You Can't Know It All: Leading in the Age of Deep Expertise

Today’s organizations are packed full of experts in every area from marketing to risk to sales to IT. Many of these people are also leaders, heading teams or large departments. They are followed because they know more than the rest of their group. They are followed because of their credibility as experts.

The toughest transition in business comes when expert leaders are asked to move beyond their expertise and lead a less homogenous group. Suddenly, experts face a new set of problems. They struggle to gain basic competence in dozens of areas without having to become the expert in every aspect. In Wanda Wallace’s experience, this move―from expert leader to a broader kind of authority―requires a new mindset about how to lead.

Wallace explains what few people understand―how to add value as a leader when you’re dealing with an ever growing set of responsibilities over which you have little detailed knowledge. The work you do and the way you interact with people must also change. Managing now requires a light touch and a different approach to delegation. Above all, managing is about recognizing that while you may not do all the work of your team, you must enable the team to do the work. In this world, trust becomes essential.

In You Can’t Know It All, Wallace presents the coaching model she has developed to address the challenges of this transition. She offers strategies for individuals to navigate their new roles and learn to combine their expertise with their leadership responsibilities. She gives essential advice on the fundamental change in mind-set that this requires.

This invaluable handbook offers novice and experienced managers alike insights into their own careers, explains why their star performers may suddenly be floundering, and provides essential tools for guiding development.

Based on her extensive experience, Wallace provides a playbook for the most challenging move in a leader’s career:

• The Expert Leader Trap: Understand why the very expertise that made you a star performer can become the biggest obstacle to your next promotion.
• Spanning Leadership Mindset: Adopt a new mental model for adding value when you can no longer know it all, shifting from personal execution to enabling your team.
• Influence and Delegation: Learn how to lead teams with a lighter touch, guide people you don’t have direct authority over, and build essential trust.
• Executive Presence: Master the communication and interaction skills to establish credibility and lead with confidence, even when you're outside your comfort zone.
• Leadership for Women: A dedicated look at the unique challenges women face in this transition and actionable strategies to break through the barriers.

Wanda Wallace, Phd., is a managing partner of Leadership Forum Inc. She coaches, facilitates, and speaks on improving leadership by improving the quality of conversations. She specializes in helping women and men get to the top, stick, and thrive. She works with world-renowned financial services companies and other blue-chip clients. Previously, Wanda Wallace was executive vice president at Duke Corporate Education, Inc., associate dean of executive education at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, as well as an assistant professor of marketing. She divides her time between New York City and London.