Asra* is a prominent member of the executive team at a renowned national construction company, and she embodies the quintessential professional: diligent, successful, and dedicated. However, her current professional challenge lies in the need to transition from her technical role to leading and inspiring others.
Asra’s role is multifaceted, with a complex reporting structure involving numerous consulting firms, contractors, internal team members and a State Government Department as the client. She answers to both the Client’s Legal Counsel and the CEO of the construction company, adding layers of complexity to her leadership responsibilities.
Asra’s aspirations for the upcoming year are ambitious. She aims to facilitate the successful renegotiation of a critical commercial contract, nurture her exhausted team, and embark on a journey to develop her leadership skills. Her commitment to her team extends to her physical presence, as she strategically bases herself at three different sites across Sydney each week to stay closely connected with her dispersed team.
Acknowledging Asra’s immense value to the organisation, her CEO has voiced the need for her to evolve from being primarily a lawyer to being seen as a leader who delegates effectively and coordinates all the professional teams.
The question that emerges is, how can Asra shed the familiarity of her embedded specialist role and assume a more senior leadership mindset and approach?
*Fictional case study
