In a posting earlier this year, we mentioned John Maxwell who is a prolific writer and speaker, often on subjects related to leadership.\u00a0 In that posting, we talked about what Maxwell calls \u201cpositional leadership\u201d which is the bottom level of his \u201c5 Levels of Leadership.\u201d\u00a0 However, there\u2019s an important leadership lesson to be learned when you understand that leadership is not an event, but an evolution.\u00a0 So, if you continue reading below, we\u2019ll walk through his \u201c5 Levels of Leadership\u201d and then reveal the important leadership lesson that collectively they teach.<\/p>\n
Are you a leader, or just holding down a leadership position?<\/strong><\/p>\n In his hierarchy of leadership levels, Maxwell calls the bottom level \u201cpositional leadership.\u201d\u00a0 At this level, you are a leader in name only.\u00a0 You are a leader because you have a title on the company\u2019s org chart, and if people want to continue working there and collecting a paycheck, they need to do as you say.\u00a0 In other words, they follow you because they have to<\/u><\/em>, not because they want to<\/u><\/em>.\u00a0 This is not the level where you want to pitch your tent, because here, your people will give you the minimum effort, energy, and commitment they can and still keep their jobs.\u00a0 So clearly, you want to elevate your leadership game and move up a level.<\/p>\n At the second level, the \u201cpermission level,\u201d you\u2019re starting to build relationships.\u00a0 You\u2019re getting to know your people and they\u2019re getting to know you.\u00a0 If the relationships are nurtured well, you will begin to like, trust, and respect one another.\u00a0 And when that happens, your people will turn \u201cpositional leadership\u201d on its head and begin following you because they want to<\/u><\/em>, not because they have to<\/u><\/em>.\u00a0 In effect, you will have earned their permission to lead them.<\/p>\n The third level is the \u201cproduction level.\u201d\u00a0 Here you demonstrate your effectiveness as a leader by achieving goals and getting results.\u00a0 You act as a role model to show your people what effectiveness and productivity look like.\u00a0 As people begin to emulate your behavior, the whole team becomes more productive.<\/p>\n The fourth level is the \u201cpeople development level.\u201d\u00a0 This is where the leadership rubber meets the road.\u00a0 This is where you help people to reach their potential . . . hopefully to become the next generation of leaders.\u00a0 According to Maxwell, there are three keys to developing people:<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, the fifth level is the \u201cpinnacle level\u201d (it is at the top, right?).\u00a0 It\u2019s the level all of us aspire to, but in most cases, it\u2019s a work in progress . . . we\u2019re not quite there yet.\u00a0 People at this level are recognized and respected as great leaders.\u00a0 Others not only willingly follow them, they seek them out.\u00a0 Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden never had to worry about recruiting . . . the best high school players in the country were beating down his door for an opportunity to play for him.\u00a0 That\u2019s a level five leader.<\/p>\n At the top of this post, I promised an important leadership lesson once we understand the evolutionary nature of leadership.\u00a0 And you are probably trying to figure out where in Maxwell\u2019s hierarchy you belong.\u00a0 Are you at level one?\u00a0 Level three?\u00a0 Where are you?\u00a0 And as you think about that and the people you want to lead, it\u2019s probably dawning on you that you\u2019re not at any one level . . . with some people you\u2019re at one level, with others you\u2019re at another level.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the lesson.\u00a0 You can only lead at the level your people are, not at the level you would like them to be.\u00a0 With some people, you may be able to move through the levels fairly quickly, but with others, you may have to move more slowly.\u00a0 For instance, you may have some people who are open to forming positive relationships and are anxious to move with you from level one (positional leadership) to level two.\u00a0 However, there may be others who are more cautious and circumspect and need a little more time.\u00a0 So you continue working with them at level one while you\u2019re simultaneously working with others at level two.<\/p>\n Or what happens when you have someone who is new to the company and new to your team?\u00a0 By default, since they haven\u2019t formed any relationships yet, they are going to be at level one and will regard you as a \u201cpositional\u201d leader until you are able to demonstrate otherwise.<\/p>\n So we see that leadership is not just about you.\u00a0 It\u2019s about the relationships you are able to build with each individual you are trying to lead.\u00a0 And with each individual, you will only be at the level that your relationship with that individual will support.\u00a0 Therefore, at any point in time, you may be working with relative newcomers at level one, older hands at level two, and your most tenured people at levels three or four.\u00a0 Your job, as leader, is to build relationships and develop strategies to move each of your people from whatever level they\u2019re on with you, to the next level up.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in learning the nitty gritty details of Maxwell\u2019s \u201c5 Levels of Leadership,\u201d he has published a book by that name or you can see him discuss it on a YouTube video at https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aPwXeg8ThWI<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a posting earlier this year, we mentioned John Maxwell who is a prolific writer and speaker, often on subjects related to leadership.\u00a0 In that posting, we talked about what Maxwell calls \u201cpositional leadership\u201d which is the bottom level of his \u201c5 Levels of Leadership.\u201d\u00a0 However, there\u2019s an important leadership lesson to be learned when<\/p>\n\n
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