The leadership transition no one tells you about
Everyone talks about the perks of moving into leadership - the title, the salary bump, the strategic influence. What they don't prepare you for are the invisible shifts that catch you completely off guard.
Sahar Chung just went through two major transitions in one year: from individual contributor to manager, then from manager to director. Her journey reveals the messy, uncomfortable truths about stepping into leadership that no career guide mentions. Like discovering that your natural communication style might actually hurt your team. Or realizing you've accidentally become responsible for organizational change management with zero training. These aren't the leadership challenges you often hear about.
They're the real-world adjustments that happen in the space between your old role and your new one - when you're figuring out who you need to become while still doing the work.
If you're considering a move into leadership, or you're already there and feeling like you're making it up as you go along, these insights from Sahar's transition might help you navigate what's actually happening beneath the surface.
1. Your Relationship with Transparency Will Change (And That's Normal)
The transition from IC to manager forces you to recalibrate how you share information. Sahar learned this the hard way - her natural tendency toward complete transparency started creating anxiety instead of clarity for her team. When you're processing uncertainty or working through problems out loud, your direct reports don't know if they should take action or just worry.
The shift isn't about becoming fake or closed off. It's about being strategic with your processing. Save the messy thinking for your manager, trusted peers, or partner. With your team, share context and decisions, not the emotional journey of how you got there.
This might feel uncomfortable at first, especially if its always been your default. But learning to hold space for others' emotions without dumping your own processing is actually a core leadership skill.
2. You'll Need to Become a Change Management Expert (Whether You Want To Or Not)
Moving into leadership means you're suddenly responsible for organizational change, even when it's not in your job description. When Sahar's research team kept getting pushback from clients who "didn't want research," she had to orchestrate a complete rebrand to "product strategy."
This wasn't just about changing a name. It required managing up to leadership, getting buy-in from the team, rolling out new messaging, and handling the emotional impact of the change. All while maintaining team morale and client relationships.
The reality: Leadership roles come with an invisible "change management" requirement that no one mentions in the job posting. Start building these skills early - learning to communicate change, manage resistance, and maintain momentum through transitions.
3. Building Your Support Network Becomes Critical (Not Optional)
One of the biggest surprises in transitioning to leadership is how much you'll need other people - and how intentional you have to be about creating those relationships. Sahar actively cultivated connections with her manager, peers, former colleagues, and even learned from her own direct reports.
When she felt overwhelmed managing five people while building a new practice, she didn't try to power through alone. She asked for more frequent check-ins with her manager, learned business development by shadowing colleagues, and openly acknowledged when her new hire knew more than she did about certain areas.
The isolation of leadership is real, but it doesn't have to be inevitable. Design your own support system across different relationships, whether that mentors, peers, your own team members, and connections outside your organization. The further up you go, the more intentional you need to be about not going it alone.
Connect with Sahar
🎧 Want to go deeper?
Listen to the full episode of In Her Words to hear Sahar talk about her transition from individual contributer to manager
