Can you still be a leader if you don't want to manage people?

Here's my advice if you want to lead, but you don't want to be a people manager

Welcome back to Lead with Intention! It’s October. I’ve put the heating on. And can’t remember the last time it didn’t rain. (Don’t Google “when will it stop raining?” by the way - infinitely depressing if you live in the UK!)

But I digress!

We are here to lead and lead well, and this week’s a goodie. It’s a topic that doesn’t get discussed as much as perhaps it should, and it may speak to you if you look at most traditional leadership development paths and shudder involuntarily at the thought of being responsible for So. Many. People.

More on that below.

But first. How did you find the newsletter last week on corporate burnout?

I know for many (and I’ve had messages from people sharing their experiences) that this is something that hits hard. In my former career as a Director of Corporate Communications, I went through burnout following the pandemic, as I was stuck in the dopamine and adrenaline-fuelled cycle of “crisis-response-fix” that so many comms and PR professionals got caught up in and that eventually caught up with me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on burnout and what more companies and organisations should be doing to prevent it. And it’s a good reflective exercise for you to do, as an emerging leader, to think about whether the conditions and culture you create at work add to the problem of burnout or help solve it? Hmmm. Food for thought?

And your votes are in - for which leadership workshop you’d like to attend with me.

There were two winners:

a) Confidence in communication as a leader

b) Building your leadership brand

I’ll share the details and dates very soon (remember these will be free workshops for paid subscribers and just £10 for anyone else - I find that’s a great motivator to commit!) and look forward to meeting some of you for the first time!

Now to the juice. Can you lead without managing people? And can you be a good leader if you don’t want to manage a team of people?

For many of us, the notion of leadership comes with a very specific image: managing a team, giving direction, and overseeing the work of others.

But what if that’s not your idea of leadership? What if you don’t want to manage people in the traditional sense? Does that mean you’re not cut out for leadership?

Absolutely not.

Let’s challenge the received wisdom that to lead, you must manage a team in the conventional way. Leadership is not one-size-fits-all, and in today’s diverse workplaces, there’s more room than ever for leaders who shine through their expertise, influence, and individual contribution.

Full disclosure - I am one of those people!

I struggled for many years with striking a balance between managing a team and having enough time and focus for myself in my role, to do the things that I was uniquely able to do for my organisation. I often felt frustrated as an individual, or that I was failing my team. Ultimately, I settled on a “coaching style” of leadership that worked well for me and for my team, and put a brilliant deputy in place who was much more attuned to the needs of people management day to day.

And now I do this everyday through my coaching practice!

Some of my coaching clients share the same concerns: they aspire to leadership, but feel uncomfortable with the idea of managing people day in, day out. They fear becoming the type of manager they’ve disliked or suffered with in the past - hovering, micromanaging, or controlling.

And whilst team leadership can be an exciting prospect for some, it’s not a natural fit for everyone. In fact, many professionals find themselves excelling in their fields, only to feel reluctant or ill-prepared when asked to take on the responsibility of managing people.

Management is a specific skill set - one that involves motivating, delegating, and guiding others.

But leadership? Leadership is broader. It’s about vision, influence, and impact.

And the great news is this gives you a lot more to play with in the sandbox…

Keep reading for my coaching advice this week on “non-traditional” models of leadership. This is a paid post, as it contains my advice and support as a qualified leadership coach. If you’d like to access this every week for just £5 a month, upgrade here: