Cock-a-Doodle-Don’ts
The Dangerous Identity Shift Facing Emerging Leaders
Written by Connie Fiscus
In my 22 years of working with emerging leaders, I have witnessed a familiar transformation. A talented professional is dependable, kind, helpful, and deeply trusted by their team. Then they are promoted, their title changes, and sometimes, so does their behavior. They adopt what I call the cock-a-doodle-do leadership style.
Suddenly, they become harder to approach, too busy to connect, and visibly postured with their feathers fluffed. Their tone, presence, and ability to listen change entirely. The same person who once built trust through humility and reliability begins trying to “perform” authority to prove they belong in charge, often acting like they know much more than they actually do to maintain that image.
Now, this does not happen to every new leader. But when it does, it is usually rooted in a lack of preparation. Organizations promote strong performers and assume technical excellence automatically translates into people leadership. Without proper development, emerging leaders experience an identity crisis. Left without a roadmap, they confuse leadership with status.
The rooster analogy matters because the visual is hard to miss. Roosters are known for posturing, crowing, guarding territory, and asserting dominance in the flock. In leadership, that same energy shows up as dictation, micromanagement, and defensiveness. A title can make someone taller on the organizational chart, but a leader who focuses on flaunting their status ultimately shrinks their ability to empathize with their team.
Research supports this concern. Adam Galinsky’s studies on power and perspective-taking found that a high-power mindset makes people more self-oriented and less accurate at reading the emotions of others. In plain language, a little authority can blind you to how your behavior impacts your team.
The impact is immediate and destructive. SHRM reports that 84% of U.S. workers say poorly trained managers directly create widespread, completely unnecessary work and stress. When an untrained leader struts rather than supports, communication breaks down, collaboration stalls, and productivity plummets under the weight of daily anxiety.
The solution requires self-awareness, humility, and intentional development. Emerging leaders, do not wait for a solution to land on your desk. Create a clear plan: ask your organization for formal training or a leadership coach, look into outsourced leadership programs, and find a trusted mentor to serve as a sounding board. Most importantly, build a habit of asking your team for regular feedback to ensure you stay accessible.
Leading with true confidence means staying approachable and listening to your team. The very behaviors that got you the job are the exact same behaviors you need to exhibit to keep it.
Promotion shouldn’t cost your team their trust or their empathy. If you want to ensure your emerging leaders step into their new titles with grounded confidence instead of fluffed feathers, let’s chat about tailored leadership development and coaching programs for your organization.
So, don’t be a cock-a-doodle-do leader, be the teammate you’ve always been, just with a new title.
Learn ~ Apply ~ Grow ~ Thrive!
Connie Fiscus, MHA, Certified Master Coach
Founder & CEO – Sunflower People & Culture Solutions, LLC
CoachConnieFiscus.com | (515) 321-6427