The Five Levels of Leadership

Dr. John C. Maxell

1  POSITION  The reason you see and hear “I’m the leader!” – either out of people’s mouths or subtly in how they treat their followers – is that today’s society tends to equate leadership with position.

But leadership is influence, which involves more than just a title.  A positional leader’s influence is based only on his job description, so people may follow him, but only because they have to.  And they won’t follow beyond the bounds of his stated authority.

Leaders who stay on the position level experience insecurity, high turnover and friction.  As they focus on asserting their right to lead, followers get frustrated and demotivated.  To achieve lasting leadership, they must move on to the higher levels.

2  PERMISSION  Permissional leadership can be fun, because it’s based on establishing relationships with your followers.  And as they grow to like you, they follow because they want to.

The permission phase makes work enjoyable for everyone.  Followers go the extra mile with a good attitude.  But it’s still only the second level.  If leaders stay here too long, they find that they don’t have the respect they’d like, and their most motivated people become restless.

3  PRODUCTION  “He’s been here since the beginning, and I believe he’s helped make this company what it is today.”  Followers of leaders at the production level make statements like this one.  They follow these leaders because of what they’ve done for the organization.  As followers see the results the leader has achieved, they make a conscious decision to “jump on board.”  And as a result, they begin to share in the leader’s success.

This is a very important level, and many effective leaders remain here for a long time.  But it’s only at the next level that a person can help others experience their own success.

4  PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT  If you consider your leadership an investment in people, you might be at the people development level.  People developers strive to reproduce their own leadership on others and focus on helping them reach their personal potential.  And people follow because of what the leader has done for them.

The leader who reaches this level has accomplished a great deal.  His followers feel a personal sense of connection with him, and they continue to grow.  In fact, most good leaders hope to someday arrive here.  But there is one final level reserved for a small group of highly influential people.

5  PERSONHOOD  The select group of leaders who reach this level have spent so many hears growing people that people follow them because of who they are and what they represent.  Their reputation precedes them, and people flock to their organization. Few make it here, but those who do are larger than life.  When I think of this level, names come to mind like Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Bright.

To be a leader who lasts, take proactive steps to move to leadership’s highest levels.  The investment you make in your growth will result in greater loyalty, commitment, productivity, and growth from your followers.