5 Levels of Leadership: Where do You Rank?

Welcome back, everyone. This is the third part of the series on being and becoming a leader. Also, not to jump the gun, but I’m also hoping that you are seeing how you can become or are already a leader.

Alright, let’s jump in.

Based on John Maxwell’s structure, there are five levels to leadership. Here they are:

Level 1: Position - This is the lowest level of leadership. You are there because you have the title. Positional leaders tend to lead through intimidation. Also, keep in mind that sometimes that team member is… your kid.

Level 2: Permission - This level focuses on good relationships. Developing the relationship develops influence and then people want to work for you.

Level 3: Production - Production is where you see results. Not only are you winning, but so is the team. As the leader, you enable your team to win.

A quick side note. It is possible to produce results for your team before having a good relationship, but unless you take care of the relationships, you will see a hard limit to your growth. If you’re naturally gifted in getting results, this may be a common issue when it comes to team development or growth.

Level 4: People Development - This level is where the leader replicates themselves within the organization. Not only are you a leader, but you’re creating more leaders.

Level 5: Pinnacle - At this level, you are known not only in your organization, but outside of your organization, field, country, and even lifetime. Some examples include Jack Welch, Nelson Mandela, Leonardo da Vinci, Martin Luther King Jr., and Aristotle.

I think what is interesting is that everyone starts at level 1 with every relationship you have. It’s possible to move up rather quickly, but it always requires effort and intention on your part. Just know that if you skip any of the levels, you will need to go back and address the previous levels before seeing success at the current level.

So, what do you think, interesting stuff, right?  Want to know the next steps? Great! Join me next time where I’ll talk about what it takes to get there.

Kevin Koo is a professional life coach who specializes in personal, business, and leadership goal setting.