What Kind of Leader Are You? Part One.

John Maxwell: The Five Levels of Leadership book
 What a great read this book is! Maxwell says that leadership is a verb, an action, not a position! Leadership also deals with people and the dynamics in the organization, and the challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate the process of growth, learning and transformation. I really enjoyed reading this book; in fact, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Then, I went back through again to consider how I could share his strategies with my corporate clients and reference in training programs.

John Maxwell defines the five levels of leadership as follows:

1. Positional Leadership which means that this is an entry level leader who is likely more focused on rights. People follow leaders at this level mainly because they have to.

2. Permission Leadership is the second level and here leaders are focusing on relationships. People follow leaders at this level because they want to.

3. Production Leadership is level three and the focus here is on results. People follow the leader because of what the leader has done or accomplished for the organizing.

4. People Development Leadership is the next level, much more difficult to reach this level. The focus is on people development and reproducing the leader. People follow these leaders because of what he/she has done for the people.

5. Level five, the most difficult and infrequently attained level is called Pinnacle Leadership. This is all about respect. People follow these leaders because of who the leader is the legacy that he/she has created and what you have done for the individuals.

What type of leader are you?  What level of leadership are you at currently?
If you were to take three actions to move you towards the next leadership level, what would those be, and why?

See Maxwell's valuable Leadership Tips in the Next Post.

To learn more about Maxwell’s book or to add this to your corporate reading library, visit: