The 5 Levels Of Leadership - Lead With Grace

The 5 Levels of LeadershipProven Steps to Maximize Your Potential(John Maxwell)Summary8500 West 159th StreetOverland Park, KS 66223913.814.7223www.VisitGraceChurch.comlast update4 Jul 2017

Overview .1Insights Into the Levels .1Leadership Assessment .2Level 1: Position .2Level 2: Permission .3Level 3: Production .4Level 4: People Development .5Level 5: The Pinnacle .6Portrait of a Level 5 Leader .7The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps toMaximize Your PotentialJohn C. MaxwellLeadership is a process, not a position. Leadershipdeals with people and their dynamics, which areconstantly changing. The challenge of leadership isto create change and facilitate growth.The 5 levels of leadership are principles that providesteps for leadership growth.This summary includes the upside, downside, andbest behaviors for each Level of Leadership.

OverviewLevel 5PinnacleDeveloping leaders to the pointwhere they are able and willing todevelop other leaders is thebiggest, most difficult challenge ofall.Level 4When leaders develop otherPeopleleaders, overall performance andDevelopment teamwork increases.Level 3ProductionWhen leaders get results, they canbecome change agents, takingpeople to another level ofeffectiveness.Level 2PermissionYou can like people without leadingthem, but you cannot lead peoplewell without liking them.Level 1PositionPosition is a poor substitute forinfluence.Insights Into the Levels1. As you move up a level, you don’t leave the otherone behind. You build upon it.2. Leadership is dynamic. It changes fromrelationship to relationship. You must earn yourlevel of leadership with each person. That levelcan go up or down at any time.3. The higher the level you achieve, the easier it isto lead.4. The higher the level, the more you have to pay inenergy, time, and commitment.5. Moving up levels occurs slowly; however it onlytakes one thing going wrong to instantly drop alevel.6. The better the leaders are in an organization, thehigher the productivity and morale of the people.7. Growing as a leader requires intentional growthand experience. Each step of growth requiresfurther development of the leader.8. The higher the level of the leader, the more theenvironment supports the growth of others.5 Levels of Leadership, Summary9. Each time you lead a new group of people, youstart the process at level 1. Be willing to proveyourself by developing relationships, beingproductive, and developing leaders.10.To succeed as a leader, you must help othersfollow you up the levels. The entire processfocuses on helping other people.Effective leaders interact with each follower basedon:Where the leader is with that follower.Where the follower perceives the leader to be.Where the follower is on the levels of leadership.[ 1 ]

Leadership AssessmentIf you wish to do the assessment without marking inyour book or making copies of the pages, try thefollowing downloads.Part 1-Leadership Level CharacteristicsTake Part 1 of the Leadership Assessment.Maxwell Leadership Assessment, part1Put the results on the tally table at the bottom of theMaxwell Leadership Assessment Tally form.Part 2-Individual Team Member AssessmentLeader’s Point of ViewMake as many copies of the Maxwell LeadershipAssessment, part2 form as there are peoplethat you oversee.Based on your interactions with each person,answer the questions.Tally the results of each form and put them on theMaxwell Leadership Assessment Tally form.Part 3-Leadership Assessment-Team Member’sPoint of ViewPut your name and date on the assessment form.Maxwell Leadership Assessment, part3Make enough copies for all people that youoversee.Give a copy to each person who you overseeasking that they answer the questions and returnit to you. They do not need to put their name on it.Tally the results of each form and put them on theMaxwell Leadership Assessment Tally form.Part 4-Current Leadership Level AssessmentFill out the tally table at the bottom of theMaxwell Leadership Assessment Tally form.Level 1: PositionUpside of Position1. It indicates that someone sees leadershippotential in you.2. You have some authority.3. It gives you an opportunity to improve your skills.4. It gives you an opportunity to define yourself as aleader (needs, strengths, values, habits,practices).Placing rights overresponsibilities.Leadership is aboutserving others.Being lonely.Developing peopleprevents loneliness.Getting branded andstranded.Continuing to developyour skills opensopportunities.Causing high turnover.Working to developyourself and othersreduces turnover.Receiving people’s least(clock-watchers, justenough, mentallyabsent).Giving your best andvaluing your teammembers’ contributionsgets you their best.Downside of PositionYou can fall into some traps in Position.TrapRealityThinking that title is most Leadership is aboutimportant.action, not position.Relying on position anddevaluing people.Leadership is aboutworking with people.Using politics to get what Politics lowersyou want.productivity and morale.5 Levels of Leadership, Summary[ 2 ]

