From Drafter to Leader: Making the Shift to Management
When I first stepped into a leadership role, I didn’t realize how tightly I was holding on.
Every correction I’d made, every standard I’d shared, every project detail, I kept it all in my head. I was working with a team where 80% of the members were new, and I believed that if I let go of any piece, the entire project would unravel.
Over time, it became clear that this approach was not sustainable.
I had proven myself as a drafter. I knew the software. I knew the standards. I was efficient, fast, and technically reliable. But leadership? That required an entirely different skillset, one I hadn’t built yet.
And I’m not alone.
The Challenge Few Talk About
Studies show that nearly 60% of new managers fail within their first two years. Even more revealing: only 35% feel confident in their ability to lead. Most of us step into management roles because we’re technically strong but no one teaches us how to manage people.
I remember struggling to let go of tasks that weren’t mine anymore. I thought I had to do it all review drawings, ensure standards, keep the project moving. If I met deadlines by taking everything on myself, wasn’t that just being responsible?
The truth is, the same habits that help you succeed as an individual contributor can become obstacles when you’re leading a team.
Lessons From a Turning Point
At one stage, I supported a project where the leadership structure wasn’t working. I tried to lead by example, but without shared systems and clear accountability, things fell apart. We missed key milestones, and budgets took a hit.
Eventually, leadership changed. We regrouped. We built clarity into our workflows. My own responsibilities grew, not because I was doing more tasks, but because I was learning to do different things.
I went from training and reviewing to making decisions, coordinating deliverables, and being responsible for the full picture. But I was still clinging to old habits. I tried to maintain consistency by reviewing everything myself, even while managing a growing team and a heavy workload.
The Moment Everything Shifted
Eventually, it became unsustainable. Client corrections increased, and expectations were clearly focused on the team’s performance. As pressure mounted, I felt overwhelmed, and overall progress slowed. A challenging moment followed that affected everyone involved but it also marked an important turning point.
Rather than trying to compensate by working harder or taking on more tasks myself, I changed how I worked.
I built a structure. A clear, repeatable method for reviewing files and sharing accountability. We clarified priorities. We delegated more effectively. We improved how we gave and received feedback.
Perhaps unexpectedly, letting go of certain controls led to a greater sense of stability and clarity in my role as a leader.
The Identity Shift of New Leaders
One of the hardest parts of stepping into leadership is identity.
You’ve built your reputation on your technical ability. You’ve earned trust by being reliable and precise. Letting go of that can feel like letting go of your worth. When things go wrong, it’s easy to think: “This is my fault. I should be doing more.”
But leadership isn’t about doing more, it’s about enabling more.
I learned that my role wasn’t to hold everything together through effort alone. It was to build the systems, communication, and trust that allow others to succeed.
What I Wish I’d Known Sooner
If I could go back and give myself advice at the start of that transition, it would be this:
- Ask for help before you hit your limit.
- Delegate with clarity and trust.
- Don’t confuse control with effectiveness.
- Your value comes from how well your team performs, not how much you do yourself.
Research shows that CEOs who delegate effectively grow revenue 33% faster than those who don’t. Yet nearly half of all managers say they’re uncomfortable delegating. I understand that discomfort. But I also know that doing everything yourself only works until it doesn’t.
Real Leadership Requires Letting Go
We often think leadership is about knowing more or doing more, but it’s really about enabling others to do their best work.
That means:
- Building frameworks that don’t depend on one person.
- Being transparent even when the answers aren’t clear.
- Focusing on long-term clarity over short-term control.
- Giving others space to grow, even if that means stepping back from the work you once excelled at.
It’s not always comfortable. You’ll question yourself. You’ll miss the security of what you used to know. But growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones.
The Shift
The shift from drafter to leader isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing different.
You go from being the person who solves problems…
To the person who helps others solve them.
From carrying the work…
To building the system that carries the team.
And once that shift clicks, leadership becomes a craft of its own, just like drafting once was.
Walter Torrico
Team Leader