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5 Levels of Leadership

#### Introduction

## What’s in it for me? Climb the five-step ladder to leadership success.

John C. Maxwell 5 Levels of Leadership Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential Have you ever worked for a boss who thinks that having the word manager in his job title automatically makes him able to lead? If you have, you'll know that such managers make the worst kind of leader.
The best leaders recognize that a position of authority is just one step on the path to becoming a great leader. They know that great leadership means always developing new skills. These blinks show you the ladder you have to climb if you want to be that great leader, including 5 steps you must take on the way. Position, permission, production, personal development, and the pinnacle. If you make it up these 5 steps, you'll become the type of leader that anyone will follow.

#### Chapter 1 of 7

## Follow the five levels of leadership to become a true leader with lasting impact.

Blink number 1 Follow the 5 levels of leadership to become a true leader with a lasting impact. If you've ever had the pleasure of working under a great boss, you already know that having an inspiring leader can make a world of difference. Great leaders have the vision, that is, the ability to navigate a dynamic, fast-changing business world. A modern company is like a sailboat on a stormy sea.
Like the captain, the leader knows how to navigate the stormy waters and chart the course to get to where you're going. After all, the steering wheel and sails can be operated by anyone on board, as long as there's a leader to set the right course. As you can see, having a visionary, forward-thinking leader is crucial. However, it may surprise you to learn that these kinds of leaders are made, not born. Pretty much anyone can be appointed to a leadership position, but that doesn't automatically give them influence or sway over other people. We've all experienced bosses who seem to think that their rank allows them to do anything they please, but leaders like that never manage to motivate their team or achieve the desired results.
On the other hand, influential leaders know how to reach the right people, develop a good strategy, and get things moving. And, as you'll hear in the following blinks, there are five distinct levels you have to pass in order to become that kind of effective leader. It's important to note that learning these leadership skills is like climbing a ladder. You have to master each step before you can climb higher. So, keep listening to find out how to climb the leadership ladder and become a truly inspiring boss.

#### Chapter 2 of 7

## Don’t just rely on your management position: Inspire others by bringing your personality and core values to your leadership role.

Blink number two. Inspire others by bringing your personality and core values to your leadership role. Have you ever had a boss with lots of formal authority but no actual talent for leadership? If so, you've experienced a positional leader, someone who thinks position alone gives them the power to command.
Unfortunately, positional leaders waste energy and fail to get the best out of their subordinates. After all, when formal position is the only thing legitimizing your leadership, you have to spend all your time defending your authority. In fact, we often see positional leaders behaving like medieval rulers, obsessed with accumulating huge armies and castles to buttress their power. In real world terms, imagine a manager obsessed with attaining the largest possible staff and the biggest budget, all in order to make themselves look important. Exacerbating the poor leadership, positional leaders have trouble giving their employees direction. They may order people around, but they'll never motivate them for long periods of time.
In other words, subordinates will do only what is specifically expected and very little more. The lesson here is that instead of seeing position as your only goal, you should see it as a starting point. It's a chance to develop your own way of leadership and create lasting influence. Here is another way to think about it. Although you may have a defined position within the company, you still have to fill it with life by choosing core values and deciding to implement specific working practices. Ultimately, you can develop any kind of leadership style as long as it's effective and true to who you are.
The former CEO of Southwest Airlines learned this lesson while observing the behavior of two court litigators. One was very diplomatic and calm. The other was aggressive and emotional. But despite the difference in style, both were outstandingly successful. He realized that you have to bring your own personality to the position.

#### Chapter 3 of 7

## You need people’s permission to lead them: Build trust and positive relationships to make the most of your leadership.

Blink number three. Build trust and positive relationships to make the most of your leadership. As we've learned, positional leaders waste energy protecting their own interests and power. The best way to break free from this type of leadership is by shifting the focus from ourselves to others.
The advantages of being more outward facing are manifold. Positive relationships in a pleasant environment raise energy levels and foster an enjoyable workplace. After all, consider what happens when you spend time with people you don't like. Most likely, it drains your energy and feeds a negative outlook. On the contrary, spending time with friends is like recharging your batteries. It makes us feel energetic and full of life.
So, how do you build up these positive relationships? You have to value the people around you and treat them accordingly. You'll find that if you practice a positive mode of communication, you'll connect with others easily. To that end, imagine commanding a co-worker in an aggressive way. He'll probably respond defensively. On the other hand, if you stay calm and gently ask for a favor, he'll probably be open to your message, making it more impactful.
This kind of communication is crucial, because when people around you trust you and feel appreciated, they tacitly give you permission to lead them. In other words, people cling to leaders they can trust. Especially when your workplace is dealing with difficult situations, feeling that someone's looking out for everyone on the team strengthens ties. For instance, in the US Marines, one of the core values is to leave no one behind, regardless of status. That's why when they go into combat, officers opt not to wear their insignias of rank. Not wearing the symbol sends a clear message.
We are in this together. We live and die together, regardless of rank. And this ethos plays a key role in the organization's imposing reputation.

