What makes someone a leader? Is it their experience? Their personality? Maybe it’s their qualifications. In all honesty, though, there’s nothing worst than someone who thinks they are a leader simply because their title gives them a position of authority. The simple truth is that leaders come from all walks of life and are present at a number of levels.
Their actions and influential demeanour enable them to lead others effortlessly. A good leader has vision that inspires everyone to do whatever they can to reach that vision. They also know how to reach people, to get get them moving towards the end goal. The good news is that it is possible to learn to become a great leader. You just need to take a few steps in the right direction.
In this summary, readers will discover the 5 levels of leadership. These are:
- Position – using your position to influence others
- Permission – Building relationships
- Production – Producing Results
- People Development – Developing the talents of your employees
- Pinnacle – Creating future leaders
Key lesson one: Position – using your position to influence others
This is the first level of leadership, where leadership is granted due to a job title. Positional leaders have yet to build the influence needed to command respect from others. Because of this, teams will do what they are told to do because they have to due to hierarchy.
Positional leaders, therefore are unable to get the best out of their employees. They are uninspired to work harder because they do not yet respect their leader. All they have is a title greater than theirs. What makes matters worse is that positional leaders battle to provide their employees with direction.
Try not to be disheartened if this does occur. Every great leader has to start out somewhere and this is the first step. The good news is, if you have the title, someone believed in your ability to lead others. You have to take initiative and not sit back to just enjoy the title but instead to develop your leadership. This level allows you to decide what kind of leader you want to be. No two leaders are the same. Even the former CEO of Southwest Airlines learned this when he witnessed two court litigators. They both had very different styles -one was calm and diplomatic and the other was emotional and aggressive. But, they were both successful with their different personalities and approaches.
In order to grow as a leader at this level, you must commit yourself to your development. Your job title is not as important as the work you do and you help others do theirs. You cannot shy away from development and resort to just barking out orders. It will never go well for both yourself and your team.
Key lesson two: Permission – Building relationships
On this level, people see the relationships you have built with others and want to work for you as well. When people spend time with others they do not like, they feel drained of energy and are surrounded by negativity. In contrast, positive relationships lead to a great work environment with loads of energy.
When employees feel included, valued and trusted and they permit you to lead them. Consider what would happen if you aggressively commanded a member of your team. They would probably get defensive and probably even a little annoyed. However, if you stayed calm and spoke to them, they would be more open to whatever you were saying or asking them to do. If you adopt this positive mode of communication, you will be able to connect with others easily. People cling to leaders they trust, especially in difficult situations. They will also find it easier to communicate with leaders at this level which will facilitate problem-solving.
To be a leader at this level takes people skills. The best approach to take is to work on yourself before attempting to develop relationships. You should start by treating others the way you yourself would want to be treated. However, you also have to be conscious of the fact that there is a fine balance to be made. You have to be able to care for your team but still not let them take advantage of your focus for good relationships in the workplace.
Key lesson three: Production – Producing Results
Level three of leadership is based on a leader’s ability to produce results. The way this is achieved is by building an effective team. An effective team has to be carefully built from individuals whose skills complement one another. The relationships you have built at the previous level will also help you when you have to designate teams to produce results. You should already be aware of their skills and flaws thus knowing how to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses making them stronger together than apart. Therefore, with a clear vision, a leader can provide their handpicked ‘dream team’ with the direction they need to move in to achieve it.
At this level, your credibility as a leader increases when you deliver results. People will also witness your results and the way you work so you lead by example. How you lead, will be the way in which your team performs and the way in which you attract more followers. Producing positive results is inherently uplifting. When your team feels the sense of accomplishment of succeeding, you have to capitalize on that feeling and allow it to motivate them to produce even better results. Build on this momentum as it will amplify good results and diminish any negative ones.
Being a production leader can lead to a bit of pressure as you will be focussed on producing positive results for all your tasks. However, it important that leaders at this level do not become so focussed on results and lose sight of the people and relationships they have built at the previous level. You can only be successful at this level if you continue to value the people that follow your lead.
Key lesson four: People Development – developing the talents of your employees
Considering that the business world is constantly changing and evolving, it is important that people adapt as well. This is not only true for leaders, but for employees as well. Therefore the next level of leaders is those that focus on improving their people. Leaders at this level transform followers into leaders themselves thus benefitting the entire organization.
A true leader is a mentor to others and this level is all about reproducing great leaders. This is why it was found that leaders focused on people development put 20 per cent of their effort into personal productivity and the remaining 80 per cent is dedicated to staff development. This dedication to people development will give employees a sense of loyalty to the company as they have leaders who want to help them grow. This benefits the company not only in terms of retaining staff but also in raising employees skill levels which will lead to sustainable success for the company as a whole.
A noteworthy point at this level is that you have to be a secure leader to develop others. If you are insecure, you will be unable to develop others as they will pose a threat to you. You should not questions your abilities as a leader at this level. It is because of your positive work relationships and the results that you have produced that you have made it here.
Key lesson five: Pinnacle – Creating future leaders
The highest level of leaders cannot be achieved by everyone. It takes great skill, judgment, and commitment. It is at this pinnacle level that leaders create other leaders. Not only have they achieved success in their careers as leaders, but pinnacle leaders are also able to transform their followers into level 4 leaders. Developing leaders who can lead and not just follow is hard. But if you succeed, you will create a level 5 organization: an organization that is functioning at an extraordinarily high level.
Having only one leader in an organization leads to the rest of the company becoming dependent and passive. This will not allow for organizational growth or sustainable success. Therefore it is crucial to create a culture of leadership with team members who are inspired to become leaders themselves.
This is the highest level of leadership and undoubtedly the most rewarding. The experience that pinnacle leaders have accumulated throughout their career can be used to inspire. The feeling of knowing that you are creating leaders will give you a sense of accomplishment. However, at the same time leaders at this level must never forget that there always more room to grow. As mentioned before, the business world is always evolving, you can’t afford to think that you have already reached the top and that there is nothing left to learn. Remain grounded and always remember the bigger picture.
The key takeaway from 5 Levels of Leadership is:
Leaders exist at multiple levels. No matter which level you are on, it is possible for you to work towards building yourself to the next level. Leadership involves growth in everything that you do and everyone that you interact with. Ensure that you are committed to being a great leader and work on yourself before attempting to work with others. Once you the great vision that a leader needs, you can move on to drawing people to your vision and influencing them to move towards it.
How can implement the lessons learned in 5 Levels of Leadership:
Develop your people skills and show genuine interest in your team members. By making others feel valued, it will lead to a more trusting relationship in the workplace. Be open to communication and listen to team members who voice their concerns. The way you interact with people will always be the most important thing you do as a leader, so don’t take it for granted.
