03/09/2026
Technical performance gets you noticed. It doesn't prepare you to lead.
This week, in partnership with PRINZ, I ran the first session of a new workshop for PR and communications leaders stepping into bigger roles — From Specialist to Strategic Leader.
Most people get promoted because they were excellent at the job before this one. Then they're left to figure out, alone, that being the specialist isn't the same as being the leader.
41% of companies cut management layers in 2025 — the layer that used to teach people how to lead. Without it, people get promoted faster, with less support, into a shift everyone still treats as technical. It isn't. It's an identity shift.
The next morning, Fiona Bailey from WorkSafe NZ told me:
"I left the session and your voice was in my head, and I was able to influence a discussion on a subject that has been on my mind for some time, but I haven't had the confidence to speak up about it. And today I've delegated a couple of pieces of work that I would normally have done, just to get them out of the way quickly."
Another participant put it more simply: "I wish you'd been here a year ago."
If this resonates, I take you behind the scenes of what's developing inside True North Leadership every week → https://turas.co.nz/subscribe
