TNM Coaching’s Leadership Transition: Leading Leaders program is grounded in the Leadership Pipeline model developed by HR expert Walt Mahler, which outlines six key passages that leaders must navigate throughout their careers — from leading oneself, to leading others, leading leaders, leading a function, leading a business, and ultimately leading the enterprise.
While many companies invest in the development of first-time leaders, they often overlook the crucial second passage — the transition from leading others to leading leaders. This step is vital for the organisation’s long-term success and the strength of its leadership pipeline.
The program also addresses the third leadership passage — becoming a functional manager reporting to general managers — which requires broader organisational thinking, collaboration across functions, and strategic contribution.
Our Leading Leaders program prepares participants to guide other leaders, navigate complexity, and align teams with strategic priorities.
Who this program is for
This program is designed for leaders progressing to department head or director-level roles. Ideal participants are already leading leaders and have at least three managers of others reporting to them.
What to expect on this program
Stepping up from leading others to leading leaders requires a shift in mindset, skills, and influence. The Leading Leaders program is built on high-impact experiential learning, embedding participants’ day-to-day leadership realities into the learning experience.
Participants frequently describe the experience as both reflective and transformative.
Program Modules:
- The fundamental principles of the leadership pipeline
- Aligning objectives with strategy, delegating, and following up
- Coaching and developing leaders
- Managing boundaries and allocating resources among teams
- Differentiating between levels of functional and leadership performance
- Selecting leaders and optimising the organisation
- Stepping into the role
Key learning outcomes
- Understand the role and expanded responsibilities of a mid-level leader
- Shift focus from team-level operations to leading through subordinate managers
- Allocate time and priorities toward strategy, systems, and leader enablement
- Build skills in performance coaching, succession planning, and empowerment
- Lead through collaboration and influence across functions and business units
- Guide subordinate leaders to align teams with strategic business outcomes
- Foster a culture of leadership excellence and cross-functional synergy
Key transition concepts
- Role transition: Embrace the transition from leading others to leading leaders
- Work values: Value enterprise-level contribution and the development of future leaders
- Time management: Prioritise coaching, strategic focus, and business alignment
- Skill development: Strengthen capabilities in coaching, alignment, and decision-making
- Team enablement: Create autonomous, empowered leadership teams
- Emotional intelligence: Lead through influence, vision, and uncertainty
Proven learning impact
We have a road-tested Leading Leaders program with a long track record of measurable leadership development. Each engagement is tailored to your context and needs, and includes:
- Alignment with your HR tools and systems
- Business-relevant challenges and objectives
- Customised case studies and content
- Integration with your values and leadership model
- Reinforcement of internal leadership initiatives
Typical transition issues
This program addresses common leadership pitfalls that often emerge even among experienced leaders:
- Failing to develop direct reports into effective leaders
- Holding direct reports accountable for technical work rather than leadership
- Managing down to individual contributors instead of through subordinate leaders
- Over-focusing on their own unit rather than cross-functional collaboration
- Difficulty navigating the dual leadership of teams and leaders
Program format and flow
Duration: 3 or 4 days
Format: Face-to-face, hybrid, or fully virtual
Organisations typically design a journey-based experience, combining:
- In-person workshops and dialogue sessions
- Peer learning and coaching circles
- Online toolkits and leadership reflection exercises
Our digital platform ensures:
- Ongoing behavioural integration
- Executive support and manager engagement
- Scalable coaching support across the cohort
Participants will benefit from
- Stronger leadership succession and organisational resilience
- Greater consistency in management and leadership behaviours
- Enhanced employee engagement and leader retention
- Clearer focus on strategic outcomes and cross-functional agility
- Greater capacity to empower, inspire, and coach emerging leaders
Key topics in the leading leaders training program
- Transition into your leadership role
- Translate strategy into operational plans and drive results
- Develop leaders
- Assess and improve performance of leaders
- Lead across the organization
- Select leaders and build the function
Next Steps
Build your leadership pipeline with experienced leaders equipped to guide and inspire the next generation.
Book your FREE discovery call with a TNM Lead Trainer today to learn how this program can be customised for your organisational context.
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