The 5 Levels of Leadership 

By John Maxwell

The Rules

1. You cannot skip/jump levels, you must go in order from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 

2. You can move up a level but you can never leave a level behind you must take it with you

3. You ALWAYS start at Level one to each new employee every time

4. You cannot climb up a level Alone.

The Test

Level 1 - Position

This is the entry level, the starting position, the lowest level. All leaders must start here. This level means that your team follows you because of your position or your title and nothing more. Their mindset is purely hierarchy and nothing more.
This position requires no ability or effort to achieve, meaning this level of getting other to follow you only works if you have  leverage (job security or a pay check).

Maxwell noted that, it’s the bottom floor and the foundation upon which influence must be built. Leaders at this initial level have been invited to the leadership table, but they may not yet be able to command respect outside of their stated authority.

Upside: 

First, it is given to people because they have leadership potential, according to Maxwell. It is a privilege and hence authority is recognized. Secondly, the position allows potential leaders to shape and define their leadership.  John Maxwell said, “Leadership is much less about what you do and much more about who you are”.

To succeed at this stage, one must know his values. It can be in three areas, Ethical values, Relational values and success values. 

And finally, mature leaders use their positions to drive high performance.

Down side: 

1. Having position is often misleading. It promises more than it can deliver. Leaders of position often have the “I have arrived aspect.” Positional leaders make people feel small. Positions often devalue people.

2. Positional leaders feed on politics. They work to gain titles.

3. Positional leaders place rights over responsibilities. Positional leaders who rely on rights develop a self of entitlements. They expect to be served instead of serve people. To quote Abraham Lincoln “Nearly all men stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”.

4. Positional leaders are often lonely. Leadership is not about standing on top of others but standing beside others.

5. Positional leaders get branded and stranded. The position doesn’t make the leader the leader makes the position.

Take aways to make the most out of level 1:

1. Stop relying on position to push people. The best leader don’t use positions to get things done they use others skill.

2. Trading entitlements for commitment. Leadership to Maxwell is not a right, it’s a privilege. Good leaders don’t take anything for granted. They keep working and leading.

3. Leave your position and move towards you people. Quoting Socrates, Maxwell noted ” let him that would move that world, first move himself”.

If you want to master this level of leadership remember to:

• Learn how to practice situational leadership and adapt to individual employees’ needs.

• Focus on developing emotional intelligence.

• Learn management skills.

• Be more approachable.

• Make an effort to collaborate with employees.

• Be empathetic towards employees.

• Regularly communicating employee recognition and appreciation.

• Practice an accepting attitude to increase team motivation.

• Deliver and receive constructive feedback for improvement.

• Ensure necessary team communication to perform tasks successfully

Level 2 - Permission

This Level is known as the "Relationship" position and this position is only gained when the people genuinely like you AND you genuinely like them too. This is the foundation on the level and you are unable to step into this level if you do not have this relationship. 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

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!

Level 2 is where solid, lasting relationships are built that create the foundation for the next level.

Upside:

At Level 2, people begin to follow willingly because the leader has built relationships with them. Since they get along with the leader, they gladly go along with him or her.

Down side:

1. This kind of leadership is too soft for some people.

2. Leading by permission can be frustrating for high achievers. 

3. Permission leaders can be taken advantage of. This level requires openness to be effective and also difficult for people who are not naturally likeable by others. To be more likeable, one needs to make choices to care about others and find something likeable about everyone.

Level 3 - Production

Level 3 is a great level to achieve and can often be where some leaders stay. 

This level is when your people start to follow you because, they respect your position, they like you, and now because of what they have seen you do. 

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.

Upside:

Production qualifies and separates leaders from people who merely occupy leadership positions.
A level 3 leaders influence intensifies as they consistently generate results.
Producers create a winning culture, and they reap the benefits of positive momentum and high morale. In addition, their reputation for making things happen begins to attract high-achievers to the team.

Down side:

1. If you remove production, people would stop to follow. The weight of leadership here is heavier. 

2. Another downsides is that being productive can make you think you’re a leader whilst you are not. Production leaders also require making difficult decisions.

These leaders produce results and create significant impacts on their organizations. If you want to develop level 4 leadership skills, remember to:

• Improve communication skills to make the connections needed for employees to feel engaged and empowered.

• Study servant leadership and incorporate it into their leadership style.

• Listen and give directions where needed.

• Encourage employee’s input on decisions.

• Adapt to new technologies and changes in the industry.

• Ensure employee training and development.

• Develop a mentorship program where employees learn how to lead before being put into leadership roles.

