Sunday, January 12, 2014

Leadership Level 1: Position or Rights



If you would be given the chance to choose who to follow among the two, who would that be. Would you choose to follow a boss or a leader?

This question might seem to be tricky to some. They would ask, "Wait, aren't these two, a boss and a leader, just the same?" Are they?

John C. Maxwell differentiated these two in his book "Developing the Leader Within You".

  • The boss drives his workers; the leader coaches them.
  • The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will.
  • The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
  • The boss says "I"; the leader, "we".
  • The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown.
  • The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
  • The boss says, "Go"; the leader says, "Let's go!"

Clearly, the boss has not gotten into the next level of leadership, yet. He remained in the first level, the entry level of leadership, called "Position". This level is also named as the "Rights" stage.

In this level, your title or your position is the only influence you have. Your security is based on your title, and not on your talent. In contrast with the other levels of leadership which are gained by ability, this level is often gained by appointment.

The negative part if you remain in this position and not thrive into the next level is that people only follow you because of your stated authority, and will not do so beyond that. Oftentimes, they will just do what they are required to do, and nothing more than that. They are usually characterized by an attitude of low morale. As John Maxwell said,

"When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment."
I remember a supervisor I had before. He was stuck in this level, and as a typical employee sensing his positional insecurity, I did what I had to do as his subordinate, his slave - and I did that only because I was needed to. It felt like I was just dragging my feet to work.


A real leader, however, is the person whom others would gladly and confidently follow. His mere presence gives inspiration and enthusiasm to his fellow workers. They enjoy working with him, which in turn, results to a more satisfied set of employees.

If you aim to proceed to the next level, these are the qualities John Maxwell listed that you must exhibit first, with excellence.

Leadership Level 1: POSITION or RIGHTS

  • Know your job description thoroughly.
  • Be aware of the history of the organization.
  • Relate the organization's history to the people of the organization (or be a team player)
  • Accept responsibility.
  • Do your job with consistent excellence.
  • Do more than expected.
  • Offer creative ideas for change and improvement.

Leadership is not just about position after all. It is a good thing if you already are in this level, but it is entirely a different thing to be considered as an effective leader. You really need to climb to the next level of leadership.

And we will be talking about that on the next post.



© 2014 Erickson Ibana

Image can be found at http://blog.lamercanti.com/2013/11/07/sell-an-idea-to-your-boss/

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

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