The 5 Levels of Leadership

John Maxwell, a leadership expert, and by far my favorite leadership author takes us through what he has researched as the five levels of leadership maturity. In this book, The Five Levels of Leadership, Maxwell describes how to recognize and manage these levels in an organization and what you can do to grow to the next level of leadership.

The 5 levels of leadership are:

Level 1 – Position: people follow because they have to, because of your position

Level 2 – Relationship: people follow because they want to

Level 3 – Production: people follow because of what you have done for the organization

Level 4- People development: people follow because what you have done for them

Level 5 -Respect: people follow because of who you are and what you represent

In the first level of leadership, Leadership is based on your position. It’s considered the entry level to the leadership ladder, being the lowest. John makes it clear that because someone is a boss does not necessarily mean he or she is a leader and some people will not get past level one. Advanced leaders understand that being the “boss” is so low in the level of influence, that they don’t label themselves as “boss” or mention that they’re the boss.  Getting a title means that someone in the organization believes in the potential of you growing up to be a leader. Getting your title is an invitation for personal growth and the first challenge will be to gain the trust so you can have a chance to grow to the next level.

The second level of leadership is based on permission. In this level, leaders are starting to develop their influential reputation because of their relationship and because how that relationship improves their team productivity. People follow you beyond your authority because they trust you and they believe in you and what you’re trying to accomplish. Building strong relationships enables people to support you instead of merely following orders. Leading through connections breaks down barriers to communication and deepens trust throughout the organization. The most natural step to grow into this level is to show interest in your colleagues at a personal level. A staff member is not just an employee, they also have a home, a family, their health struggles and personal traits.

Leadership based on results is the third level.  This is a sweet spot for organizations. This is the level where leaders are making things happen, having functional teams, and are getting results beyond the areas assigned to them. At this level, the leader can produce for themselves as well as for the team.  It is crucial that you as a leader define your vision and can explain why it is essential for the organization. It is that vision that will attract other producers and create an environment for collaboration.

Productive leaders are fully aware of the value that they bring to the table. They don’t try to play to the strengths of other leaders or try to imitate or mimic the work of other leaders. Because they understand their value, they are phenomenal in allocating resources appropriately, especially time. Maxwell recommends for a leader to be productive, they must assign their time as follows:

80% of the time on tasks within your strengths zone

15% of your time on tasks within your learning zone

5% on work outside your strengths zone

And 0% within your weakness zone

Leaders that fail to understand their strengths and value cannot measure their value or build measurable results within the team. This ability is very important to grow to the fourth level of leadership. If you want to move from level 3 to level 4, you must have a clear understanding of your value and strengths and dedicate the majority of your time on this.

The fourth level of leadership is leadership based on people development. To be successful at this level, John Maxwell suggests to regularly delegate your tasks when somebody else can do the same job in 80% or more of your efficiency. To develop others, you as a leader should always work on delegating your responsibilities to others. A leader in level 4 should spend about 80% of his time coaching colleagues and 20% with productive work. A critical piece to understand is the importance of focusing on developing people with the highest potential to becoming the next generation of leaders.

The fifth and final level of leadership is called the Pinnacle, leadership based on respect. This level is reserved for leaders such as Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela to name a few. Level-five leaders are legacy-makers, they are iconic. Finding a level-five leader is rare. To reach this level requires a unique balance between understanding and mastering leadership skills and naturally having leadership abilities. Their influence is transcendental. These are leaders who are mentioned long after they have left the organization and the world.  This level of leadership is iconic. Even people that fundamentally disagree with them, end up at a minimum, respecting them.

The five levels of leadership are not about a personal scale of leadership but instead about creating and building leaders.

THE BIG THREE – KEY POINTS

Keypoint #1- The first person you must examine and understand is yourself. Become more self-aware. Connect with yourself before trying to connect with others.

Keypoint #2 – People buy into the leader and then they buy into the vision.

Keypoint #3- Keep developing your strengths and your ability to lead. Even more important, build the strengths and leadership skills of those around you.

One Last Thing

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – President Barack Obama