The Perspective Gap: Why New Managers struggle to See through others’ eyes
The Problem: High Performers Often Struggle in Leadership Roles
Organizations frequently promote high-performing employees into leadership roles, expecting their strong individual contributions to translate into strong managerial performance. However, leadership requires a fundamentally different skill set—one that includes motivation, coaching, and accountability.
One of the biggest challenges new managers face is learning to see beyond their own perspective. Without this ability, they struggle to lead effectively, often defaulting to an authoritarian or overly rigid approach that can alienate their teams and undermine performance.
Take Julie (not her real name), for example. As a member of Nocturne’s bar team, Julie excelled. She contributed to processes and updating checklists, kept things clean and organized, and had a great understanding of guest experience. Her high performance and engagement earned her a leadership position within the team.
But as soon as Julie stepped into management, her strengths as an individual contributor became liabilities. Frustrated by what she saw as her team’s lack of efficiency, she led with an authoritarian style, expecting others to operate exactly as she had. She fought against some innovative contributions in favor of the simpler options. Gradually, the team held back their creativity for fear of adding to her frustrations. As the team started collectively to fall behind in expectations, her leadership approach began to conflict with Nocturne’s core values of excellence, empathy, and collaboration.
Julie’s struggle is not unique. Many new managers assume that their personal standards and strengths should be replicated in others. When their team members don’t perform in the same way, they default to frustration or micromanagement.
What they fail to see is that leadership is not about making others mirror their own strengths—it’s about guiding individuals based on their unique motivations, strengths, and challenges. The ability to shift perspectives and understand competing priorities is not something that comes naturally. It requires structured practice.
The Solution: Teaching New Managers How to See Multiple Perspectives
To help Julie bridge this gap, we introduced an exercise in cognitive flexibility—training her to see leadership challenges through three different lenses:
1. Self Perspective: How do I see the situation? What are my assumptions, emotions, and expectations?
(Example: Peter thought his team should prioritize innovation above all else.)
2. Other Person’s Perspective: How does my team see the situation? What words, emotions, and motivations are driving them?
(Example: The team wanted to simplify the cocktail program for consistency and execution.)
3. Observer Perspective: What would a neutral third party see? How would they describe the conflict?
(Example: Both sides had valid concerns but were interpreting success differently.)
By practicing this structured reflection, Julie began to shift from a rigid, top-down leadership style to a more adaptable, collaborative approach. Over time, she became more effective in motivating her team, aligning with Nocturne’s values, and balancing innovation with operational needs.
The ability to hold multiple perspectives is a hallmark of great leadership, yet most new managers receive little to no training in this essential skill. Without structured support, they struggle, often to the detriment of team morale and company culture.
But this learning curve doesn’t have to be painful. With the right coaching, new managers can make this transition faster, more effectively, and with less stress—for themselves and their teams.
If you have a new manager who could use individual coaching to develop leadership skills, let’s talk. I offer customized coaching designed to help first-time managers bridge the gap from team member to confident, capable leader.