How to Lead with Confidence When You're Not a Subject Matter Expert

Read time: 3 minutes 34 seconds

Do You Remember Peter?

He's that pleasant fellow that was promoted to the level of his own incompetence. There's even a management principle named after him. He's about to turn 40.

Most of us want to grow as managers. We strive for promotion. We want to lead more impactful teams. When something goes wrong, we want to be the first call.

But none of us want to be Peter.

And if you're reading a weekly management playbook, chances are you made it past the first Peter test: the transition from individual contributor to first-time manager. Congrats!

Now be warned. There's a second trap that claims many well-meaning victims, and it's not running a bigger area in your zone of genius. It's being tapped to run a function in which you have no first-hand experience.

But if you're striving for the C-suite, you'll eventually be asked to lead despite not being a subject matter expert. This moment is defining.

So how can you navigate with confidence when you're moving through the dark?

Your Survival Guide

Two things can kill you leading any new team:

1. Not knowing what you don't know

2. Getting duped because you lack expertise

To deal with knowing what you don't know, you need a good framework and a thoughtful process for filling it out. This practice ensures you're asking the right questions and covering all the bases. There are plenty of options to choose from: Bain's Organizational Navigator, Gap Analysis, and McKinsey's 7-S Framework.

But how can you answer it if you don't know how things work? You rely on smart people to tell you the answers. You're a thoughtful orchestrator and an active listener.

This is how you build a threshold level of understanding. And while the primary network around your new role (team, manager, peers, customers, and partners) should give you most of the intel you need, I suggest finding at least one outside expert to triangulate with.

A few notes of caution: