The 3 Stages of Leadership—The Leap to Mastery
Most leaders plateau.
Not because they lack drive, talent, or ambition.
But because they unknowingly get stuck in Stage 2—where results are good, things feel easier, and it all seems to be working.
But Stage 3? That’s where the magic happens.
And almost no one makes the leap.
Why?
Because the shift from Stage 2 to Stage 3 isn’t a step forward—
It’s a transformation.
And unless someone shows you the map, you’ll spend years—or even decades—circling the edge of your potential, never quite breaking through.
The 3 Stages of Leadership
You see, there are three stages to mastery in leadership.
And the difference in the final stage is worlds apart— In both performance and the ease experienced.
Unfortunately, most people never make it to that last stage.
Or if they do, it takes 10… 20… even 30 years.
That’s a long time to begin unlocking your leadership potential—
And the hidden potential inside your team.
And the most unfortunate thing…?
If individuals finally reach mastery and Stage 3 in this model and begin mentoring the next generation—
They often don’t even know what truly got them there. So they teach the 'wrong' or less than optimal foundations.
Before I break down the three stages, here’s what you need to understand:
The transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 is a natural step.
Yes, it can still take years—sometimes close to a decade.
But it happens for most people, eventually.
The transition from Stage 2 to Stage 3?
That’s not a step. It’s a leap.
And that leap rarely happens.
Why?
Because Stage 2 is getting results.
Good—sometimes great—results. And it’s becoming easier.
They’re stepping into conscious and unconscious competence.
They're capable and confident.
So most people stop looking.
They don’t seek more.
They don’t know there is more.
But this… this is where the danger lies.
Because what they don’t realise is just how good it can really be.
The leap into Stage 3 is where the true transformation begins.
This is where you unlock your unique way of leading.
Where:
- Performance
- Productivity
- Confidence and certainty
Not only increase dramatically but transcends to an entirely new dimension.
So—
What are these stages?
Stage 1: The Apprentice Phase
This is where we start learning about leadership.
You’re diving into frameworks.
Exploring different methods.
You’re probably reading books, listening to podcasts, following systems.
You might even be mimicking successful leaders—and there’s nothing wrong with that.
You apply tactics in a copy-paste fashion.
You’re relying heavily on outside instruction.
You’re focused on the how of leadership.
And it takes effort. Often a lot of effort.
You’re learning the game—
But you haven’t found your own rhythm yet.
Stage 2: The Practitioner / Operator Phase
This is where you shift from tactics to principles.
You start understanding why things work—not just how.
You can adapt in real time.
You hold frameworks loosely. You use judgment, nuance, context.
You’re dynamic. They’re intentional.
You’re starting to trust yourself.
You’ve got experience to draw from.
You’ve tested tactics. You’ve played with strategies.
You feel confident. You feel competent.
You’re no longer just doing leadership—
You’ve become a leader.
Now, as I said earlier… this is where most people stop.
But the next step?
It’s not a step. It’s a leap.
What No One Tells You
Most leaders stop here—not because they’re lazy or lack ambition—
But because they don’t know something else exists.
You’re likely getting great results. Your team likely respects you.
You’re operating with confidence, competence, and clarity.
But it still requires effort.
It still takes energy to lead.
You wonder if leadership will always be like this.
Here’s the truth:
There’s a level beyond this that feels almost unfair.
And once you tap it—
What once felt exceptional becomes your new normal.
Stage 3: The Master Phase
This is where everything changes.
You take what you’ve learned—the tactics, the strategies, the principles—
And you set them aside.
They’re no longer front and center.
They become secondary.
This is part of what makes this stage so difficult to reach—
You’ve spent years developing those skills… but they’ll only take you so far.
In Stage 3, the foundation is built on something entirely different:
The leader you truly are.
You begin leading from your innate gifts.
From your unique genius.
From who you are—not what you’ve memorized or learnt.
And from this place, everything expands:
- Results
- Performance
- Ease
- Confidence
- Clarity
This is where effort and “trying” fall away.
Where the pushing ends.
Where leadership feels natural—powerful—effortless.
This is the stage of the leader who creates what looks like magic—
An insane level of performance and engagement within their team.
The kind of results that feel almost unreal from the outside.
But deeply natural from within.
Where people say,
“How the hell did you do this?”
We all know leaders like this.
The ones we admire deeply.
The ones who inspire just by showing up.
This is that level.
But Here's the Truth…
This is the normal progression:
Stage 1 → Stage 2 → and for some, Stage 3.
But it doesn’t need to take decades.
At The Leadership Revolution,
Yes, we teach strategies.
Yes, we teach principles.
Yes, we build skills.
But that’s not where we start.
But we don’t start there.
We work with leaders to know, harness, engage and develop their natural and innate leadership talents and skills — FIRST.
We build the foundation from there.
Not as an afterthought.
Not as a final step that most people never make
But as the first step.
And when we do this—
It cuts years… decades off your journey to leadership mastery.
Because once you’re leading from who you truly are—
The everything changes.
Why wait decades to experience the clarity, confidence, performance, and ease you know is possible?