Best Behaviors on Level 11. Stop relying on position to push people.Encourage them, find ways to help them, andtake an interest in them as people.2. Don’t take things for granted and feel entitledbecause of your position. Keep working and focuson ways to make a difference in the lives of thoseyou lead.3. Take initiative. Help people win as a team.Laws of Leadership at Level 1Law of the Lid: To increase your effectiveness, youmust continue to develop yourself as a leader.Law of Process: Leadership development is adaily, lifelong process. Commit to that dailyprocess.Law of Navigation: Know your limitations.Beliefs That Help a Leader Move to Level 2Before you can move to Level 2, you must embracethese beliefs:1. Titles are not enough. The significance of thework you do and the impact it has on others ismore important.2. People are a leader’s most valuable asset.Position is a tool you can use to help people.3. A leader doesn’t need to have all the answers. Aleader can harness the power of shared thinking.4. A good leader always includes others.Guide to Growing through Level 11. Thank the people who gave you a leadership roleor position.2. Dedicate yourself to leadership growth.3. Define your leadership (values, practices).4. Shift your focus from position to the potential youhave to make a positive impact.5. Focus on the vision. Be clear on how you andyour team can contribute to the organization’svision.6. Shift from rules to relationships. Discover thevalue in each person and let each person knowhow he or she contributes.7. Initiate contact with your team members. Don’twait for them to come to you.8. Don’t mention your title or position.9. Learn to say, “I don’t know.” Make problemsolving collaborative.10.Find a leadership coach.Level 2: PermissionUpside of PermissionTrapReality1. It makes work more enjoyable. The focuschanges from me to we.2. It increases the energy level and makes the toneof interactions more positive.3. It opens up channelsof communication.Relationshipsbecome side-by-side.Communication istwo-way. I hear, seeand feel what you sayand value who you are (Ting/Listen).4. It focuses on the value of each person.5. It nurtures trust.Becoming a peoplepleaser.You need to be bothrelational and productive.Downside of PermissionFrustrating achievers. You need to be bothrelational and productive.Letting others takeadvantage of you.Don’t let others mistakekindness for weakness.Hiding yourweaknesses.To develop relationships,you must be authentic.Giving up because you You can choose to like andare unlikable.care about people andshare your more likablequalities.Refusing to deal withthe whole personConflict and messiness ispart of the process ofworking with people.You can fall into some traps in Permission.5 Levels of Leadership, Summary[ 3 ]

Best Behaviors on Level 2Beliefs That Help a Leader Move to Level 31. Take responsibility for yourself.2. Think less in terms of systems and more interms of people’s emotions.3. Treat others as you want others to treat you.4. Become the chief encourager of your team.5. Strike a balance between care and candor. Think,speak, and act in terms ow who the person hasthe potential to become and how you can helpthem reach it. Give and receive candid feedback.1. Relationships alone are not enough.2. Building relationships require growing towardone another and with one another.3. Achieving the vision as a team is worth riskingrelationships.Laws of Leadership at Level 2Law of Influence: The true measure of leadershipis influence.Law of Addition: Add value by serving others.Law of Solid Ground: Be a person worthy of trust.Law of Magnetism: Be the type of person youwant to attract.Law of Connection: Work hard to relate to people.Law of Buy-In: Work hard to earn people’s trust.Guide to Growing through Level 21. Learn to genuinely like people.2. Become the kind of person you’d like to havearound you.3. Learn to win both relationships and results.4. Express value for each person on your team.5. Know what each person values, their topconcerns, and what they want in life.6. Accept the whole person as part of leading.7. Make having fun a goal.8. Give your people your undivided attention.9. Become your team’s Encourager-in-Chief.10.Be honest with people in a way that helps them.Balance care and candor.Level 3: ProductionUpside of Production1. It gives the leader credibility when they do workwith excellence and help others be productive.2. It models and sets the standard for others.3. It communicates the vision through action, givingpeople a clearer picture of what it means to fulfillthe vision.4. It becomes contagious, spreading productivitythroughout the organization.5. It creates momentum, making things easier.6. It becomes the foundation for team-building aspeople want to be part of a winning team.Downside of ProductionYou can fall into some traps in Production.TrapRealityThinking you’re aleader when you’renot.Good leaders possess thedesire to take the entireteam to a higher level.5 Levels of Leadership, SummaryFolding under theresponsibility.The cost of leadership is tocarry the responsibility ofthe team’s success on yourshoulders.Hesitating to makedifficult decisions.You must make difficultdecisions that affectyourself and others.Discontinuingattention to Level 2.You must keep developingrelationships and caring forothers as you produceresults.Best Behaviors on Level 31. Understand how your giftedness contributed tothe vision. Focus your efforts on your strengths.2. Create a clear link between the vision of theorganization and the everyday production of theteam. Define what success is for each person.Reward and celebrate small victories.3. Develop your people into a team.‣ Help team members complement one another.‣ Make sure each team member understands themission and how each contributes to it.[ 4 ]