The 5 Levels of Leadership
- John Maxwell - Presented by RKT
The key to developing leaders...
This brilliant empowerment is from John Maxwell and his book...
The 5 Levels of Leadership
This has changed indeed the world, will it change yours?
Richard Kerry Thompson
Link below
https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/
RKT
A business executive. A softball coach. A classroom teacher. A volunteer coordinator. A parent. Whether you’re one of these things or all of these things, one thing remains true: You are a leader.
The 5 Levels of Leadership
Leadership is Influence
Ask yourself...
THE TRAIN
A train with momentum can plow through a 5 foot concrete block.
Momentum is a leaders best friend.
Level # 3
Stelios Stylianou Entrapenuer
Level 1: Position
Level 1 — Position
The lowest level of leadership—the entry level, if you will—is Position. 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. At Level 1, people only follow if they believe that they have to.
People who remain on the position level may find it difficult to work with volunteers. Why? Because position does not automatically result in influence, and volunteers are aware that they don’t have to follow anyone. They truly only follow if they want to.
But the news is not all bad about this level. It is a prime place for you to begin investing in your growth and potential as a leader. Use your time at this level learning to lead yourself – through priorities and self-discipline – and you’ll be ready to move to the next level.
****This is the lowest level of leadership—the entry level. People who make it only to Level 1 may be bosses, but they are never leaders. They have subordinates, not team members. They rely on rules, regulations, policies, and organization charts to control their people. Their people will only follow them within the stated boundaries of their authority.
Position is the only level that does not require ability and effort to achieve. Anyone can be appointed to a position. This means that position is a fine starting point, but every leader should aspire to grow beyond Level 1.
Level 2 – Permission
Level 2 is based on relationship. At this level, people choose to follow because they want to. In other words, they give the leader Permission to lead them. To grow at this level, leaders work on getting to know their people and connecting with them. You can’t lead without people, which means you need to learn to like people if you want to lead well!
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.
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Making the shift from Position to Permission brings a person’s first real step into leadership. Leadership is influence, and when a leader learns to function on the Permission level, everything changes. People do more than merely comply with orders. They actually start to follow. And they do so because they really want to. Why? Because the leader begins to influence people with relationship, not just position.
When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. And that can change the entire working environment. The old saying is really true: people go along with leaders they get along with.
Level 3: Production
The best leaders know how to motivate their people to GTD – get things done! And getting things done is what Level 3 is all about. On this level, leaders who produce results build their influence and credibility. People still follow because they want to, but they do it because of more than the relationship. People follow Level 3 leaders because of their track record.
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.
It’s important to note here that the goal with the 5 Levels is not to move away from one level to grow at a new level. Instead, these 5 levels of leadership build upon each other. In other words, Level 3 leaders still need to do the things that make Level 2 happen. They just add Level 3 strategies to the mix. And as they become effective at Level 3, they are ready to layer on the goals of the next levels.
****Production qualifies and separates true leaders from people who merely occupy leadership positions. Good leaders always make things happen. They get results. They can make a significant impact on an organization. Not only are they productive individually, but they also are able to help the team produce. No one can fake Level 3. Either you’re producing for the organization and adding to its bottom line (whatever that may be), or you’re not.
Some people never move up from Level 2 Permission to Level 3 Production. Why? They can’t seem to produce results. When that is the case, it’s usually because they lack the self-discipline, work ethic, organization, or skills to be productive. However, if you desire to go to higher levels of leadership, you simply have to produce. There is no other way around it.
On Level 3, the emphasis is on personal and corporate productivity. The ability to create a high-productivity team, department, or organization indicates a higher level of leadership ability than most others display. But to reach the upper levels of leadership that create elite organizations, leaders must transition from producers to developers. Why? Because people are any organization’s most appreciable asset.
Level 4: People Development
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.
The more you raise up new leaders, the more you will change the lives of all members of the team. As a result, people will follow you because of what you’ve done for them personally. And as an added bonus, some of those mentoring relationships are likely to last a lifetime.
