Employees looking to climb the ladder often make a critical mistake.

Employees looking to climb the ladder often make a critical mistake.

They see leadership as a position when it’s an action.

So they wait for the title before starting to lead.

But the title never comes.

Real leaders seek out and seize opportunities at every stage of their journey.

I ran my first business for 15 years.

When I closed it, I found myself in unfamiliar territory.

I had only ever been my own boss.

As a small business owner, I had a broad range of skills.

But I wasn’t an expert in any one.

To succeed as an employee, I’d need to specialize.

I chose business development, the area I enjoyed the most.

But I’d yet to serve in a dedicated biz dev role.

Thus, the compensation offers were low.

I swallowed my pride.

I accepted a short-term lower salary to gain long-term experience.

When I first entered the workforce, I struggled.

I realized that I had knowledge and skill gaps.

Determined to improve, I threw myself into a crash course.

The industry.

Our company.

My role.

Our clients.

I spent nights and weekends…

Reading books on sales.

Following trade publications.

Taking courses.

Joining Toastmasters to improve communication skills.

To succeed, I had to outwork everyone else.

After six months, I was the top performer of the month.

Next, it was the quarter.

And eventually, the year.

My coworkers took notice.

Colleagues started approaching me for help.

I openly shared tactics and strategies.

Despite not having any direct reports, I was emerging as a leader.

As I gained more experience, I began to see weaknesses and challenges.

I was fearless in bringing these up to management.

But I always offered solutions.

My contributions didn’t go unnoticed.

Senior leadership began to turn to me.

Then one day, I got a call.

My boss landed a dream job and was leaving.

I was promoted into his role.

The promotion came with a salary increase.

After 4 years, I regained the compensation I had with my own company.

3 years after that, I founded my new company.

Had I waited until my boss left to start leading, I would still be waiting for a promotion.

Leadership is what we do, not who we are.

Don’t wait.

Initiate.