From Managing Work to Leading People: How to Be an Effective Leader
Tom Lawrence’s journey offers a roadmap on how to be an effective leader, and it’s worth following. He started his career as an engineering apprentice in Liverpool, where he quickly noticed a common problem: many managers were great at getting things done, but not so great at leading people. That eye-opening experience sparked a powerful shift.
Today, as a mentor and author of Manager to Leader, he helps professionals grow into confident, people-first leaders, long before they ever get the title. Let’s explore the lessons that shaped Tom’s leadership approach.
Are You a Leader or a Manager?
Tom believes the difference is about what (or who) you’re actually responsible for.
Managers are typically focused on systems, procedures, and the day-to-day operations. They make sure processes run smoothly and tasks get completed. These parts of the business don’t have emotions or personal needs—they just need to function.
Leaders work with people, and people come with energy, emotions, challenges, and potential. Leading people means listening, empathizing, and helping them grow, not just as employees, but as individuals.
Tom points out that when leaders invest in their people, the outcomes tend to follow. Productivity, engagement, and success become natural byproducts of a thriving team. When you support your team to be their best, and they take ownership of their responsibilities. In turn, you get to focus on what really matters: leading with purpose.
What We're Getting Wrong About Leadership
Some organizations are still promoting the wrong people into leadership roles. The go-to choice for a promotion is the top performer, the star engineer, the highest earner, the one who hits every target. And while those achievements are impressive, they don’t always translate into great leadership.
People are handed leadership roles before they’ve ever been taught how to lead. It’s like being asked to fly a plane and being promised the training after takeoff. Sound risky? That’s because it is.
If we can shift how we define and identify leaders, we’ll set our teams and organizations up for much greater success.
Tom believes the solution is pretty straightforward: start developing leadership skills early. Organizations should be planting the seeds of leadership during onboarding, apprenticeship, and mentoring.
Leadership potential is about how someone communicates, supports their teammates, and helps others grow, even without the title. Sometimes, the most impactful future leader isn’t the loudest or the most productive; it’s the person quietly guiding, encouraging, and lifting others. Those are the folks who should be moving into leadership.
False Influence vs. Genuine Influence
Not all influence is created equal. And the difference has everything to do with how you treat the people around you.
False influence shows up when someone uses their authority to control rather than empower. It’s the “because I said so” style of leadership, where decisions are top-down and team input isn’t welcomed. It might get short-term compliance, but it rarely sparks creativity, growth, or loyalty.
Genuine influence, on the other hand, is rooted in trust, humility, and empowerment. Tom believes that real leaders know how to give power away in meaningful ways, by encouraging input, embracing ideas from their team, and creating space for others to shine.
And yes, it’s tough. There’s no shortcut to influence.
Leading with genuine influence begins by building real relationships, person by person. And it also means checking your ego at the door and staying open, even when it’s uncomfortable. But the payoff is a team that’s engaged, motivated, and driven, not because they have to be, but because they want to be.
If you take care of the people, everything else will take care of itself. - Simon Sinek
Secure Leaders vs. Insecure Leaders
Insecure leaders often fall into the trap of micromanagement. They struggle to trust others, convinced that no one can do the job as well as they can. That fear shows up in constant check-ins, nitpicking, and hovering over every decision.
And ironically, this tight grip often creates the very problems they’re trying to avoid. Mistakes happen, team morale drops, and people stop growing because they’re never given the space to think or learn for themselves.
The secure leader operates from trust. They believe in their team’s capabilities and give them the freedom to do things their own way. They coach, they stay curious, ask thoughtful questions, and help people discover solutions on their own.
Tom emphasizes that secure leaders build strong teams by letting go of control and focusing on growth. They create an environment where people feel safe to try, fail, and improve.
