Through formal university classes or other leadership development programs, people can learn the skills required to become a supervisor. What’s missing for them to be effective, though, is an internal transition: a mindset shift from being an individual contributor to that of a leader. And this means putting the organization as a whole before their team’s needs or personal preferences — something that is tough to do after having it the other way around for so long.
It’s a hard transition to make because often a person’s identity is tied to the individual role they formally played for years, if not decades. A person sees themselves as a teacher instead of a principal. A line worker instead of a foreperson. A beat cop instead of a lieutenant. A doctor instead of a hospital administrator.
People often rise through the ranks after years of schooling and serving in direct service roles. Those jobs have become more than a title or position and are intrinsically and intimately tied to how they see themselves; thus, it’s hard to shed that self-perception to put on another identity and defend different priorities — but that is the heart of the matter.
If you want your advocacy to be for “down” the hierarchy, stay as an individual contributor. To be an effective director, your loyalty needs to first be “up” the hierarchy and to the organization as a whole.
