Evolving Your Mindset – From Individual Contributor to People Leader

Penny Izlakar

Part 2: Evolving Your Mindset – From Individual Contributor to People Leader

Many high-performing professionals hit a career inflection point. You have built your

reputation by delivering excellent work, owning your outcomes, and being the go-to

expert. But stepping into leadership is not about being the best at what you used to

do—it is about enabling others to succeed.

This transition often feels like a paradox: the very traits that made you successful as an

individual contributor—control, precision, deep ownership—can become liabilities if not

recalibrated. The real shift? Your success is no longer measured by

what you accomplish, but by what you enable others to achieve.

Why This Shift Matters

Leadership is not a promotion—it is a reinvention. You are no longer being paid to do

the work, but to build the environment where the work gets done at scale. That means

letting go of old habits that no longer serve you and stepping into a mindset where your

value is multiplied through your team.

1. Redefining Success: From “I Did It” to “They Thrived”

The first—and hardest—shift is internal. In your previous role, success was clear and

measurable: deliver the project, hit the target, solve the problem. But as a leader, your

wins are now reflected in your team's performance, growth, and cohesion.

This can feel disorienting. You may wonder, “What am I even doing all day?” or “Am I

adding value if I’m not producing?”

Here is the truth: if your team is growing in confidence, autonomy, and capability, you

are succeeding. You have gone from player to coach—and that requires a new

definition of winning.

Practical Tips:

• Celebrate team achievements publicly and often—spotlight individuals and

collective milestones.

• Track your own impact by the growth of others: who is stepping up, stretching,

and contributing more?

• Shift 1:1s from status updates to coaching conversations. Ask, “What decisions

are you making without me now?”

2. Letting Go of Perfectionism and Micromanagement

If you’ve built your career on high standards and flawless execution, this one stings.

You’ll likely feel tempted to “just fix it” or “take it back” when something isn’t up to your

level. But if you always intervene, your team doesn’t grow—and worse, they may stop

trying.

Letting go doesn’t mean lowering the bar. It means accepting that progress beats

perfection, and that someone else’s 85% done independently is more valuable than

your 100% done alone.

Personal Reflection:

When was the last time you swooped in and redid something? What message might

that have sent to your team?

Practical Tips:

• Instead of correcting, ask coaching questions: “How would you approach this

differently next time?”

• Embrace the 80/20 rule—focus your attention on what truly moves the needle.

• Create a culture of psychological safety where mistakes are viewed as data for

improvement, not failure.

3. Learning to Delegate with Intention

Delegation isn’t just task distribution—it’s talent development. The goal isn’t to get

something off your plate. It’s to give your team meaningful opportunities to stretch,

solve, and shine.

Effective delegation starts with knowing your people—what motivates them, where they

want to grow, and what they’re ready for. Handing off responsibility with clarity and trust

builds capability far faster than shielding them from challenge.

Practical Tips:

• Match delegation to development: stretch high-performers with strategic tasks,

and use simpler assignments to build confidence in newer team members.

• Use a delegation framework like the “5 Levels of Ownership” (e.g., from “Tell me

what to do” to “I’ll decide and inform you”).

• Always debrief. Ask, “What did you learn from this?” and “Where do you want

more support next time?”

4. Making the Mental Shift from “Doer” to “Enabler”

This shift doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a process. You’ll likely oscillate between

hands-on and hands-off. That’s normal. The key is staying intentional and recognizing

the invisible work of leadership: listening, coaching, aligning, and creating clarity.

One sign of growth is when your team doesn’t need you in the weeds every day—but

still trusts you to clear obstacles, advocate for them, and guide their trajectory.

Practical Tips:

• Journal weekly: What did I enable this week that I didn’t directly touch?

• Ask yourself: Am I creating clarity or just creating output?

• Regularly zoom out to assess: are we working hard, or are we working on the

right things?

Signs You’re Making the Shift Successfully

As you build these leadership muscles, you may notice subtle but powerful signs of

progress:

• Your calendar shifts from doing to coaching, planning, and decision-making.

• Your team solves problems without escalating every detail.

• You start thinking longer-term, beyond immediate deliverables.

• You feel less urgency to prove yourself through action—and more pride in

enabling others.

Final Thought

Becoming a leader isn’t about losing your edge—it’s about sharpening a different set of

tools. The transition from individual contributor to leader is one of the most profound

shifts in your career. It demands patience, humility, and a new kind of courage.

You’re not here to be the smartest person in the room. You’re here to build the room

where others can be smart, capable, and empowered.

Start small. Reflect often. Trust more than feels comfortable.

And remember: leadership is not about being needed—it’s about building others who no

longer need you to thrive.

3 Key Takeaways

1. Reframe Success – Measure your value by the growth and performance of your

team, not your individual output.

2. Delegate to Develop – Use delegation as a tool for building capability and

confidence in others.

3. Release to Rise – Let go of perfectionism and micromanagement to create space

for innovation, ownership, and learning.

Personal Reflection Prompt

Take 10 minutes this week to reflect:

“Where am I still holding on to work I should be letting go? What’s one step I can take to

empower someone else this week?”