We move through levels of leadership as we build our firms. Most of us struggle to move up one level at a time. Unfortunately, many of us get stuck.

Solo

Many of us are on our own. We may open our own office, or we may take a job in a firm. Whatever environment we choose, we’re basically doing our own thing. We manage ourselves day to day, and we delegate the occasional task. We’re all about getting through the day, managing our to-do list, and making sure we finish what we start. It takes time to learn enough about the work, and ourselves, to move beyond this first level.

Supervisor

At some point, we take on supervision of someone. Usually it’s an administrative assistant or a paralegal. We might share this person with others (which makes it more challenging). This person depends on us to lay out the tasks, organize the work, and delegate it piece by piece. This person follows us and takes on the pieces we leave behind. If you’re not around, things don’t happen like they do when you’re present (cat’s away, mice will…). Being a supervisor has its ups and downs. It’s a rush to take on your first person. It’s a disappointment when this person leaves because he or she can’t stand working with you. Hang in there; you’ll figure it out.

Manager

Eventually, you lead more people. You build systems for hiring, training, getting the work done, and evaluating people. Your people follow your systems. They make good decisions so long as the system provides a methodology for making good decisions. You can leave them alone as long as you’ve left behind a process they can follow so the work continues to be handled. Managers quickly learn the power of having more people to help. They also feel the disappointment caused by the politics of the team.

Leader

You create an environment where others can manage and supervise. Things run with or without you. Your people have systems for building systems. More importantly, they’re inspired to solve problems they’ve never encountered before. They’re able to run the business without your specific direction or guidance. Your people have internalized the vision you’ve created for the business. You’ve created an organization that runs itself because your people are inspired to move the business forward.

Moving from solo to supervisor to manager to leader isn’t easy. It takes time and experience. It requires learning hard lessons along the way. It’s one of those learning experiences that can be rushed, but shortcuts will, ultimately, leave you without the skills you need at the next level.

Take time out to examine yourself. See where you are and where you’re going. Gain some insight by observing your progress, take note of where you are today, and pay attention to where you’re going tomorrow. Awareness is the key to speeding up the learning process.