There is a point in most people's career journey when they decide they want to make a change. For most, this looks like transitioning from an individual contributor (IC) to a leader. When working for a company, there are usually defined paths to make this happen. You go to a manager and show interest. They determine if you are ready or need to do some prep. You get put on a path that is best for you, and after some period of time, you make the leap.
But how does that journey look when you do not work for a company? What if you are a freelancer or consultant?
You might be thinking, "if you work for yourself, aren't you already a leader?" Yes and no. Do you lead your own company? Sure. But are you a leader? No. Being a leader is more than managing people — it's showing up to conversations and your day-to-day work with a different mindset. It's a new lens through which to see problems.
In a traditional working path, you go through pre-defined learning steps: learning new practical skills and learning how to embody a leader. But without an existing leader, how do you embark on this journey? You might be thinking — mentor. Just reach out to a mentor. While a mentor is a great option, a lot of us don't have that opportunity. Yes, there are websites and networks that have mentors, but I feel that if one does not organically present itself, don't force one.
Before I get into the how, I want to talk about the why. When you are a leader, rather than an IC, your client engagements change. They transition from you being asked to do something, to being asked how you would do it. This shift changes the entire engagement and caliber of clients. Rather than being the executor, you are the thought partner.
As a leader, you control the engagement at a different level than you could as an IC. The scope is generally more concise, there are fewer deliverables and more conversations, and you will make more money.
Not everyone wants or needs to transition into leadership. This applies to consulting, but also holds true in traditional jobs as well. Some people excel and find real fulfillment at the IC level. Never shame or make fun of those people. They are essential in all types of work. Yes, even in the AI world.
Back to the how.
In my experience, there are three steps to transition from an IC to a leader: Become an expert, become a thought leader, and be opinionated.
Becoming an Expert
Regardless of your industry, you should be damn good at what you do to be a leader in it. As a consultant, getting good tends to be easy. You are the one doing all the things, and you are generally doing similar work with each client, so you become good. But the key is becoming great.
While becoming great is different for each industry, it generally means getting fast, efficient, and going deep. Going deep is where the magic happens.
For a UX designer, it might mean deep knowledge and skills in accessibility. As a software engineer, it might look like being skilled in deploying backend payment systems. As a no-code consultant, this could look like knowing an industry-specific methodology that you could use across any tool.
Becoming a Thought Leader
After you have become fast, efficient, and deeply skilled — you need to make sure other people know about it. This doesn't have to be share everything on social or build in public, but for most this is the most approachable way. If you are scrappier or want to focus on locality — you could go to events or give talks (large or tiny).
Most will focus on social and that's totally fine! Make content showing that you are an expert in a thing. The medium will vary, but if you are not sure what's best, you can make a hero piece and then break it up into smaller pieces. Personally, I do this with writing. But you might prefer to make a YouTube video, then distribute it to social in smaller forms.
This part takes a while, so don't rush it. Don't just tell people how to do something. Show them how you do it and why. Tinker and pivot as needed. Your expertise might have to be massaged into something digestible to most people. Remember, your target audience should not also be experts, so test methods and topics until some land.
Being Opinionated
When consulting for people and companies, they come to you for your skills, expertise, and opinion. Forming an opinion around your area of expertise is important but also quite tricky.
There needs to be a balance in how strong of an opinion you hold and how salaciously you share it. The nice part of forming and standing by your opinion is that you will find your ideal customer easier.
The line you need to tread is not becoming too polarizing. When this happens, you will push potential clients, partners, and co-leaders away, while attracting the people that generally troll in the comment sections.
Being opinionated should help you stand out in a pool of choices. When done right, you will become a magnet for clients and people that think like you. When an engagement starts with a client or partner, there will be a base to work off of, allowing you to get to the core of the real work. This means your engagements will be faster, more focused, and have higher impact — further supporting your expertise.
Becoming a leader is not for every consultant. While it is perfectly acceptable to stay an IC, for the people who hope to transition to a leader, there are choices. A mentor is always a good option, but if you do not have one or if you prefer to make it on your own, you simply need to learn and share. While it is a lot of work, becoming an opinionated expert will solidify your leadership in your space, allowing you to have richer engagements overall.