5 Segmented Levels of Leadership

In my previous post, we have learned that there are 4 distinctive Categories of Leadership. The main point that we could get from that is that everyone has equal opportunity to be a leader. The only needed ingredients are the desire to be one, exposure to leader models, and constant leadership training. The good news is that all three are attainable!

In connection with the former topic, I would like to clearly describe Leadership as how John Maxwell has defined it.

“Leadership is influence. That’s it. Nothing more; nothing less. My favorite leadership proverb is: He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.”

He further defined leadership as the “ability to get followers”, and it is not to “achieve a position.” With this straightforward definition of leadership, we now ask, “How can I be a great leader? What do I need to know to gain more followers? How can I make people trust me to become their leader?”

What we are going to discuss now are the Levels of Leadership. Leadership is just like in any building, if you wish to go to the upper floors, you need to access either the staircase, the escalator, or the elevator. In Leadership, if you wish to proceed to the upper “floors” of leadership, you must first know what “level” you are currently at. 

As one saying goes, 

“Knowledge is power.”

5 Levels of Leadership

  Level 1: Position

The entry level of leadership. Your title or your position is the only reason why you are being followed.

  Level 2: Permission

John Maxwell describes this as, “If level 1, Position, is the door to leadership, then level 2, Permission, is the foundation.”

  Level 3: Production

The Permission level is more of what is called as the “Relationship” level. Climbing up another level to the Production level, this is what is called as the “Results” level.

  Level 4: People Development

In this level, your ability to empower others, makes them loyal to you as their leader.

  Level 5: Personhood

The highest level of leadership where people follow you because of who you are as a person.

We will be dealing with each of the Levels above in more details in my next posts, starting from the entry level: Position.

In the meantime, we will be keeping these reminders in mind. These are straight from John Maxwell himself.

• The higher you go, the longer it takes.
• The higher you go, the higher the level of commitment.
• The higher you go, the easier it is to lead.
• The higher you go, the greater the growth.
• You never leave the base level.

I found this as true (based on my personal experience), that not all people respond in the same way to how I lead them. To some, I might be just a leader with the “position”. To some, I might be touching their lives already, the reason to make them follow me. I learned that the key to deal with different kinds of people is to take each person as a unique individual and deal with him in a personal way.

The last reminder John Maxwell was gave was to take other people, especially those with great influence, from within your group to the higher levels with you. This would help you create leaders as well, making your group an association of leaders helping each other out grow.

We will be talking about the first level of leadership next time.

For now, I hope you too would aim to get to the highest level of leadership!

© 2014 Erickson Ibana

First image can be found at http://www.amazon.com/The-Levels-Leadership-Maximize-Potential/dp/1599953633

Second image can be found in John Maxwell's book "Developing the Leader Within You"