What I Didn’t Know About Leadership (Then)

I always knew I wanted to be in a leadership position.

Looking back now, I can see that in the early days of my career, I was quite naïve about what leadership really meant. Maybe I was influenced by the times I wasn’t a leader - when I was part of a team - and I thought the person in charge wasn’t doing a great job. Maybe I thought I could do better.

That sounds a bit like ego talking now, but perhaps that was a driver.

What I do know is that I was always ambitious. I wanted to excel in my HR career, and for me, that also meant leading the function - having the full scope of responsibility. What I’ve realised since is that, back then, I only understood part of the role.

I understood the work - but not the weight

What I did understand was the importance of functional excellence. I knew what good looked like in HR delivery, particularly in core areas like recruitment, employee relations, and performance management. And right from the outset, I had a strong ability to connect what the business was trying to achieve with how the people agenda could enable it.

That ability to tailor HR to the business strategy - that was always there.

But what I didn’t yet grasp was the sheer breadth of responsibility that comes with leadership. Not just being responsible for the function - but being a leader of that function. And being a member of the wider leadership team. Those are two distinct but overlapping roles.

Then I found language for what I was learning

Later in my career, I came across the Leadership Code - The Five Rules to Lead By by Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Kate Sweetman. It articulated what I had been growing into but hadn’t yet put into words.

The model outlines five core leadership responsibilities, and it doesn’t matter what your title is or what function you’re in—these five apply. They are:

1. Shape the future – being a strategist

2. Make things happen – executing today’s commitments

3. Engage today’s talent – developing and enabling performance in your current team

4. Build the next generation – ensuring future capability and succession

5. Invest in yourself – continuously developing your own leadership

   
   

And when I read that list, I had a realisation.

I had spent almost all my time focused on execution.I was solid on delivery. But I wasn’t yet thinking in terms of all five responsibilities.

No one had ever explained that these were mine to hold - not just as a concept, but as a personal responsibility. Whatever the structure or system in place, these weren’t HR processes. These were leadership accountabilities. And they were mine.

Would I change anything?

Probably.

I’m proud of how I’ve developed, and I wouldn’t undo the learning.

But I can also see that some of the lessons were harder than they needed to be.

That doesn’t make them less valuable—but it does mean they’ve become powerful reference points.

Moments I return to.Turning points I now use to support others navigating similar terrain—ideally with a little less struggle.

If you’re stepping into a leadership role - or already in one—ask yourself:

Which of the five are you giving most of your energy to?

And which might need more of your attention, now?

I didn’t know what I didn’t know back then.

 But I do now.

 And it’s shaped how I lead - and how I support others to do the same.