Escaping the "Individual Contritor Trap": A Guide for New Leaders
- Your Path Counseling Center
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Stepping into your first leadership role is an exhilarating milestone, but it often comes with a hidden challenge: the "Individual Contributor Trap." Many new leaders believe that to be effective, they must simply work harder or continue being the primary problem solver.
In the latest episode of the Coaching Gold Podcast, hosts Dr. Rudy Jackson and Dorian Cunion sit down with executive coach Terry McDougall to discuss how to break this cycle and step into true leadership authority. To help you implement these insights, we’ve developed The New Leader's Transition Worksheet—a tool designed to move you from "doing" to "leading".
Managing Your New Leadership Role
One of the most profound insights Terry shares is the concept of the leadership mourning period. When you are promoted because you were excellent at your craft, it’s natural to feel a sense of loss when you are no longer the one “doing the work”.
Terry uses the "Sandwich Analogy" to describe a common mistake: A leader starts a project (takes a bite of the sandwich) and then hands it off to a team member to finish. This actually does a disservice to the team. True leadership is about defining what needs to be done and then trusting your team to decide how to "make and eat the sandwich" themselves.
Moving to the "Balcony"
To be an effective leader, you must mentally elevate your perspective and move to the balcony.
The Weeds: When you are too enmeshed in day-to-day tasks, you lose perspective and cannot see if you are moving toward your objectives.
The Balcony: Staying in the balcony allows you to see the entire field, understand who needs help, and identify where your specific authority and skill set are actually required.
On the balcony, you can perform Stakeholder & Influence Mapping. You must look beyond "up and down" reporting lines to understand what motivates your peers, cross-departmental partners, and senior leaders. Ask yourself: If someone asked these stakeholders about my "brand" today, what would they say?
Diagnostic: Capacity vs. Capability
When performance dips, leaders often default to assuming it is a skill gap. Before you judge, use our Capability vs. Capacity Diagnostic:
Capability Check: Does the person actually have the training and tools needed?
Capacity Check: Are they working in a "high-demand" environment without enough resources or bandwidth?
As a leader, your job is to stay on the balcony to see this context and find solutions. Maybe an employee could improve performance if they delegated tasks more. Or it might be an issue of prioritization. You can find better solutions if you are able to see your team, and the problems they are looking to solve holistically.
Managing Your Internal Energy
Leadership isn't just about managing others; it’s also about managing yourself. Energy spent on worry is energy unavailable for productive leadership.
We recommend an Energy & Mindset Inventory. Identify one "Anxiety" currently draining you and engage in an "Anxiety Dialogue": Ask Anxiety
Why are you here?
What are you trying to get me to see?
Shifting your focus to what you can actually change can help you find serenity within your work environment.
Your Action Plan for This Week
Are you ready to stop "doing" and start "leading"? Follow these steps to reclaim your time and empower your team:
Listen to the Podcast: Get the full depth of Terry McDougall’s 5-step coaching approach and her insights on office dynamics.
Download the Worksheet: Use our New Leader’s Transition Worksheet to perform a delegation audit and map out your key stakeholders.
Listen to the Coaching Gold Podcast now on Spotify!
Connect with the Experts
Terry McDougall: Visit terrybmcdougall.com to book a strategy call or find her book, Winning the Game of Work.
Dr. Rudy Jackson & Dorian Cunion: Explore the Power6 Leader system at power6leader.com or connect with Dorian at yourpathexecutivesolutions.com.
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