February 19, 2012

The 5 Levels of Leadership-- John C. Maxwell

Hi! Welcome Back.  I’ve been writing about Leadership in this blog for about a month now.  At first it was in preparation for a project in Leadership I have with a local church, but after spending the last month studying what leadership is from various perspectives I’m coming to realize that leadership and its study are really as Author Jim Kouzes says “In the end, leadership development is self-development.  The mastery of the art of leadership is really about the mastery of the self.”
Maxwell believes that leadership is all about influence.  He states that “If people can increase their influence with others, they can lead more effectively.  If you boil leadership down to its essence, it is influence.  Leaders help people work together to accomplish goals that benefit everyone involved.  How does one person get others to do something willingly, excellently, and consistently?, by influencing them.”
Today I’d like to present Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership and in later posts look at how he develops leaders by looking at his leadership development program.  As you read Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership think back on what you have done and ask yourself where you stand on Maxwell’s 5 levels?  What can you do to improve your leadership standing?
The 5 Levels of Leadership
Level 1 Position, People follow you because they have to.  You have leadership “rights” based on the position you hold.
Level 2 Permission, People follow you because they want to.  You’ve developed relationships with your followers, they begin to trust you.
Level 3 Production, People follow because of what you have done for the organization.  You have achieved some results and are gaining influence and credibility because of what you have done.
Level 4 People Development, People follow because of what you have done for them.  You are reproducing yourself by developing others on your team.  You are beginning to develop leaders within your team or following.
Level 5 Pinnacle, People follow because of who you are and what you represent.  People respect you for who you are and what you have accomplished.  At this level leaders mentor people to become better leaders.  As an example John Wooden, former College Basketball Coach at UCLA.
Did you find yourself at one of Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership?  Did you find where your boss stands on Maxwell’s 5 levels?  How does your bosses leadership skills effect what you do or can do for others within your organization?  What steps can you do to further your self-development if you have a level 1 positional leader? 
Thanks for reading my blog.  Please stop and give me your feedback by posting a comment below.  I’ll be on assignment during the middle of next week so my next blog post will probably appear next Thursday or Friday, until then all my best!  Jer.

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