Eight circles of the leader-manager

Dear Captains,

The task of a leader-manager is simple to state but challenging to accomplish: moving the task, the team and the individual towards corporate goals.

To achieve this, a leader-manager must lead and manage four critical areas: oneself, others, the execution of processes and systems, and change.

Of the four, leading and managing oneself receives the least attention. Most leadership programmes focus on managing others. While important, self-leadership remains the foundation.

A person who cannot manage themselves will eventually struggle to lead others. The fish rots from the head; when a leader fails to manage themselves, the consequences are felt by everyone.

The second area, leading others, is the one most of us are familiar with. The third area, execution, is equally important because leaders are ultimately entrusted to make things happen, translating goals into action.

Finally, leaders must be able to manage change.

They must do so while simultaneously managing themselves, others, and execution, because change is not an occasional event – it is the very environment within which leadership takes place.

The Eight Circles of a Leader-Manager provide a practical framework for helping leaders fulfil these responsibilities more effectively.

Circle 1: Expectation setting

The first task of any leader- manager is to remove uncertainty. People perform better when they know what is expected of them. Effective expectation setting begins with two things: being clear about the goal and asking the right questions. Goals provide direction; questions create understanding. Both are necessary.

Clarity must also be accompanied by meaning and purpose.

­Without them, people see work merely as tasks to complete rather than outcomes to achieve.

Three practices strengthen expectation setting:

> Establish a clear social contract so everyone understands the expected behaviours between superiors, colleagues, subordinates, and stakeholders.

> Create a common language of performance so people understand what is excellent, good, acceptable, or unacceptable.

> Ensure everyone knows the baseline: where they are today, where they need to be, by when, and the agreed strategies to get there.

Circle 2: Planning and problem solving

The best way to motivate people is to help them achieve.

Nothing motivates people more than growth, development and success. Together, Circle 1 and Circle 2 form the core of leadership and management.

First, leaders set clear expectations. Then, they help people achieve those expectations.

However, not everyone starts with the same level of readiness.

Some need more knowledge, some need guidance, and others need closer monitoring.

Effective leader-managers recognise these differences and respond accordingly, knowing when to mentor, when to coach and when to supervise.

Their role is not simply to assign tasks but to help people plan effectively and solve problems along the way, ensuring they have the tools and support needed to succeed.

When people learn how to overcome obstacles, confidence grows, and motivation follows naturally.

Circle 3: Building high-performing teams

To help people succeed, leaders must build high-performing teams, as very few goals can be achieved alone.

Most leaders are familiar with Tuckman’s stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. What many overlook is that leaders must actively manage the transitions between these stages, staying ahead of the team to guide it forward.

One common mistake is viewing storming as a problem. In reality, storming is a sign of progress. It is when people stop being overly polite and start being authentic. Differences surface, issues are discussed, and trust begins to deepen.

Effective leader-managers do not fear the storm; they guide the team through it toward norming and performing.

Circle 4: Feedback and difficult conversations

No team becomes high-performing without a healthy environment of feedback and the ability to handle difficult conversations. This is especially important during the storming stage, when disagreements surface.

The leader-manager must create a culture where feedback is seen as a gift rather than a threat. This begins with leading oneself. Leaders who welcome feedback and use it to improve set the tone for everyone else.

Likewise, leaders must lead by example when dealing with difficult conversations.

Rather than avoiding issues, they address them respectfully, promptly, and constructively.

When feedback flows and difficult conversations are handled well, trust grows, problems are resolved, and teams thrive.

Circle 5: Managing emotions and tension

Good feedback and difficult conversations depend heavily on the ability to manage emotions and tension.

Emotion is a source of energy. Managed well, it drives engagement and performance; managed poorly, it damages relationships and organisations.

Leader-managers must learn to manage their own emotions while responding appropriately to the emotions of others.

Likewise, not all tension is bad.

Leaders are not paid to eliminate tension; they are paid to manage it. Performance tension, accountability tension, innovation tension, and change tension are all necessary for growth.

The objective is to ensure tension remains productive rather than destructive.

Circle 6: Communication and relationship building

Communication and relationship building are the foundation of people management, beginning with a simple understanding: other people are human beings just like us.

All of us have needs that can only be fulfilled through others – we seek approval, praise, reassurance, empathy, and respect. Building relationships, therefore, requires personal ownership and a genuine concern for others.

Good communication starts with good manners and the willingness to give time and energy to others. One of the most powerful platforms for doing this is conversation.

Talking and listening remain the leader-manager’s most important tools for building trust and improving performance.

Circle 7: Motivating

Leader-managers do not motivate people through grand speeches or occasional slogans. Their responsibility is to design a motivating environment that encourages performance.

This requires the deliberate design of an effective motivational mix. Financial rewards like salary and bonuses are important, but they are only part of the equation.

Recognition, growth opportunities, meaningful work, supportive leadership, and a healthy culture are equally important.

In many ways, the first six circles are themselves part of this motivational mix. People are naturally more motivated when goals are clear, they are successful, work within high-performing teams, receive constructive feedback, manage emotions well, and enjoy strong relationships.

The more motivating the environment, the more performance tension people can productively transform into achievement.

Circle 8: Reflecting

If leader-managers do not make time to reflect, they may slowly become the person they never intended to be, losing opportunities to learn and grow.

Reflection begins with simple questions: Where am I today? Where do I want to be? How do I get there?

Effective leader-managers regularly pause to assess progress, challenge assumptions, and learn from experience. They must seek feedback and honestly evaluate themselves against the first seven circles, becoming their own critic and motivator.

Reflection is an essential leadership responsibility that deserves a place among a leader’s highest priorities.

Dear Captains, The Eight Circles of a Leader-Manager form an integrated system where each circle supports the others. Practised consistently, they move the task, the team, and the individual towards corporate goals.

It is vital that leaders invest time in strengthening each circle. Like any capability, leadership improves through learning, practice, and continuous improvement. Organisations must ensure their managers are trained, mentored, and coached to apply these circles effectively.

Simultaneously, we as Captains of Industry must be the first to practise them. We set the standards; people do not follow what we say, they follow what we do.

When we lead by example, we create organisations where leadership excellence can flourish.