Leaders often get promoted based on skills like drive, initiative, and visibility — but these aren't the same skills that make someone effective once they're in a leadership role. Drawing on a real client story and Hogan's 2026 Leadership Divide study, the blog argues that what teams actually want from leaders — clear communication, accountability, sound decision-making, and trust — rarely matches what got their leader promoted in the first place. The fix isn't more effort. It's a shift in perspective: from "how am I doing?" to "how is my team experiencing me?" and recognising that leadership is a skill that has to be deliberately developed.