#### Chapter 4 of 7

## A good team needs a good leader to chart the course to success.

Blink number four. A good team needs a good leader to chart the course to success. Focusing on others not only legitimizes your leadership, it also fosters greater productivity. First, it's important to recognize that an effective team isn't simply a collection of individuals.
It's a finely calibrated balance of various skills and attributes. In other words, a team is greater than the sum of its parts, because all the strengths are fused together to balance out the weaknesses. For instance, think of a basketball team, which consists of specialized players each perfectly fulfilling the demands of their specific position. Members play in their own unique sweet spot, thereby maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses. This kind of collaborative action is also well suited to solving complex problems. Or as basketball coach John Wooden said, everyone who scores a basket has ten hands.
Meaning, each time an individual player scores, it's thanks to his teammates' contributions. But, of course, every good team needs a good leader. Someone who ensures that everyone's working together and heading in the right direction. And that leader is also responsible for identifying strengths and weaknesses. Bringing back the basketball analogy, you have to put your best defensive players in defense and the best attackers in offense. Furthermore, it's crucial for the team that the leader never loses sight of the big picture and charts a course toward the final destination.
After all, even in sports, the final goal isn't so easy to identify. As in business, succeeding at basketball is way more complex than just winning the game. The coach has to ask himself, what strategy should we expect from the opposing team? What's their Achilles heel? How can I prevent the team from overexertion to save some energy for upcoming tournaments? In the business world, the leaders have to ask the same questions.

#### Chapter 5 of 7

## Set an example for others and get the ball rolling by creating a wave of momentum.

Blink number five. Set an example for others and get the ball rolling by creating a wave of momentum. Change isn't easy. And that's why many of us prefer to live in the comfortable land of the status quo.
But impactful leaders are different. They must know how to roll up their sleeves and get things moving. After all, a leader sets an example through his own actions. So if you perform aggressively or reluctantly, this attitude will translate into poor team performance. But if you show enthusiasm and drive, people will follow suit. For example, legend has it that once during the Revolutionary War, George Washington rode up to a group of soldiers who were having trouble raising a beam.
Instead of helping directly, the commander first stood aside and shouted words of encouragement. But when he realized that the task exceeded the soldier's strength, Washington dismounted his horse and joined the struggle. Soon enough, the group succeeded in lifting the beam. As you can tell from that example, a leader's actions can create momentum for change. It's really hard to go forward rapidly from a standing start. But when a leader acts prudently, he can create momentum to lead the team forward at full speed.
To that end, imagine how exhausting it feels to swim against the tide. It's much easier to make progress by moving with it. That's exactly what Apple did. One small company, fighting against the tide of companies like Microsoft and IBM, shifted the market direction by releasing products that were designed with the user in mind. With products like the iPhone, Apple shifted the tide, so that now other companies have to choose to move in the same direction or fight against it. So, once you've brought your team into position and spearheaded the first steps, create some momentum and allow it to work in your favor.

#### Chapter 6 of 7

## Developing your human resources is crucial for your company’s success.

Blink number six. Developing your human resources is crucial for your company's long-term success. When you see success, you're just looking at a snapshot. Because under changing circumstances, even the most brilliant marketing strategy can falter.
That's why an organization's biggest challenge is to sustain a high level of success. It's crucial to remember that any company's greatest resources are its people. After all, markets change, facilities deteriorate, supplies get used up, but people have the potential to grow and surpass themselves. And that's exactly why successful companies distinguish themselves by improving their people. That is, by giving them room to learn and grow. For example, in 1999, Fortune named Synovus Financial Corporation the best place to work in America.
And, looking back, the former CEO says that the award was only possible because the company always emphasized team building and people development. A true leader is like a mentor, focused on transforming the people around him and helping them grow. To this end, people development is one of the most important aspects of leadership. For example, the author observed that transformative leaders only put 20% of their effort in personal productivity. Meanwhile, the other 80% goes into staff development. Meaning, great leaders put their own advancement far behind the broader goal of building a phenomenal team.
It's important to note that personal development isn't just good for the company. It's also a major human need. Fulfilling it will give your employees a sense of loyalty to the company, reducing possible interest in seeking opportunities elsewhere. As we've learned, people development is extremely important for the long-term success of an organization.
And, as a mentor, you have to find the balance between teaching your employees and empowering them to grow on their own. As you'll see in the next blank, that means you have to put some power in their hands. Blank number 7. Developing future leaders is the key to a lasting legacy.

#### Chapter 7 of 7

## Developing future leaders is the pinnacle of leadership and creates a lasting legacy.

Becoming a successful leader is a long process, but the rewards are great. Still, the journey never really ends, because a true leader keeps giving back by teaching others to become leaders, too. There are a few reasons why that's important. First, having just one leader creates an organizational bottleneck.
In other words, when just one person makes all the decisions, the rest of the company becomes passive and dependent. To demonstrate that point, the authors compare traditional leadership models to a herd of buffalo. Instead of blindly following a head buffalo, truly effective organizations are organized like a flock of geese, flying in a V formation and continually rotating who is at the head to oppose the wind. Here's another reason having just one leader doesn't make sense. When that person quits, how can anyone else be ready to take on the load? Before that time comes, it's crucial to create a culture of leadership within the organization and empower team members to become leaders themselves.
How? First, invite your employees to sit down at the leadership table. Backed by trust and provided with a range of autonomy and responsibility, employees ready to lead can emerge. Developing future leaders is not only an organizational necessity, it's also part of your legacy. Because creating fellow leaders who can act autonomously and also rear their own new leaders will effectively reproduce your work to infinity. Consider the Socratic model.
The ancient Greek philosopher's student Plato founded an academy that passed on knowledge to generations of students. Among these students was Aristotle, who later became an important mentor to Alexander the Great. And there's one more important benefit of teaching others. Seeing other people grow and follow in your footsteps is greatly rewarding. In fact, there's no better motivation.

#### Conclusion

## Final summary

You just heard the blinks to John C. Maxwell's 5 Levels of Leadership. The key takeaway is that a true leader isn't characterized by her formal job description, but rather by her influence on other people. To have the greatest impact as a leader, support your staff, build effective teams, and allow people to grow and become leaders themselves.
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5 Levels of Leadership
John C. Maxwell
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