We often think about career progression in terms of levels. Most of us would agree that moving into senior leadership is a significantly bigger step than, for example, progressing from team leader to manager. But what if it isn’t simply another step up the ladder?

Leading in an executive role is different. The way you show up and the decisions you make every day can have a ripple effect across the organisation. It operates according to a different set of principles.

In that sense, we are not simply talking about moving up a level, but entering a different dimension – one where different dynamics, expectations and rules determine how the organisation functions and thrives, and therefore how you need to lead and influence within it.

So it’s no surprise that hiring managers, before entrusting you with an executive role, will look for evidence that you can lead effectively in this new reality.

But understanding what is expected at executive level doesn’t automatically translate into being able to demonstrate that level of leadership in your current role.

What makes this so difficult?

Simply put: our competencies evolve only as we do.

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How we respond to situations is shaped by how we think, what we believe and the assumptions we hold.

For instance, in supporting managers through their transition to senior leadership, I’ve seen how significant a difference it can make when they stop thinking about the new role in terms of the one they currently hold. A shift in perspective — much like the one we explored above — changes the way they show up as leaders.

The mindset shift has to come before the behavioural one. Only then can their impact truly change.

In other words, stepping outside the beliefs that shape how you see yourself and, consequently, how you act, is the first — and perhaps most powerful — step towards practically stepping into a new dimension of leadership.

And ultimately, into the new role.

Why are our mindset and beliefs so crucial here — perhaps more than in any other career transition?

An example usually illustrates this best.

One of my clients, a highly inventive and reliable VP, came to me looking for guidance on her path towards a CFO role. Her strengths had taken her far: she had become her boss’s trusted sounding board. But the flip side was that she increasingly felt she was operating in his shadow.

At first, it seemed the obstacle was straightforward: she needed more exposure and opportunities to demonstrate her leadership.

But as we explored how she could expand her leadership in her current role, I noticed something she kept saying almost in passing:

“I’m not a leader.”

It sounded less like an opinion than an established truth — a boundary around who she believed she was and what her role allowed her to be.

As a psychologist and coach, I’ve learned to pay attention to the things we tend to leave unquestioned. Often, they point to the very beliefs that quietly shape what we allow ourselves to do.

And so it was in her case.

We didn’t need months of therapy. We simply examined what she actually believed about herself and what being a leader meant to her. Once she recognised how those beliefs were defining where she belonged — and where she didn’t — she could begin to choose differently.

Her behaviour followed. She took the lead on larger, stand-alone projects, represented her boss in strategic meetings and built stronger relationships with the executive team.

The behavioural shift wasn’t imposed from the outside. It grew naturally from a change in how she saw herself as a leader. As her confidence in her own leadership grew, so did other people’s confidence in her. She was eventually appointed CFO.

Start by getting curious about the story you may be carrying about leadership: who you need to be to be valued, what your organisation expects from its leaders, where you fit into that picture, and what you believe is possible for you.

These underlying beliefs act like our own “rules of the game.” Often without realising it, they shape how we behave — and, over time, the reality we create around us.

So listen to your own thoughts and language. They can reveal a great deal about what you believe about yourself as a leader, your place in the organisation and how others perceive you.

Ask yourself:

• When I imagine myself stepping into a more senior role, what thoughts come up?
• What do I keep telling myself — or others — about my ability to make that move?
• Where do I hold myself back?
• Do I trust myself enough to step forward when no one is inviting me to?

Look for patterns. What story might you be telling yourself?

Awareness is the starting point for intentional leadership development. But awareness alone isn’t enough.

In a very practical sense, you are developing your ability to lead yourself first — to notice what drives your reactions, question the assumptions behind them and choose how you want to respond rather than automatically following an old pattern.

Get curious again:

• Is what I believe actually true?
• When do I behave as if it is — and when do I not?
• What would I do differently if I believed the opposite?
• How could I test this belief in practice?

This is where leadership development becomes practical. These beliefs are often deeply rooted in the mindsets and identities we use to navigate the world, so changing them rarely happens through insight alone.

The real work happens in your day-to-day leadership: noticing your reactions, recognising when an old narrative takes over, and using that awareness to choose differently in the moment. That is self-leadership in practice.

You don’t have to navigate that process alone. A trusted coaching relationship can help you see what is difficult to see from the inside, challenge assumptions that have become invisible to you, and turn insight into deliberate action.

What could your leadership be telling you?

Understanding how you currently lead – and what may be shaping your behaviour beneath the surface – is a powerful place to start.

Take the free Executive Readiness Self-Assessment for a snapshot of where you are today and the leadership shifts that could help you move towards your next role.

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