This is Johanna Rothman’s May 2026 Pragmatic Manager Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter.
Several colleagues recently told me their companies asked them to change roles:
- Steve, a Scrum Master, is now an agile project manager.
- Polly, a project manager, is now a product manager.
- And the biggest change of all happened to Trudy. She was a senior engineer and is now a manager.
You might think these role changes make no sense. But each person had exhibited leadership in their original roles. Now, they each described their new role to me as “accidental leadership.”
I didn't think these new leadership roles were accidental at all. Each of these three people had already practiced some of their new leadership roles before these new assignments. That's because they saw the needs in their teams. And each chose to lead to support both the product and their teams.
These three tips helped make their new roles successful.
Tip One: Recognize How Your Role Changes: Expands or Contracts
Originally, Steve did not understand what needed to change from his previous Scrum Master role to being an agile project manager. He was concerned his new role was actually less than his old Scrum Master role. Steve discussed what success meant with his boss, Marty.
Marty said, “I need you to take a bigger picture perspective than just ‘doing Scrum.' I'm not opposed to Scrum, but I want you to work with the team to reduce cycle time and demo more often.”
Steve asked, “We aren't demoing enough?”
Marty shook his head. “No. And people seem to love all this planning and slow delivery. That's what bugs me about all the so-called formal agile methods. Instead, I want you to look at the team's system and to talk with the other agile project managers. How can the entire organization reduce our cycle time and demo more often? That's what I want you to do.”
Steve realized his new role was much larger than being a Scrum Master. And that dig about “formal” agile methods? After reading several of Marty's suggested books, Steve realized Scrum was just one possibility and might not work for their company. While Steve asked his team to experiment, he also worked as part of a management cohort across the organization to see what others in his position did.
Steve moved from a singular Scrum-focused approach to a much more cross-organization, general agile approach. Could he have done this as a Scrum Master? Of course. The actual title does not matter—except for how that title makes you feel. That's what happened to Polly as she moved from being a project to a product manager.
Tip Two: Choose and Explain the Goal
Polly had been a project manager for several years. Her boss, Susan, asked her to become a product manager.
At first, Polly said she wasn't interested. What did she know about product management?
That's when Susan said, “You know enough to have one overarching goal for the product. You're not afraid to ask the team for help. And you're not so set on making long roadmaps and large design documents. You know the value of small steps, validating prototypes, and verifying the customers actually use the product. Also, you're happy to stop working on a product when this release's value is done.
Polly asked, “But if this product becomes ‘mine,' I might fall into the same product traps.”
Susan smiled and said, “That's why I like the way you set the product goal whenever you start a project. You clarify that goal and what done means. You stop the work when you're done. I think you can do that as a product manager, too.”
I don't normally advocate “accidental” product leadership. But Susan's company was mired in lots of old work, scattered across backlogs, roadmaps, and even the portfolio. Susan needed to get a handle on the aging. Finishing—or eliminating—all that old work would give everyone some breathing room to make better decisions.
Polly negotiated two things: more explanation about what product managers are supposed to do, and another discussion about whether she would remain a product leader in six months. That's another form of leadership: verifying that the conditions still make sense for you.
That negotiation was part of Trudy's change from a senior engineer to manager.
Tip Three: Commit or Not, There Is No Try
(Yes, I channeled my inner Yoda here. Sorry, not sorry.)
Trudy loved designing and implementing problems in code. She even loved coaching other engineers—she saw that coaching as a way to grow everyone's capabilities. So when her boss, Don, asked her to become a manager, she immediately said no. Trudy was not willing nor interested.
So Don offered a possibility: If Trudy would commit to the manager role for the next six months, Trudy would then have the option of a different role later.
“Even my old senior engineer role?” Trudy asked.
“Yes,” Don said. “Any role you want. But you do have to commit to this management role. You'll have to delegate the engineering work. And you already know how to trust the team to solve problems. As part of your coaching, you've been supporting other people's growth. Now, if you are willing, I'd like to support your growth.”
After several more discussions, Trudy did take the management role. After six months, she negotiated another six months of management. Then, she returned to engineering leadership. However, she continued to use what she had learned as a manager in her engineering leadership roles.
Accidental Leadership Often Occurs Before Role Changes
Accidental leaders often practice their expanded roles without being aware. All three of these people did what they needed to do to make the people, the product, and their teams successful. Part of that success was clarifying the overarching goal. Steve needed to reduce cycle time and demo more—not just in the team, but across the organization. Polly needed to help product management escape some common traps. And Trudy could show other managers how to do their jobs without micromanagement.
If you, too, are an accidental leader, make sure you understand what your boss wants. Then, explain that goal to the people you lead and serve. And remember, accidental leadership is not a foregone conclusion. No one has a linear career. You can always take everything you learned in one role and use that to improve your next role.
Read More…
This newsletter touches on ideas in these books:
- All three of the Modern Management Made Easy books
- Create Your Successful Agile Project: Collaborate, Measure, Estimate, Deliver
- Project Lifecycles: How to Reduce Risks, Release Successful Products, and Increase Agility
- Effective Public Speaking: How to Use Content Marketing With Stories to Show Your Value
Announcements
I am happy to report that Effective Public Speaking: How to Use Content Marketing With Stories to Show Your Value is available on my store in ebook and audio. (The audio will only be available on my store.) I have also distributed the ebook and print books to all the usual stores.
Links of Interest
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- Create an Adaptable Life Blog to see the weekly question of the week.
- My Books. You can also buy my self-published ebooks and audiobooks on my store.
- Johanna’s Fiction
- Tip Jar. (My newsletters will remain free. And I do want to offer you an option for you to show how much you value my work.)
Johanna
© 2026 Johanna Rothman
Pragmatic Manager: Vol 23, #5. ISSN: 2164-1196