New Leader

You won’t become a good leader overnight. Skills take time to develop and people might not respect you immediately. But you can make the transition easier.

Show You Care About Your People

Your team needs to know you’re on their side, not working against them. Understand what they’re dealing with, especially if you’re taking over during a tough time. Be honest about what you know and what you don’t. This builds trust faster than pretending you have everything figured out.

Listen More Than You Talk

Meet with each person on your team individually. Ask about their goals, challenges, and what they need from you. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak – actually listen to their answers. This shows them they matter and helps you understand what you’re working with.

Find Your Leadership Style

There’s no single right way to lead. You’ll need to adapt based on the situation and the people involved. Some approaches to consider:

Match your style to the situation (situational leadership) – A crisis requires different leadership than a brainstorming session

Include everyone (inclusive leadership) – Make sure all voices get heard, not just the loudest ones

Focus on the bigger picture (transformational leadership) – Help people see how their work connects to something meaningful

Serve your team first (servant leadership) – Sometimes the best thing you can do is remove obstacles for your people

Build Trust Through Your Actions

Trust is everything in leadership. You build it by:

Doing what you say you’ll do

  • Being honest, even when it’s uncomfortable.
  • Admitting when you mess up.
  • Showing that you’re still learning too.
  • Actually being good at the parts of your job that matter.

Trust takes time to build and can be destroyed quickly. Be patient but consistent.

Common Challenges and How to Handle Them

You Don’t Know Everything

New leaders often think they need to have all the answers. You don’t. It’s better to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” than to make something up.
Ask questions. Admit when you need help. Your team will respect honesty more than fake expertise.

People Test Your Authority

Some team members will push back, especially if you were promoted from within. They might ignore your requests or undermine your decisions.
Address this quickly and directly. Have a private conversation about expectations. If behaviour doesn’t change, escalate to your manager or HR.

You Feel Like a Fraud

Most new leaders experience impostor syndrome. You wonder if you’re qualified or if people will find out you don’t know what you’re doing.

This is normal, but remember that someone chose you for this role for good reasons. Focus on building genuine competence through:

  • Continuous learning and development.
  • Seeking feedback and acting on it.
  • Building on your existing strengths.
  • Being honest about areas where you’re developing.

Former Friends Act Differently

When you become someone’s boss, the relationship changes. Work friendships might become more formal or distant.

This is natural and doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. Professional boundaries help everyone do their jobs better. You can navigate this by:

  • Having honest conversations about the changed dynamic.
  • Establishing clear expectations.
  • Focusing on the team’s collective success.
  • Treating everyone fairly while acknowledging individual contributions.

Building Your Leadership Skills

Organisations that systematically invest in leadership development see measurable returns. Studies show that companies with strong leadership development programs experience 2.3 times higher revenue growth and are 13 times more likely to outperform competitors. For individuals, leadership capabilities directly correlate with career advancement opportunities and earning potential.

Start with Self-Assessment

Rate yourself honestly on the six core areas:

  • Self-awareness
  • Communication
  • Strategic thinking
  • People development
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Adaptability

Identify your strongest area and your biggest weakness.

Create a Learning Plan

Read consistently – Books, articles, case studies. But don’t just consume – apply what you learn.

Find mentors – Look for leaders you admire and ask for guidance. Most successful people are willing to help if you’re specific about what you need.

Get feedback – Ask your team, peers, and manager what you do well and what needs work. Actually listen to the answers.

Take on stretch assignments – Volunteer for projects that challenge you and build new skills.

Practice the Basics Daily

Leadership skills develop through repetition, not just knowledge:

  • Have one meaningful conversation with a team member each day.
  • Practice active listening in every meeting.
  • Give specific, helpful feedback regularly.
  • Make one decision you’ve been avoiding.

Realistic Timeline Expectations

First 90 days: Focus on listening, learning, and building relationships. Don’t make major changes yet.

3-6 months: Start implementing small improvements. Begin developing your leadership style.

6-12 months: Take on bigger challenges and make more significant decisions. Your confidence should be growing.

Year 2 and beyond: You’re hitting your stride. Focus on developing others and tackling complex problems.

Some skills develop quickly – like running better meetings. Others take years – like strategic thinking and developing people.