So to grow at the people development level, you need to make investing in leaders a priority, and take intentional steps every day to help them grow. Do that consistently, for long enough, and you may begin to reap the rewards of the next level.
****Good leaders on Level 4 invest their time, energy, money, and thinking into growing others as leaders. How does this emphasis on people and people decisions translate into action? Leaders on the People Development level of leadership shift their focus from the production achieved by others to the development of their potential. And they put only 20 percent of their focus on their personal productivity while putting 80 percent of it on developing and leading others. This can be a difficult shift for highly productive people who are used to getting their hands dirty, but it’s a change that can revolutionize an organization and give it a much brighter future.
Level 5: The Pinnacle
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.
The commitment to becoming a Pinnacle leader is sizeable, but so are the payoffs. Level 5 leaders develop Level 5 organizations. They create opportunities other leaders don’t. They create a legacy in what they do. People follow them because of who they are and what they represent. In other words, their leadership gains a positive reputation. As a result, Level 5 leaders often transcend their position, their organization, and sometimes their industry.
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Rare is the leader who reaches Level 5—the Pinnacle. Not only is leadership at this level a culmination of leading well on the other four levels, but it also requires both a high degree of skill and some amount of natural leadership ability. It takes a lot to be able to develop other leaders so that they reach Level 4; that’s what Level 5 leaders do. The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
Pinnacle leaders stand out from everyone else. They are a cut above, and they seem to bring success with them wherever they go. Leadership at this high level lifts the entire organization and creates an environment that benefits everyone in it, contributing to their success. Level 5 leaders often possess an influence that transcends the organization and the industry the leader works in.
Most leaders who reach the Pinnacle do so later in their careers. But this level is not a resting place for leaders to stop and view their success. It is a reproducing place from which they make the greatest impact of their lives. That’s why leaders who reach the Pinnacle should make the most of it while they can. With gratitude and humility, they should lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many great challenges as possible, and extend their influence to make a positive difference beyond their own organization and industry.
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The foundation of successful leadership is a set of specific skills. You may have earned a leadership position through a combination of knowledge, aptitude and hard work, but once you get there you need new skills and attributes as well. Here are some of the most important:
Security in yourself. Leading others is sometimes daunting, and it leaves you open to new levels of scrutiny and criticism. As a leader, you need to know who you are and be confident in yourself. Accept that you won’t please everyone and be prepared to take it in stride when people disagree .
Knowing when to take a stand. Every leader experiences moments when they have what feels like a great idea but the tides are against them. You need to be able to stand firm in your judgment and trust your own sense of direction, balanced with the humility to consider the opinions and those around you.
Getting people to buy into your leadership. Some people will respect you automatically as a leader; others may not be as welcoming. Some may even try to sabotage your leadership. Gain trust by committing to honesty and transparency, by stating clear expectations and goals, and by welcoming all ideas.
Managing your emotions. A leader who cannot manage their emotions well can wreak havoc on an organization, seriously damaging employee morale, retention and ultimately the bottom line. Every reaction you display as a leader–positive or negative–has the potential to influence the success of your team and organization.
Being philosophical about failure. Research says that successful leaders have made more mistakes in their careers than the people they were promoted over. Anything worth doing takes repeated effort, and failure is part of the process. You became a leader because you had the guts and smarts to lead, not because you’re always right.
Learning to follow. Great leaders must be followers too. Becoming the a great leader means developing the leadership skills of those on your team, and that sometimes means putting a subordinate in charge of a project, supporting them while giving them room to succeed (or fail and then succeed) on their own.
Managing crisis leadership. During a crisis people are most in need of strong leadership and most appreciative to have it. Prepare in advance for every crisis that can hit, from a data breach to a natural disaster to an industry-wide downturn, so you can provide direction and respond in a timely and organized manner.
Embracing your leadership presence. To be a successful leader you need to learn how to lead with presence. That means developing the ability to take command of a room, to assume a leadership role in a variety of groups and settings, to share your thoughts and opinions with confidence, and to communicate persuasively, striking a balance between speaking and listening.
Lead from within: To be a successful leader you must have the skills to lead. Develop them now and they will serve you well throughout your career.