From Leading Self to Leading Others: My First Big Leadership Wake-Up Call

I still remember the day I stepped into my first salaried leadership role. I had just been promoted to a supervisor position, responsible for leading a team of about eight people. It was an exciting step forward in my career, but I was completely lost.

The challenge wasn’t just being new to that level of leadership—it was that every single person on my team had years more experience than I did. Some had been in the organization longer than I had been in the workforce. And yet, there I was, their new leader, expected to guide, direct, and make decisions.

The biggest problem? No one had actually taught me how to lead. I didn’t get a leadership training manual with my new role. There was no guide on how to transition from being an individual contributor to someone responsible for others. So, I did what made sense to me at the time—I pulled my assistant into everything.

One of my early (and embarrassing) tactics still makes me laugh. I called my assistant into my office, plugged my laptop into a projector, and displayed my email inbox on the wall so we could go through it together. I’d click on an email, turn to her, and ask, “Do you think this one is important?”

I wasn’t delegating. I wasn’t leading. I was trying to spread the weight of responsibility because I had no idea how to handle it myself.

Eventually, I started figuring things out. I made mistakes, learned from them, and began to understand that leading wasn’t about having all the answers—it was about guiding people toward shared goals, empowering them, and making sure they had what they needed to succeed. (And I'm still workin on that goal!)

One thing that helped me tremendously during that season was a book: The Leadership Pipeline. It outlined a framework that finally made sense of what I was experiencing. The transition from leading self to leading others isn’t just a promotion—it’s a fundamental shift in mindset, skills, and responsibilities. What made me successful before (getting my own work done well) wasn’t enough anymore. I had to learn to prioritize coaching, delegation, and developing others.

That book stuck with me. More than 15 years later, I still reference it when helping leaders navigate the same shift I once struggled through. The truth is, many organizations fail to prepare people for this transition. They assume that if someone is good at their job, they’ll automatically be good at leading others. But leadership is a different skill set entirely—one that has to be learned, just like anything else.

If you’ve recently stepped into a leadership role and feel lost or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. The good news? You can learn to lead. And part of that journey is immersing yourself in great leadership wisdom. There are so many great leadership books out there that can help you grow—so read a lot! And make sure The Leadership Pipeline is at the top of your list.