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What is the Authority Journey™? It’s the journey we’re all on, whether we know it or not.
Each of us seeks mastery and recognition for the things we do, both personally and professionally. Each of us wants to reach specific levels of success in the areas we care about.
Throughout my life, I’ve been a cook, homeschool mom, teacher, AV director, writer, editor, and marketing strategist. Some of the roles were thrust upon me. Others I chose. Either way, the quality of my work mattered.
As a result, I wanted to achieve a degree of expertise.
I may have begun each role as a newbie, but I invested time and energy to learn the ropes. I put in the time to master the skills I needed. And I leveled up.
The Authority Journey is that process of leveling up, of progressing from craftsperson to expert to respected leader.
Here’s how to understand where you are on your Authority Journey, with suggested training to help you accelerate your personal and professional development.
5 Stages of the Authority Journey™
Stage 1: X-Factor
At the beginning of your journey, you’re unfocused and unsure of what you want to be or do. There’s likely a lot of experimentation as you try your hand at different options. You may show promise or discover innate talents, but you’re still largely an unknown.
Just as “x” is an unknown in algebra, your Authority is an unknown. No one knows where you’ll land, so you’re the X-Factor.
Stage 2: Craftsperson
Once you find focus — you’ve chosen your destination and have possibly set a goal for yourself — you’ve achieved the Craftsperson stage.
Here, it’s about putting in your 10,000 hours: doing, learning, refining your skills. And as you do, you begin to identify the levels of achievement that are open to you.
With greater knowledge, you begin to focus your energies even more. You become a specialist.
Stage 3: Expert
When you’ve mastered your craft enough to achieve consistent results, you qualify as an Expert. You’re seen as one of the best at what you do. You also catch people’s notice and may even impress yourself with the things you say or do.
At this stage, it’s time to lean into personal branding. You have focus. You’re confident in your expertise, and you have something to offer those who come behind you. So you begin to share your knowledge, passion, and insights.
How do you do that? Most professionals become active on LinkedIn at this stage. But you may also write a book or develop a course. You’ll probably be called on to speak or lead. It’s time to step into it.
Stage 4: Leader
As your personal brand gains equity, you become a leader. In your work, you may lead a team. Socially, you’re beginning to be seen as a thought leader. Either way, at this stage, your focus is on leading others to do their best work.
But leadership isn’t just about spouting your deep knowledge and experience. It’s about seeing trends before others do, figuring out how to prepare for them, and inventing best practices — then sharing them with your followers.
You see, to lead, you have to be breaking the path and tearing down obstacles, so people can follow. And you have to be going somewhere.
No leader stands still.
Stage 5: Legacy Leader
Most people will be content to be a Leader — at that stage, you still own your own time. You can still be private. As a Legacy Leader, you’re something of a celebrity.
You’re in the limelight, so people ask for more of your time than you have to give. A lot of your energy goes to fielding these requests, but you’re also focused on giving back, inspiring, serving, and enabling other people to progress in their Authority Journey.
That said, as a Legacy Leader, you aren’t necessarily leading individuals. You’re leading the industry. You’re influencing thinking and changing the way things are done. You’re solving huge problems and setting new trends.
Want to Learn More?
Where are you on your Authority Journey? Where would you like to be?
If you’d like to take your authority to the next level, contact Kathryn today. Get training and coaching from the founder of the Authority Journey, and level up your skills to achieve your highest goals.
