In this episode of Lead Like a Coach, Alison May speaks with leadership and executive coach Biran Yilancioglu about leadership transitions, the first 90 days in a new leadership role, and what helps leaders find their feet when confidence, expectations and team dynamics all feel uncertain.
Drawing on her own experience of a difficult transition into leadership, Biran shares thoughtful insights into:
- why being good at your job does not automatically prepare you to lead people
- navigating the first 90 days in a new leadership role
- building confidence through greater self-awareness
- defining success rather than simply absorbing other people’s expectations
- understanding team conflict and what may be happening beneath the surface
- using curiosity before rushing into advice, judgement or feedback
- making more conscious choices about the kind of leader and career you want to build
This conversation explores the human side of leadership transitions – from the pressure to prove yourself to the challenge of understanding a new team – and why self-awareness, emotional intelligence and curiosity can matter just as much as leadership tools and techniques.
Watch it Here
Leadership Transitions Key Takeaways
Being good at your job does not automatically prepare you to lead people
One of the central themes in the conversation is the gap between being highly capable in your own role and suddenly being responsible for leading others. A promotion can bring new expectations, people challenges and uncertainty that technical expertise alone does not prepare you for.
The first 90 days start before the role begins
Biran discusses how a leadership transition often begins before the official start date. The expectations you form, the conversations you have and the assumptions you make can all shape how you enter a new leadership role.
Define success before other people define it for you
New leaders can quickly find themselves responding to everyone else’s expectations. Biran explores the importance of becoming clearer about what success means in the role, rather than unconsciously trying to meet every demand around you.
Team conflict is often only the surface
When there is conflict or underperformance in a team, the temptation can be to act quickly or jump straight into feedback. The conversation explores why curiosity matters – understanding what is happening beneath the behaviour before deciding what needs to change.
Self-awareness is a leadership skill
Leadership tools and techniques are useful, but Biran argues that they are much harder to use well without understanding yourself. Greater self-awareness can help leaders recognise how pressure, uncertainty and the need to prove themselves affect the way they lead.
Leadership transitions are about more than the next promotion
The conversation also explores the wider question of career direction. Progressing into increasingly senior roles can happen almost automatically unless leaders stop to consider what kind of work, responsibility and leadership they actually want.
About Biran Yilancioglu
Biran Yilancioglu is a leadership and executive coach with more than twenty years’ experience across corporate leadership and coaching, including roles with HSBC and Bayer.
She is an ICF Master Certified Coach, EMCC Senior Practitioner, Co-Active coach and certified coaching supervisor, and has delivered coaching and training for organisations including BCG, BP, Bayer, Genomics England, the FCA, UNICEF, IFAD and the NHS.
Biran’s work focuses particularly on confidence, leadership transitions and helping accomplished professional women understand the patterns that can cause them to doubt themselves, hold back or feel they need to prove their credibility.
About Lead Like a Coach
Lead Like a Coach is a podcast from One Life Coaching exploring what changes when coaching becomes part of how you lead.
Hosted by Alison May and Neil McLatchie, the podcast features conversations with leaders, coaches, healthcare professionals, academics, and experts exploring leadership, emotional intelligence, communication, neurodiversity, coaching culture, and professional development.
Interested in Developing Your Own Coaching Skills?
At One Life Coaching, we deliver the Level 5 Professional Certificate in Coaching accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Designed for leaders, managers, professionals, and aspiring coaches, the programme develops practical coaching skills that can transform conversations, leadership, and workplace culture.
