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Many people are promoted only to be left to their own devices to figure out their credibility. That implicit sequence has a cost.
This week, we’ve explored how leader experience isn’t tied to how employees perceive their leader’s support of their professional development. That’s significant because, as our latest Professional Development Survey exposed, many leaders in higher education are operating with five years or less experience in their roles.
But why would leadership tenure being disconnected from the levels of a leader’s support be a surprising find for some? How someone answers that question reveals something important about how they think leadership credibility actually works.
Most institutions promote people and then leave them to figure out credibility on their own. The implicit message: prove your worth through results, earn your standing, and then lead more fully. Senior leaders model this sequence, often without realizing it. Institutional structures reinforce it. And newer leaders internalize it as the responsible path, even when it costs them with their teams.
What senior leaders can do: Be explicit early about which behaviors matter. If you sponsor a newer leader or manage someone who manages others, directly name that investing in their team’s development is part of the job from day one. Not eventually. Now. Don’t wait for them to figure this out through trial and error.
What institutions can do: Build feedback structures that help newer leaders to course-correct before trust erodes. The survey found that employees’ perception of their leader’s PD support is a leading indicator of satisfaction and retention. If you’re not measuring it, you’re not seeing it until someone leaves.
What newer leaders can take from this: The sequence you’ve been handed isn’t inevitable. Credibility isn’t only built with tenure. It’s also built through how consistently you show up for the people you lead, starting in the first months of the role. The leaders who invest early don’t look presumptuous—they look like the kinds of leaders people want to work for.
That reputation compounds. The earlier it starts, the more it accumulates.
What’s one thing your institution could do to make it easier for newer leaders to invest in their teams without waiting for them to feel established first? Bring that question to your next leadership conversation.
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