Most leaders hit a wall at some point in their careers. What worked before—deep expertise, hands-on execution, personal hustle—suddenly isn’t enough. They struggle to delegate. Their calendars explode. They feel stretched thin, constantly pulled between strategy and day-to-day firefighting.
This isn’t just a personal challenge—it’s a predictable pattern. The Leadership Pipeline Model explains why: as leaders move up, their responsibilities, skills, and mindset have to shift. What got you here won’t get you there.
What Is the Leadership Pipeline?
Originally developed by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel, the Leadership Pipeline outlines six major transitions leaders go through as they move up in an organization. Each shift requires letting go of old habits and adopting new capabilities.
- From Individual Contributor to Manager – Stop being the best at the work, start enabling others to do it.
- From Manager to Manager of Managers – Shift from coaching individuals to building a system of leaders.
- From Manager of Managers to Functional Leader – Think beyond your team—align across departments and contribute to company-wide goals.
- From Functional Leader to Business Unit Leader – Move from tactical execution to strategic planning. P&L ownership becomes key.
- From Business Unit Leader to Group Leader – Oversee multiple businesses, balance competing priorities, and think long-term.
- From Group Leader to Enterprise Leader – Own the full company vision, culture, and external relationships (board, investors, media).
Each of these shifts requires new skills, new time management, and a new way of thinking. The problem? Many leaders try to apply old habits at the next level—and fail.
How Leaders Get This Wrong
Even the best leaders get stuck during these transitions. Common mistakes include:
- Holding on to old work. A first-time manager keeps doing their team’s tasks instead of coaching. A VP still tries to approve every decision instead of empowering directors.
- Not shifting from tactical to strategic thinking. Middle managers stay too focused on daily execution instead of long-term planning. Business unit leaders get lost in internal operations instead of shaping market strategy.
- Overvaluing personal expertise. At higher levels, your value isn’t what you know—it’s how well you assemble and guide a team of experts.
- Forgetting to develop other leaders. Your success isn’t just about how well you perform—it’s about whether you’re building strong, capable teams beneath you.
How to Move to the Next Level
- Redefine what success looks like. Each leadership level requires different measures of success. Move from “doing the work” to “building the system.”
- Delegate with intention. If you’re still doing tasks that should belong to others, ask yourself: Who should be owning this? What’s stopping me from handing it over?
- Develop leaders, not just employees. Teach your managers how to coach, make decisions, and think strategically. The higher you go, the more your success depends on the strength of your team.
- Expand your time horizon. Shift from thinking in weeks and months to years and decades. The higher up you go, the more you’re shaping the future, not just reacting to the present.
Final Thought
Leadership isn’t just about climbing a ladder—it’s about transforming the way you think and operate at each level.
What made you great as an individual contributor won’t make you a great manager. What made you a great functional leader won’t make you an effective CEO.
