Managers transitioning to enterprise leaders must navigate seven seismic shifts in perspective and skills, including: 1) Shifting from a specialist to a generalist who understands multiple business functions. 2) Integrating knowledge across teams to solve complex organizational problems. 3) Strategizing beyond tactics by anticipating reactions and perceiving patterns. 4) Architecting organizational systems so strategy and structure fit together. 5) Setting the agenda by defining important problems beyond any one function. 6) Influencing external stakeholders as a diplomat rather than just a warrior. 7) Exhibiting leadership behaviors and inspiring large groups.

1. + How Managers
Become Leaders
The seven seismic shifts
of perspective and
responsibility
From the Harvard Business Review June 2012
http://hbr.org/2012/06/how-managers-become-leaders/ar/1

2. 2

3. + From leading a function to leading an 3
enterprise
To make the transition
successfully, executives
must navigate a tricky set
of changes in their
leadership focus and
skills…
the seven
seismic shifts

4. + 4
The Seven Seismic Shifts
Problem Supporting
Specialist Tactician Bricklayer
Analyst to solver to Warrior to cast
to to to
integrator agenda diplomat member to
generalist strategist architect
setter lead role

5. + 5
Specialist to Generalist
Understand the mental models, tools,
and terms used in key business
functions and develop templates for
evaluating the leaders of those
functions.

6. + 6
Analyst to Integrator
Integrate the collective
knowledge of
crossfunctional teams
and make appropriate
trade-offs to solve
complex organizational
problems.

7. + Tactician to Strategist 7
Shift fluidly between the
details and the larger
picture, perceive important
patterns in complex
environments, and
anticipate and influence the
reactions of key external
players.

8. + Bricklayer to Architect 8
Understand how to analyze
and design organizational
systems so that strategy,
structure, operating
models, and skill bases fit
together effectively and
efficiently, and harness this
understanding to make
needed organizational
changes.

9. + Problem Solver to Agenda Setter 9
Define the problems the
organization should focus on,
and spot issues that
don’t fall neatly into
any one function
but are still important.

10. + Warrior to Diplomat 10
Proactively shape the
environment in which the
business operates by
influencing key external
constituencies, including
the government, NGOs,
the media, and investors.

11. + Supporting cast member to lead 11
role
Exhibit the right behaviors as a role model for
the organization and learn to communicate
with and inspire large groups of people both
directly and, increasingly, indirectly.

12. + 12
How to Develop Strong Enterprise
Leaders
At the time of their
When their Sometime just
first enterprise-
Early in their leadership promise before their first
level promotion,
careers, give becomes evident, enterprise
place new
potential leaders… give high promotion, send
enterprise leaders
potentials… rising stars…
in units that are…
Experience on cross- A position on a senior
functional projects and then management team
responsibility for them
Small, distinct, and thriving
Experience with external To a substantial executive
stakeholders (investors, the program that addresses
media, key customers) such capabilities as
organizational design,
An international assignment
business process
(if it’s a global business)
improvement, and transition
An assignment as chief of management, and allows
staff for an experienced them to build external
enterprise leader networks
Exposure to a broad range Staffed with an experienced
of business situations: and assertive team that
startup, accelerated growth, they can learn from
An appointment to lead an
sustaining success, acquisition integration or a
realignment, turnaround, substantial restructuring
and shutdown