Álvaro Cárcel, Partner.
As we say on many occasions, a professional race should be analysed as a marathon, and not as a 100-meter race.
Throughout this adventure, there are different stages, which depend on different factors, such as the motivations, aspirations, abilities, risk aversion, or vital moments of each professional.
Those people motivated to grow vertically in the classic organization chart of a company, usually start in a technical position, depending on their studies and specialization. Once the technical position is consolidated, they usually evolve to a manager position, in which they manage technical profiles thanks to their credibility and results obtained.
In this position, the foundations of team management begin to be laid, but I would like to focus on the following 2 jumps that usually happen later in professional life: a) from manager to executive, and b) from executive to leader.
From manager to executive. What key aspects, among others, need to be worked on?
1) Expand strategic vision. After developing yourself correctly managing your daily tasks (or supervising those of your team), it is necessary to start thinking differently. Now, it is no longer only important to achieve the results of your plot, but it is important to start thinking about how your actions contribute to the overall success of the company as a whole.
2) Work on leadership skills: As a manager, results come through teams. Your individual contribution is dwindling, and successes depend on your ability to lead teams successfully. This is probably one of the most complex aspects, and usually requires attacking different aspects at once.
3) Work on the internal network and key relationships: As a manager, it is an obligation to collaborate with people from different hierarchical levels, and with other departments. Any project is now connected with other departments, and therefore collaborating and having the ability to influence is crucial to make the leap.
From executive to leader. And now, what other key aspects need to be worked on?
1) Being able to inspire: It is one of the main differences. It is not only about achieving results collaboratively, but about being a role model, and guiding people to get their best version.
2) Develop people: Linked to the previous point, a leader must be able to disappear from an organization in the short term without generating a serious problem since he has managed to develop a person who can replace him. A leader usually leaves as an inheritance a better team than the one he found. A person able to identify and develop internal talent is a gift to any organization.
3) Lead innovation and constant change. The environment is increasingly volatile and changing. Customers, increasingly demanding and impatient. And organizations, immersed in this situation, must constantly adapt, not only to be profitable today, but to protect their business in the future. And again, people with this ability generate incalculable value for organizations.
Quoting Xavier Marcet, when we talk about a true leader, we talk about a "sum of roles" (combining the role of executive, manager, and leader) that must be performed at the same time:
1. Deliver short-term results (executive role)
2. Give results, but incorporating the future into the agenda of the present (management role)
3. Growing people (leadership role)
To become a true leader requires self-knowledge, and high doses of humility. It is not an easy path, it is full of mistakes, and the most important thing should not be forgotten it is a path without a final goal.