Becoming a team leader is about much more than earning a new title. It often involves a fundamental shift in mindset and responsibilities. Yet several misconceptions persist and can make this transition more challenging. Marine Agogué, full professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal and the academic lead of our new Leadership and Management Certification, helps us unpack three deeply rooted beliefs.
Myth 1: A Great Expert Will Naturally Make a Great Manager
In many organizations, individuals who excel in their field are naturally promoted into management roles. In some sectors, this is even a necessity. After all, it is difficult to lead a team of physicians, lawyers, or engineers without understanding their professional reality.
However, expertise does not automatically translate into management skills.
This transition is not always easy. It requires stepping back and reflecting on one’s practice, whether through training, coaching, peer learning groups, or discussions with other managers.
Myth 2: There Is Such a Thing as the Ideal Manager
We often hear about “best practices” in management. Yet believing that there is only one right way to be a good manager is misleading.
“We manage according to who we are. Being a good manager depends on who you are, your team, your organization, and your context. There is no single right way to manage.”
A manager working in a nonprofit organization, a large public corporation, or a small business will not face the same challenges. Expectations, resources, and constraints vary considerably.
A manager working in a nonprofit organization, a large public corporation, or a small business will not face the same challenges. Expectations, resources, and constraints vary considerably.
The goal, therefore, is not to emulate an idealized model, but rather to develop a management style that is authentic, aligned with your personality, and adapted to your environment.
A manager working in a nonprofit organization, a large public corporation, or a small business will not face the same challenges. Expectations, resources, and constraints vary considerably.
Accepting this reality can be liberating. It allows managers to focus their energy where it will have the greatest impact rather than trying to control everything.
Myth 3: Management Training Should Be Theoretical
When people think about management or leadership training, they often imagine learning frameworks, concepts, and best practices. These reference points are valuable, but they are not enough to transform the way people lead.
Well-designed management training must also provide opportunities to experiment. Participants need to engage in realistic situations, test different approaches, exchange ideas with fellow managers, and reflect on their own habits and instincts.
“The goal is not to tell people how to be a good manager. It is to create experiences that encourage them to reflect on their own practices.”
Simulations, role-playing exercises, discussions, and practical activities help bridge the gap between theory and reality. They provide a safe environment in which participants can experiment, question their assumptions, and refine their approach before applying these lessons in the workplace.
The collective dimension is equally important.
“People come for the content, but also for the collective learning experience. The other managers in the room become a source of learning themselves.”
An effective training approach therefore goes beyond knowledge acquisition. It enables managers to practice leadership, challenge their habits, and develop new reflexes tailored to their own context.
Better Management Starts with Better Self-Awareness
Ultimately, these three myths remind us that learning to manage is not about replicating an ideal model, relying solely on technical expertise, or accumulating theoretical knowledge. Becoming a manager means learning to adopt a new mindset, better understand oneself, and experiment with new ways of leading.
This is precisely the philosophy behind the Certification in Leadership and Management, which emphasizes an experiential approach grounded in the real-world challenges managers face. The objective is not to provide a one-size-fits-all formula, but rather to create the conditions for participants to practice, exchange ideas, reflect, and develop management habits that are truly adapted to their context.
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