The moment you realise you’re leading at a higher level than your role requires
There’s a moment in every senior leader’s career that arrives quietly, almost imperceptibly
You’re in a meeting, listening to a conversation you’ve heard a hundred times before. The same debates, the same constraints, and the same circular logic. Yet something inside you shifts
You realise you’re thinking at a different altitude than the room. You’re seeing patterns other aren’t naming. You’re anticipating consequences no one else has considered. You’re framing the problem in a way that changes the entire conversation
And yet… your role hasn’t caught up to the way you’re now leading
This is one of the most disorienting inflection points for high performing product and transformation leaders. Not because you’re unrecognised, not because you’re undervalued, but because you’re operating at a level the organisation hasn’t yet made space for
You’re leading at a higher altitude than your role requires and the system hasn’t recalibrated around you yet
The subtle signals you’re operating above your role
The shift doesn’t announce itself dramatically. It shows up in small, telling moments. You notice you’re the one:
Naming the real problem whilst others debate the symptoms
Seeing the enterprise level implications of local decisions
Connecting the dots across functions without being asked to
Anticipating the risks before they surface
Reframing the conversations that are stuck in operational detail
Asking questions that shift the room from tactical to strategic thinking
You’re not trying to lead at a higher level. You just are
Your thinking has expanded. Your instincts have sharpened. Your leadership has evolved but your role hasn’t evolved with you yet. Not the expectations, not the remit, and certainly not the visibility
This creates a subtle but persistent tension. You’re contributing at one level whilst being positioned at another
Why product and transformation leaders experience this earlier than most
Product and transformation leaders are uniquely exposed to the entire organisational system. You see:
How strategy fragments as it moves through the layers
How decisions made in isolation create downstream complexities
How incentives misalign across functions
How teams interpret the same goal differently
How risk accumulates when no one owns the whole picture
How emotional dynamics shape execution more than process does
This vantage point accelerates your leadership maturity
You develop enterprise instincts long before your title reflects it. You learn to think in systems, not silos. You learn to lead through influence, not authority. You learn to navigate ambiguity, not avoid it. So it’s no surprise that your leadership often outpaces the role you’re in
You’re evolving faster than the structure around you
The emotional cost: you start to feel out of place in rooms you used to fit into
When your leadership altitude rises but your role doesn’t, you start to feel a subtle dissonance. You feel:
Restless in conversations that used to challenge you
Under utilised in meetings where you once contributed heavily
Frustrated by decisions that ignore system level consequences
Disconnected from work that no longer stretches your thinking
Quietly impatient with debates that stay at the wrong altitude
It’s not arrogance, it’s not disengagement, and it’s not superiority. It’s evolution
You’re no longer thinking like the role you’re in. You’re thinking like the role you’re ready for
The identity cost: you’re still seen through an outdated lens
Even as your leadership expands, the organisation continues to see you through the lens of your current title. You’re still described as:
“The person who can get things done”
“The one who keeps teams aligned”
“The safe pair of hands for complex delivery”
“The one who can handle difficult stakeholders”
These descriptions are accurate, but incomplete. They reflect who you were, not who you’ve become
Your strategic instincts, your enterprise thinking, your ability to shift conversations. These aren’t visible yet because the organisation hasn’t updated its mental model of you. You’re leading at a higher level, but you’re still being referenced at the level below
This is the identity lag that traps many high performing leaders
The opportunity cost: you’re not being positioned for the work you’re ready for
When your leadership outpaces your role, you miss out on:
Strategic conversations where your thinking would add value
Enterprise level decisions you’re ready to influence
High visibility initiatives that would elevate your profile
Sponsorship moments that shift perception
Opportunities that match your current capability, not your historical strengths
You’re contributing above your level, but you’re not being positioned above your level
This is not a capability gap. It’s a recognition gap
How high impact leaders navigate this inflection point
They stop shrinking their thinking to match the room
When you’re operating at a higher altitude, the temptation is to “fit in” by lowering your contribution. High impact leaders resist this
They bring their full strategic range, even when the room isn’t used to it. Not aggressively, not performatively, but consistently
They start speaking from the altitude they want to be recognised at
This is subtle but powerful. Instead of contributing operational detail, they contribute:
Patterns
Risks
Trade offs
Decision frameworks
Enterprise implications
Strategic reframes
They show the organisation the level they’re operating at
They make their expanded range visible to the right people
Not through self promotion, but through intentional exposure. They seek out:
Cross functional forums
Executive level conversations
Strategic working groups
Portfolio level discussions
Visibility is not vanity. It’s positioning
They stop over functioning in the areas they’ve already mastered
This is the hardest shift. You have to let:
Others take on the work you’ve outgrown
Teams stretch into responsibilities you used to hold
Leaders feel the consequences of their own decisions
You create space for your next level by releasing your previous one
They articulate the gap clearly and calmly
High impact leaders don’t wait for the organisation to notice. They say:
“I’m ready to operate at a different altitude”
“Here’s the kind of work I want to lead next”
“Here’s where I can create the most enterprise value”
“Here’s the shift I’m making in my leadership”
They name the evolution the organisation hasn’t seen yet
If you’re leading at a higher level than your role requires, you’re not out of place. You’re ahead
This moment isn’t a problem. It’s a signal
A sign that your leadership is expanding. A sign that your instincts are maturing. A sign that you’re ready for work that matches your current altitude. You’re not misaligned, you’re emerging, and the gap you’re feeling is simply the space between the role you’re in and the leader you’ve become
If you’re leading at a higher level than your role requires and want to step into your next altitude, let’s work on this together. Here are three ways:
Influencing for Impact: This practical 2-day workshop is for you if you want to influence a decision maker, influence a change in customer or colleague behaviour, or influence someone to buy something from you
Executive and Leadership Team Coaching: Work directly with Lai-Ling to problem solve for your specific situation in a confidential setting. This is for you if you want to develop and execute on a game plan that is 100% tailored to you
Leadership Development: Invest in the product and transformation leaders in your company with leadership development that is customised for their role. This is for you if you want your people to learn about people and politics