The Reality of Leadership Impact

Good leadership does make a difference, but it’s not always dramatic or immediate. You might:

  • Help someone overcome a challenge they couldn’t handle alone.
  • Make a decision that saves time or money.
  • Create conditions where your team performs better.
  • Develop someone who goes on to lead others.

But you’ll also make mistakes, disappoint people, and face situations where there’s no good answer. That’s part of the job.

How Leadership is Changing

Leadership today looks different than it did 20 years ago. If you want to be effective, you need to understand these shifts.

Teams beat individuals – The days of the lone genius leader are over. The best results come from leadership teams working together, not one person making all the decisions. You’re more effective when you share leadership with others who have different strengths.

Purpose matters as much as profit – People want to work for organisations that make a positive impact, not just money. Good leaders think about how their decisions affect employees, customers, communities, and the environment. This isn’t just feel-good stuff – it affects your ability to attract and keep good people.

Collaboration beats command – Telling people what to do doesn’t work as well as it used to. The best leaders create environments where people feel safe to disagree, share ideas, and take risks. When people aren’t afraid to speak up, you get better solutions.

Technology changes everything – You don’t need to be a tech expert, but you need to understand how technology can help your team work better. This includes remote work tools, automation, and new ways of communicating and making decisions.

Is Leadership Right for You?

Leadership isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Consider these questions:

  • Are you comfortable with ambiguity and incomplete information?
  • Can you handle being responsible for others’ work and mistakes?
  • Do you get satisfaction from others’ success, not just your own?
  • Are you willing to have difficult conversations?
  • Can you stay calm when others are stressed or upset?

If you answered no to most of these, leadership might not be the right path right now. And that doesn’t make you less valuable as a team member.

Getting Started

If you decide to pursue leadership:

  1. Talk to your manager about your interest and get their honest assessment of your readiness.
  2. Start small – volunteer to lead a project or mentor a new employee.
  3. Observe leaders you admire – what do they do that works?
  4. Work on your weakest area – don’t try to improve everything at once.
  5. Be patient – leadership skills take time to develop.

Leadership is challenging work that affects people’s careers and lives. Take it seriously, but don’t let that scare you away from trying. Most leaders learn by doing, making mistakes, and gradually getting better.
The world needs more good leaders. With honest self-assessment, genuine effort to improve, and patience with the learning process, you can become one of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when you become a leader?

When you become a leader, you’re taking a significant step in your career. Your focus will shift from individual development to team success. Your new responsibilities will involve top-level strategic planning, team development and goal-setting for the entire organisation. You’ll develop new skills in coaching, mentoring, delegating and conflict resolution.

How do you progress into a leadership role?

The path to progressing into a leadership role will vary across organisations. You’ll need to show proven performance and a commitment to development. Making the effort to build a variety of relationships across the organisation as well as taking new opportunities as they arise will put you in a good position to take on a leadership role. Communicate your hopes of this progression to those around you too—they won’t assume unless you tell them.

What to say when accepting a leadership position?

When accepting a leadership position, express thanks and gratitude to those in the organisation trusting you with this role change. Acknowledge your awareness of the significance of the position and your commitment to the task ahead. Be yourself during the conversation, your sincerity will be valued and further show your dedication to the team.

What does it mean to take on a leadership role?

Taking on a leadership role means accepting responsibility for an entire team or organisation. You’re stepping into a position of trust and influence which you use to guide them towards shared goals. Ensuring the well-being of the workforce and creating a space in which all staff can thrive is also a large part of a leadership role.

Take Your Career to the Next Level with a Leadership Role

Embarking on a leadership journey will be a huge learning curve, even for the most experienced out there. New leaders should embrace this time for learning and growth and welcome the ongoing development the new position brings.

While sometimes challenging, this opportunity to lead, inspire and support a team should ultimately be a rewarding experience. A successful leader will have a positive impact on the organisation and its individuals and leave team members feeling empowered to strive for the best.

Here at Priority Management, our leadership courses can help those at all stages of the journey. Whether you’re stepping into your first leadership role or have been in the position for years, get in touch with our team today to learn how we can help you get better every single day. We’re your trusted leaders in workplace solutions.