As a leader, you should be knowledgeable in rallying your team through difficult times, and humble enough to know when you need help. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership will give you just that. It will help you understand what to make of your position in the company and how your influence can affect your team. You’ll also be demonstrating that training and developing others is a priority for you.  

Who is John Maxwell?

John Maxwell started developing his 5 Levels of Leadership over thirty years ago. He has written over sixty books that are focused on the subject of leadership, including The 5 Levels of Leadership. Each year, Maxwell speaks to organizations, government leaders, and Fortune 500 companies encouraging them to obtain good leadership skills.

What are Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership?

Each leadership level is a prerequisite of the next level. You can only advance to the next level if you have mastered the level before. As you go up the levels, you will find it easier to lead your team because your influence will grow and your leadership is becoming more service-oriented. Developing leadership skills does not happen overnight, so be patient.  Some people don’t ever get to the top level, but if you develop relationships with a mentor and a good support group, then you will have sufficient help along the way. Here are the 5 Levels of Leadership, as indicated in his book:

1.  Position – In this level, you are followed by your employees because they have to. The influence you have is from your position, which isn’t bad but you certainly don’t want to be stuck at this level. At this level, you can’t expect your employees to be loyal to you; some of them might not even respect you as their leader. Your next step is to start building connections with your people by reaching out to them.

2.  Permission – In this second level, your employees follow because they want to. When you’ve reached this level, it means you’ve already established some common ground between your team members. However, leadership skills aren’t just about getting all cozy with your staff.  Work still needs to be done and done well.  

3.  Production – This third level acknowledges that relationships alone aren’t sufficient. At this level, your own productivity or performance isn’t what makes you a leader; instead, you are measured by what your entire team achieves. This is why you need to build relationships and gain the respect of your team before you coach them.

4.  People Development – A leader is followed and respected despite their title.  They have proven their skills in coaching and developing others.  With good leadership skills, a connection with your staff, and knowledge of the company’s process, you can easily improve the performance of those under you.

5.  Pinnacle – Not very many leaders get to this level. At this level, leaders understand that the ultimate goal is to develop more leaders. After you coach your employees to perform better, you should then teach them to do what you did- built relationships and coached their peers. By doing this, you can influence your team to continue improving and eventually be the future leaders of the company.

During times of chaos, uncertainty, and even crisis leadership skills are what will make a difference in how people respond, and feel.  If you as a leader are at Level One, you risk turnover, lower performance, and more headaches.  It’s always worth your time and attention to work on your leadership skills, but during challenging times it’s even more imperative. 

What Position or Level of Leadership Should You Aim For?

Of course, everyone wants to reach level five; but not everyone can reach that level. The best way to master each level is to take it step by step. Rushing will deprive you of the important lessons that experience can teach you. Expect that mastering good leadership skills will take time.

Where do you think you are on John Maxwell’s scale?  Take our leadership quiz.  You’ll learn where you are, how it’s affecting the results you are getting, and what to do next.  

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