• Practice delegation. Assign managerial duties to upcoming leaders. It will help you to spend more time developing people and multiplying leaders.

Level 4 - People Development

Level 4 is basically summed up by helping others develop their own leadership skills to potentially one day walk in your shoes. A level 4 leader reproduces themselves.

At level 4, people will follow you because of what you have done for them. They will follow you because their careers will advance as a result of your leadership abilities. You gain access to broader responsibilities and advance to higher levels of leadership.

To gain a higher leadership position, you should know how to help other people become leaders. People Development leaders invest their energy, time, and money to improve the leadership skills of others.

Leaders at this stage begin to commit to developing people to increase their capabilities. They begin to identify what people are good at and provide training for the skills they lack.

They equip their employees with the necessary skills with the help of these five steps mentioned below-

1. Step 1: The leader will perform the required skill independently and show it to the employees.

2. Step 2: The leader will perform the skill but ask their employees to perform along with him.

3. Step 3: In this step, leadership practice includes coaching style. Leaders work as mentors who guide the employees but do not utilize the skill themselves.

4. Step 4: Leaders ask their employees to master the skill alone.

5. Step 5: Employees are required to accomplish the skill alongside others. This step aims to develop more leaders who can teach and share their knowledge with others.

Upside:

When there are more leaders, more of the organisation’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.

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.

Down side

D type leaders who are motivated by power and position can find this level difficult as essentially it is preparing others to take on the responsibilities that they poses. 

To be able to move from level 3 to level 4, you must ensure the following:

• Be consistent, honest, and approachable.

• Work hard and lead by example.

• Communicate expectations for employees’ roles.

• Use time management skills to plan out time blocks for mentoring team members.

• Fair decision-making.

• Be a mentor to all employees.

• Willingly recommend worthy employees for promotions.

• Eagerly help former employees develop their careers.

• Always be ready to talk to your team about any issue.

• Hone your management skills.

• Think about the future and consider the ways teams should work together to achieve their goals.

• Keep developing your interpersonal and communication skills to inspire others. That way, you can explain your team’s goals in a way that motivates them.

According to Maxwell, a Level 4 leader spends almost 80% of their time coaching and only 20% on personal productivity. The mentoring relationships that you nurture in the team will last beyond the immediate scope of work.

Level 5 - Pinnacle 

People follow this kind of leaders for who they are and what they represent. It is very difficult and takes a great deal of dedication and time to become a Level 5 leader.

It is the highest level of leadership. 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 Pinnacle leaders have created a legacy that transcends their organisation and extends beyond their industry. Developing leaders that can in turn develop leaders is hard work and takes a great deal of skill, focus, and a lifetime commitment. They are also known as influencers.

Every leader wants to reach this level. But in real life, it takes a long time and effort for a leader to reach this level. Here, some critical questions arise.

How is this different from the previous level? Isn’t leaving a lasting legacy in your team the pinnacle of leadership?

Unlike all the previous levels, level 5 leaders achieve their success through others' success. In other words, the pinnacle of leadership is about creating a new generation of leaders who are better than you. It is fuelled not by personal ambition but by a selfless desire to mentor others.

At this level, you spread the gospel of leadership—you coach managers who will achieve success themselves and train the next generation. You propel the cycle and become the living embodiment of the values that you preach.

Along with mentoring employees, Pinnacle leaders:

• Increase productivity and make any team or department successful.

• Create environments that help everyone and contribute to their successes.

• Improve the reputations of the organizations.

• Encourage talented and innovative people to work together.

• Influence outside their organizations or the industries they work in.

• Treat everyone fairly and with respect.

• Show integrity and keep their promises.

• Behave honestly and ethically.

• Allow their employees to make independent decisions whenever possible.

• Surround themselves with smart, talented people who want to do their best.

• Lead people who produce innovative products and get excellent business results.

• Communicate well with other teams.

• Speak or conduct workshops about leadership.

Down side

This level is not achieved by most leaders within an organisation as the defining factor is that people come to you to follow you and you ways which means you would have your own leadership consultancy. 

To maintain the status of a level 5 leader, you must:

• Keep your vision and focus facing forward.

• Do not get comfortable with your past accomplishments.

• Keep striving to innovate, improve, and excel.

• Expand your audience.

• Understand that teaching others how to lead is not industry-specific.

• Speak at events and conferences. Other options include starting a YouTube channel, releasing educational content on social media, writing a book, or being interviewed for various podcast series.

• Guide your leaders on how to train and grow other leaders, too.