As a team member, your job is to have the answers. As a leader, it is your responsibility to have all the questions. - Tom Lawrence
Are You Micromanaging? Here’s How to Shift Your Mindset
Micromanagement doesn’t usually start with bad intentions. It often comes from wanting things to go well. But leadership isn’t about outcomes. It’s about people.
How do you see your role as a leader? What do you believe your real responsibilities are? If your answers are meeting targets, growing revenue, and hitting KPIs, it might be time for a mindset reset.
Try asking yourself these kinds of questions instead:
How can I help my people become the best version of themselves?
What am I doing to support their personal and professional growth?
Am I developing leaders or just managing employees?
Strong leadership is about leading differently. And it takes intention to lead this way. It requires honest reflection and the willingness to ask tough questions, not just of your team, but of yourself.
Remember, your team’s job is to deliver results. Your job is to support the people who make those results possible.
Tips to Be a More Effective Leader
Leadership begins with doing the inner work first. Becoming a valuable leader starts by becoming your best self, and that takes commitment to personal growth. Here are Tom’s tips:
Keep a journal of your leadership moments - Jot down the experiences that shape you. Maybe it’s a moment where you handled something well, or a time when you learned from someone else’s approach. Writing it down helps you remember what worked, what didn’t, and how you want to lead moving forward.
Never stop learning - Great leaders stay curious. Whether it’s a book, a podcast, or a quick chat with someone unexpected, they’re always picking up insights. Leadership lessons are everywhere, if you’re open to them.
Share what you learn - Talk to your team. Mention the insights you picked up from a book or something a mentor once told you. When you open up about your own learning journey, it encourages others to explore theirs.
Build relationships - Tom emphasizes the importance of getting to know people across departments, across levels. Strong relationships build trust, and trust lays the groundwork for leadership, no matter your role.
Listen to understand - Real leadership starts with listening and really understanding. Tom encourages leaders to let their team do most of the talking, especially in one-on-ones. Trust starts when people feel heard, seen, and valued.
Leading Up: Empowering Leadership from Any Seat
We often think of leadership as something you do from the top down, but Tom challenges that idea with a concept he calls leading up. Leading up is about having thoughtful, empowering conversations that influence even those above you.
Tom’s approach is grounded in curiosity and care. If your leader is micromanaging or missing the big picture, you can still create positive change by asking good questions. Thoughtful ones like:
What made you choose that direction?
Have we considered trying it another way?
Is there something we might be missing?
These open-ended questions invite reflection. And sometimes, that’s all it takes for someone to pause, see things differently, and lead better themselves.
Tom admits that leading up takes courage. He’s had his own moments of nerves when speaking up. But in supportive environments, where leaders are open and secure, those conversations can flourish.
The beauty of leading up is that it shifts the dynamic from top-down control to shared growth. And you’re helping shape better decisions, together.
What Makes a Great Leader
Managers manage things. Leaders lead people.
And yet, how often are people truly trained to lead before they're given the role?
Very few companies invest in early development or offer a “leadership apprenticeship” that prepares future leaders in advance. Just imagine the positive impact that kind of preparation could have, not only on the leader but on the people they’ll eventually guide.
Here are three key takeaways from Tom’s insights:
1. Leaders Build Genuine Influence.
Genuine influence happens when you consistently put your people first. By investing time in getting to know them, supporting their growth, and listening deeply, you lay the foundation for meaningful trust.
2. Leadership Isn't About You, But It Starts With You.
If you want to be the best for your people, you need to be committed to your own personal and professional growth to become the best version of yourself. Because when you’re growing, you’re better equipped to help others grow, too.
3. Leaders Embrace Simplicity
Leader who are highly effective have a knack for simplifying the complex. They communicate clearly, act with intention, and strip away unnecessary complications. The simpler your approach, the more effective your team becomes.
If you'd like a deeper dive into this topic, tune in to the full podcast episode here: How to be an Effective Leader with Tom Lawrence
What are your thoughts on this? Share your takeaways with us in the comments or on YouTube.
