Middle managers can be both leaders and followers by virtue of their placement in the organizational hierarchy. Their position requires that they be adept at both leading and following and transitioning between the two roles. Such transitions may even occur multiple times within a single interaction with followers, peers, or top management. Ten randomly selected community college deans in the United States, representing academic middle management, were interviewed about how they differentiate between follower and leader roles, embrace a follower self‐concept, perceive their effectiveness in transitioning between follower and leader roles, and engage in the process of transitioning between roles. Findings suggested that awareness of the need to transition and the flexibility to transition were important to effectiveness as an academic middle manager. The participants seemed reluctant to embrace a follower self‐concept and primarily identified themselves as leaders. Leadership development and coaching for middle managers may benefit from increasing awareness of the need to transition between leader and follower roles to prepare middle managers for such a challenge.

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