The 5 Levels of Leadership
And Then You Realize You Report to a Level 1
“The sun ejected him to the depths
He was forced to stay
An equinox of despair darkened his poles.”
from Five Levels of Doom by Thirteen Bled Promises
“True leadership isn't a matter of having a certain job or title. In fact, being chosen for a position is only the first of the five levels every effective leader achieves. To become more than ‘the boss’ people follow only because they are required to, you have to master the ability to invest in people and inspire them.”
This is the starting point of John Maxwell’s book ‘The 5 Levels of Leadership’, one of those must-read business books that has sold more than twenty-four million copies in fifty languages.
The five levels he defines are:
Level 1: Position - People follow because they have to, you have the ‘right’ to be the ‘boss’.
“It’s the only level that requires no ability or effort to achieve. After all, anyone can be appointed to a position! While nothing is wrong with having a leadership position, everything is wrong with relying only on that position to get people to follow. That’s because it only works if you have leverage (such as job security or a paycheck) over your followers.”
Level 2: Permission - People follow because they want to, because you listen, observe, learn, and build relationships.
“When you like people and treat them as individuals who have value, you begin to develop positive influence with them. Trust grows, which usually leads to respect. And the environment becomes much more positive—whether at home, on the job, at play, or while volunteering. Level 2 is where solid, lasting relationships are built that create the foundation for the next level.”
Level 3: Production - People follow because of what you have done for the organization, the results you have delivered.
“The Production level is where leaders can become change agents. Work gets done, morale improves, profits go up, turnover goes down, and goals are achieved. The more you produce, the more you’re able to tackle tough problems and face thorny issues. Leading and influencing others becomes fun because when everyone is moving forward together, the team rises to another level of effectiveness.”
Level 4: People Development - People follow because of what you have done for them personally.
“Level 4 can be summed up in one word: reproduction. Your goal at this level is to identify and develop as many leaders as you can by investing in them and helping them grow. The reason is simple: When there are more leaders, more of the organization’s mission can be accomplished. The people you choose to develop may show great potential for leadership, or they may be diamonds in the rough, but the main idea is the same: When you invest in them, you can reproduce yourself.”
Level 5: Pinnacle - People follow because of who you are and what you represent.
“The highest level of leadership is also the most challenging to attain. It requires longevity as well as intentionality. You simply can’t reach Level 5 unless you are willing to invest your life into the lives of others for the long haul. But if you stick with it, if you continually focus on both growing yourself at every level and developing leaders who are willing and able to develop other leaders, you may find yourself at the Pinnacle.”
I was told this story recently: A leader shared the book ‘The 5 Levels of Leadership’ with the team as a way to share leadership wisdom, and as the team read the book, they collectively realized that their leader was (only) a level 1. Certainly not the intended outcome, and at the same time very valuable for the team and each of their individual careers.
The levels describe a journey, a growth process that begs the question of what one can do to achieve the five levels of leadership. Here are a couple of tips:
- Ask for constructive feedback: be specific in your question, allowing you to pinpoint areas of improvement. Allow for anonymous feedback to encourage honesty. And then show that you took it to heart and employed change.
- Identify your leadership style: the more you understand your style, the more deliberate you can be, either enhancing and emphasizing certain elements or trying to change them.
- Accept leadership responsibilities: with or without authority, look for, and ask for opportunities to practice and develop your style.
- Find a mentor: an experienced individual who can help you with all matters of leadership by offering guidance and advice. Ask to get together for regular meetings so that advice is timely.
- Learn to follow: yield control on purpose and don’t feel threatened by it. Keep an open mind, accept a differing opinion, follow a novel path.
- Empower: Empowerment allows a team of people to achieve defined goals without explicit leadership intervention as each individual operates autonomously within their set of skills and responsibilities.
- Learn! The best path to becoming a good leader is always to keep learning new things. It keeps your mind sharp and your skills fresh. It primes you for new challenges that may come your way, which is always a good thing in a leader.
Talk to us about how interim and fractional sales leaders fit into the 5 levels.
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John Maxwell – 5 Levels of Leadership
Photo by Anne Gosewehr