If your goal is to move into C-suite leadership, one of the most important shifts is learning to think—and act—like the job you want. It’s not just about delivering results in your current role, but about demonstrating strategic thinking, organisational awareness, and an ability to operate with both perspective and responsibility. So try this: put on a ‘king/queen for a day’ hat. Imagine you’re granted the viewpoint and the responsibilities of senior leadership. You’re not ultimately accountable for the company’s final decisions, but you are asked for your perspective—and expected to implement those decisions while helping embody the direction set by those above you. Could you articulate your thinking in a way that reflects the company’s culture, balances competing priorities, and responds to a constantly shifting economic landscape (let’s assume today’s climate continues)?
Be Where the Leadership Team Is (Literally)
The first step in thinking strategically is understanding that presence is not just about personal preference or even productivity. There are real business considerations that inform where people work: data security, collaboration, customer service, morale, and business continuity. These aren’t just excuses being offered by senior leaders—they’re often non-negotiable inputs into decision-making.
If you want to be part of the leadership team, consider how your behaviour aligns with theirs. Are you modelling the visibility and accessibility that senior leaders prioritise? Even if your role allows for more flexibility, are you thinking about what it communicates to others when you choose not to be present?
Learn Who Follows You—and Why
Leadership isn’t just upwards-facing. Influence runs in all directions, and the people you lead are watching you as closely as those you hope to impress. Your physical and emotional presence has a direct effect on morale and engagement.
More junior teams, in particular, often look for clarity and consistency. They want to see that you believe in the direction the company is going, that you’re aligned with leadership, and that you understand their challenges too. If your presence—or absence—tells a different story to each audience, you risk losing trust on both sides.
Consistent Communication — The Challenge of One Message
There was a time when any ambitious employee learned how to manage both upwards and downwards. And while communication style and approach weren’t necessarily intentionally inconsistent, let’s just say they were tailored for their audiences. But leaders today will likely need to be consistent in ways that mark a real departure from the past.
And believe it or not, consistency is harder.
In today’s business environment, transparency is not only highly valued—it’s harder to avoid. Communication happens on platforms that are easily shared, recorded, or forwarded. Email, messaging apps, and social media mean very little stays truly siloed. And more junior employees, particularly from Gen Z, are insisting upon more frequent and more open communication than previous generations ever expected.
This creates a new kind of leadership pressure: not just to communicate well, but to do so with alignment across audiences. Inconsistency—whether in tone, content, or timing—can quickly erode trust. Being consistent doesn’t mean being robotic, but it does mean being clear, credible and committed across all levels of your organisation.
How to Think About Leading a Team, Before You Do
So how do you navigate this complexity? It comes down to thinking like a leader—even if you’re not the one making the final call. There are three questions that help reframe this from a personal dilemma into a strategic lens:
Who is my first team?
This isn’t just philosophical. Are you most loyal to the team you lead or the team you’re a part of? If you see yourself as part of the leadership team—even if it’s still aspirational—then your decisions and behaviours should reflect that alignment.
What do I really think?
Authenticity starts with clarity. You don’t have to agree with every decision, but you need to know where you stand. If you find yourself tailoring your message to different audiences in ways that conflict, it’s time to check your internal alignment.
What’s my communication responsibility?
You may not have chosen the path the company is taking, but you do have a role in communicating it. Leaders learn to lean in, even to decisions that they wouldn’t have made. And that successful communication isn’t just about passing along the ‘company word’—it’s about helping your team understand, commit to, and engage with the direction being set.
Ready for the Next Level?
Leadership isn’t about always being right. It’s about being able to operate within ambiguity, make sense of complexity, and act in a way that builds trust and moves the business forward. When you start viewing your actions through a strategic lens, you’ll ideally begin to model the very behaviours that earn you a place at the leadership table.
For more leadership advice, see this perspective on adaptability and preparing for what’s next in America. Or read my post on the importance of empathy in the workplace here.
In terms of my background and expertise, I have spent my entire career working as a trusted advisor to senior leaders wanting to improve the effectiveness of themselves, their teams and their companies. Prior to starting my own consulting firm, I led the global executive assessment and development team for Cisco. Earlier in my career I held leadership roles with RHR International, PepsiCo, Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School and the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.
