Leadership Book: The 5 Levels of Leadership

In John C. Maxwell’s book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, he breaks down the levels that most leaders go through and provides the benefits and downsides to each of those levels.

He begins with what he calls the foundation of leadership — Position. This is when you are put into a leadership position because of a job, promotion, etc. It allows you to start a journey of self-reflection; who do I want to be? What is the best way I can lead? Etc. He states that at this level, one should not expect things to come easy and that they need to be an initiator.

The second level he brings forth is permission. This is when you’ve earned some respect from your team by going through the ordeals of level 1 and your team now follows you because they want to. You are focused on forming relationships with your teammates and the creation of these strong bonds is what sets you up for success in a team.

The third level is production. Maxwell highlights that great leaders not only need the position of level 1 and relationships of level 2, but they also need to deliver strong results. He states that at this level, leaders become “change agents” where they take on bigger problems and solve those hard-to-face issues. At this level, a leader is focused on the higher purpose of the company.

At the fourth level of people development, a leader now focuses on the development of people rather than results only. He/she understands that in order to create a worthwhile company, he/she needs to create the leaders that will inspire widespread change.

The fifth and final level is only reserved for exceptional leaders — those born with a gift. At this pinnacle, leaders now aim to create level 4 leaders out of their followers. He states that at this stage it is vital to remain humble and focused in order to create a successful and long-lasting business.