Traps (and tips) for stepping into an executive role

Senior leadership roles feel different. The air’s thinner, the horizon wider and the stakes higher.

When I moved into my first executive-level role, I assumed the way I’d been leading up until then would be the same as what I needed to do now. Six months down the track, I turned up in our CEO’s office - failing, flailing and feeling overwhelmed. The key projects I oversaw were going south, several divisions I headed up were behind budget. And just that morning, my top performing manager had accused me of micromanaging him. Oof. 

So rather than making those mistakes yourself, here’s a chance to learn vicariously. This week for The Leader’s Digest, I outline common traps and timeless truths about leading at the top. 

 Six traps to avoid…

1. Too much telling, not enough coaching. It’s tempting to default to giving answers. Instead, shift to asking more powerful questions that help your team think better.
2. Doing it all. Micromanaging keeps you busy, but it disempowers your team. Delegate, empower, and trust them to lead.
3. Relying on being the domain expert. In a senior leadership position, it’s more about being a ‘domain leader’. Your value now lies in perspective, influence, and connection, not doing the thing.
4. Underestimating the ‘soft stuff.’ Which is actually the hard stuff. You need to focus on building culture and communicating vision in a way that people individually connect to.
5. Focusing on outputs instead of outcomes. At this level, everything needs to tie back to business impact. Beware getting caught up in ‘vanity’ metrics.
6. Avoiding tough conversations. The more senior you are in an organisation, the more you need to face the tricky moments head on, with courage and compassion. Become more comfortable with the discomfort of tough conversations.

What stays the same…

• Trust is always your number one priority. Build cognitive trust by doing what you say you’ll do. Build affective trust by showing you genuinely care about the people you lead. You can learn more about these two different types of trust, here. And to supercharge trust in general, show a little vulnerability.
• Listening beats talking. Go last (or sometimes not at all) with your opinion. Paraphrase, ask open questions, and listen to understand, not to reply.
• Values and purpose matter. Anchoring yourself and your team in the “why” sustains engagement and alignment, especially when the seas get rough.

Five things that do shift when you become an executive team leader…

1. From coach to coach’s coach. Your role now is to grow the leaders beneath you, your direct reports, not just their teams. Help them ask better questions, explore root causes and think systemically and strategically.
2. Vision becomes your north star. Your people need crystal clarity on the question “where are we going?” and why it matters.
3. Be even more purposeful about connection. Model and sponsor rituals for genuine connection. Ask not only “what are we doing?” but also “how are we going?”
4. Communication at scale. Be as transparent as you can, avoid corporate jargon, and tell stories that bring the strategy to life. Communication should be like tides (two way, ever-present and no big deal) vs waterfalls (where communication gushes down on people’s heads and travels in just one direction).
5. From silos to strategic relationships. Be intentional about building strong relationships with your peers, align your work to shared goals and move from competing for resources to collaborating for outcomes.

Leading at a senior level requires some constancy, but also some reinvention. That step up from middle management can be easily underestimated (like I did at first). So, take these tips and avoid these traps and you’ll be well on your way to leading the organisation (and yourself) like a boss.

For those who have made the leap, what would you say the biggest differences were in senior leadership?