Leading other leaders: Q&A on partnerships, 360s, and career resilience

Executive overview

Moving from individual contributor to manager of managers surfaces distinct challenges: finding trustworthy partners, building feedback cultures that last, and staying employable when organisations restructure.

Three listener questions surface a common thread: relationships and visibility, built over time, are the real career infrastructure.

Finding a business partner

• Favour attracting over recruiting — do valuable, visible work that draws the right people toward you.
• Professional organisations, media, and writing are forums where potential partners self-select into your orbit.
• Listen to the first season of the Startup podcast as a case study in partnership dynamics and landmines.

Using 360-degree feedback well

• A 360 review surveys a person's manager, peers, and direct reports — not just their boss.
• The feedback alone rarely drives change; sustained coaching over months is what makes it stick.
• Help the recipient focus on one or two key areas — comprehensive feedback is overwhelming without prioritisation.
• Treat the 360 as one data point inside a broader development programme, not as a standalone event.
• Set clear expectations upfront on confidentiality: who sees what, and whether verbatim comments are visible.
• Recommended tools: Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI 360, from Kouzes & Posner) and Human Synergistics assessments.

Transitioning to leading other leaders

• 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role by Pam Fox-Rollin (ep. 98) is specifically aimed at this transition.
• Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job by Robert Hargrove is a structured playbook for the early weeks.
• Next step if managing former peers: episode 207 with Tom Henshaw addresses that specific dynamic.

Career resilience and staying discoverable

• Maintain awareness that organisational change is outside your control; build career infrastructure before you need it.
• Keep a short list of executive search firms and touch base with them proactively — they make their money from hiring companies, not candidates.
• Search firms provide market intelligence on roles, salaries, and fit, not just placement.
• Keep LinkedIn current: professional headshot, keyword-rich profile, complete description — review at least annually.
• Build a public presence (blog, social, professional associations) so your expertise is findable beyond your current employer.
• An intrapreneurial mindset — contributing fully while not being entirely dependent on one organisation — reduces career brittleness.
• Episode 209 with John Corcoran covers how to extract maximum value from professional organisations when building a network from scratch.