A lot of my clients are at that point in their careers where they’ve been successful as subject matter experts. They’ve gotten promoted for being good at the work and then they discover that higher levels of leadership call for a whole different set of competencies—primarily around managing people. Marshall Goldsmith wrote a book entitled “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” and that’s exactly what I’m pointing to.

How does this show up? Clients often share their confusion and frustration when they try to use the skills they’ve honed throughout their careers—only to find they aren’t working. Not only that but the behavior can backfire. For example, giving advice to someone you supervise about how you did that same task and having them bristle. Or intervening in situations that aren’t within your purview because you know what to do. The fallout? Resentment or undermined authority from the responsible people.

The very instinct that made you successful—having the answers, moving quickly—is now at risk of limiting your impact.

Have you had this experience? If so, you might have thought it was just you but that’s very far from the case. Almost everyone I work with has had challenges making the transition from SME to leader.

But the thing is, at essence leadership is all about getting the work done by inspiring and motivating others to do it. Building on your existing capacity by developing finesse at what’s sometimes referred to as “soft skills” but which I think of as “core skills.”

What does that look like in practice?

Regularly acknowledging people’s good work in a way that lets them know exactly what you saw them doing right and what the impact is.
Being able to give feedback that leaves the recipient clearer and more motivated to grow.
Asking powerful questions that gets people thinking for themselves and solving their own problems—and that has the long-term effect of enhancing initiative and creativity.
Being crystal clear about how communication and decision-making happen and by whom.
Addressing misunderstandings and conflict skillfully and in a timely way.

Whatever is needed to enable your people to focus on getting the work done positively and productively.

“Sure, I’d like to get better at all those,” you say, “How do I start?”

Here are some suggestions:

Decide on one behavior you want to start doing (e.g., asking a question before giving advice) and one behavior you want to stop (e.g., letting misunderstandings drag on too long before addressing). You’re welcome to take my free leadership self-assessment for an initial take on where you’d like to grow.
Set aside time on a regular basis to work on your development and avoid getting too caught up in the day-to-day.
Stay curious, open minded and be willing to experiment. When you’re in leadership roles it can be hard to acknowledge that you have learning edges but it’s good role modeling for your people.
Take 15 minutes at the end of each week to assess your own performance: What went well? What could I do even better?
Observe the behavior of people you admire, even if you don’t know them personally. What do they do that you’d like to become more comfortable with? How do they do it?

Remember, leadership finesse isn’t just a nice to have, it’s essential to your continued growth as a leader. If you don’t develop these skills, your influence will plateau—no matter how competent you are.

👉 Curious what this kind of work could look like for you? Explore the Synthesis Leadership program. We’ve created a wait list for a 2026 launch. Check it out and contact me if you have questions.