What kind of leader are You? Part Three

Learning about leadership through the teaching of John Maxwell

In the last two posts we covered valuable information from author John Maxwell, a leading expert on leadership.  This post will summarize additional leadership strategies from Maxwell's book The Five Levels of Leadership.  Maxwell talks about how habits often get in the way of communication, business, relationships and ultimately, success. I have seen this first hand in training and team building sessions, teams have habits of communication that are positive but also that get in the way of effective dialogue.  Maxwell suggests that leaders explore their own leadership habits. For example, deciding how you will organize yourself. How you will communicate during challenging times. How you will check for understanding. Determine how to maximize your time. Determining what you will do the moment you arrive to work (e.g. escape to your office, greet staff, etc.), decide how you will treat people, and what your work ethic will be. Essentially, Maxwell says that you will and should choose your leadership path, because, leadership is not what you are- it is WHO you are being!


Growing through the leadership levels: To grown and transform as a leader, Maxwell suggests that leaders must move through each level, and progress to the next.  In level one, leaders can focus more on potential, instead of positions. Pursue their own professional growth, leadership development and training and move from the priority being on rules to the priority being relationships. Maxwell states it is critical that at this level that leaders learn to ask questions, ask for help, say “I don’t know” when they don’t know and to build and maintain contact with others. When leaders can master this, I have seen them create an environment where staff take the risk to ask for help (which is important).
As leaders transform to leadership level two, they will want to focus on relationships, listening, and valuing others. It is important for leaders to learn and practice seeking out other’s strengths and assets and appreciating the unique differences within the team. Leaders must act with integrity, as trust results from integrity. Make sure you are attention, be what Maxwell calls the “chief encourager” and act with care and candor. As a trainer I have seen the benefits of leaders who recognize and appreciate the differences in their team. They facilitate innovative thinking, energy, and respect.

In Level three leaders must focus on authenticity, which means you simply cannot fake your way to this level or through this level because you are either producing/creating results or you are not. People can see right through insincerity, and I have seen that challenge or decrease trust levels.  Lead by example, deliver results, communicate the vision to the team frequently and live the vision. Results are inspiring. Maxwell suggests that as leaders are developing their team they should focus on the following formula and train people in such a way that: 80% is in their strength zone, 15% is in their learning zone, 5% is outside their strength zone, and 0% of the work is in their weakness zone. Often this is the level where leaders get stuck and do not progress and transform to the next two levels. I would say that this level takes a lot of humility, willingness to be uncomfortable at times, and a desire to grow.

In level four, production is not enough; developing people must become a priority. Maxwell suggests you develop individuals, and the team. Some of the leaders I have met are masterful at this. Their commitment to growing the people is evident, and their attitudes and words are focused more on others, than themselves. Grow leaders and champion the corporate vision. Be the team member you want others to be and focus 80% of your time on the top 20% priorities. Solve issues and do so immediately, don’t let them fester and become bigger issues, and of course, be approachable. Another author, Ken Blanchard says “it’s not what happens when you are there, but when you are not there”; this is the real challenge for leaders. Transfer the work, delegate to those who actually execute the work, as this helps create an environment of trust, and ownership. Continue learning, training and developing. one of my corporate clients saw his role, as a seasoned leader, to foster his team stepping into their skills in a much bigger way.

At level five, leaders are empowering team members to grow and lead larger. There is a focus on people’s strengths, and who they could become (not who they are now). Succession planning is essential at this level, as is leaving a legacy! Be humble, maintain the company’s vision, develop leaders and make room for them at the top. Succession planning is so important yet I have met few non-profit organizations who have a plan, and many small business owners that do not take the time to create one because they are too busy being in the business instead of working on it. Succession planning is key... it will help you create systems and processes so that the business can run in your absence and at the same time fosters growth and responsibility in the team.

This week identify ways that you can share the corporate knowledge with others. Consider your legacy...what is the legacy that you want to leave behind in your team or business? And, what can you do to take action today?

John Maxwell is a masterful leader. To read his book, and learn more about the many other leadership programs he offers, check out:

What kind of leader are YOU? Part two.

John Maxwell's Five Levels of Leadership.... tips from a leadership expert

This is part two of the Leadership posting. Last post I shared a summary of John Maxwell's levels of leadership, so clearly defined in his new book The Five Levels of Leadership.  Maxwell offers a few tips for leaders in these different levels. First, is that it is not a given that all leaders will transform through these levels. I have worked in organizations, and have met lots of leaders who are still in a positional leadership level despite having been a leader for 15 years. They have not transformed, nor has their team. They use their position to lead people. You would hear language like “I’m the boss”, or refer to employees as subordinates (not team members). You can like the people that you are leading however; you cannot effectively lead people that you as a leader don’t like. This is an important concept as I have heard many leaders say things like “I don’t have to like people on my team” or “I don’t have to like them, I just have to respect them.” The challenge is for leaders to find something that they like or appreciate about the team members, otherwise it will shine through.

Leaders will be well served to create a good environment and great relationships, and of course, get things done. This ensures that profits go up while turnover and team issues go down. The bonus is that leadership and work becomes more fun and leaders become agents of change because they are making difficult decisions that ultimately create big outcomes. As a corporate trainer and consultant I have seen many leaders shy away from important decisions, because, it may not be a favorable decision. Ultimately this can hurt their credibility, the relationship and the culture of environment of the team. Making these decisions requires some risk taking.

Empowering others, your team, will serve you well as you refine your leadership skills and approach. Empowering others allows leaders opportunity to “reproduce” themselves as they make a high investment in others’ development which also deepens relationships. Essentially as Maxwell explains, leaders change the lives of those they lead!

Maxwell talks about three types of values: ethical values (doing the right thing for the right reasons), relationship values (how to build an atmosphere of trust and respect for others), and success values (deciding on the goals that are worthy of spending your life on). These are great questions to explore as a leader, “am I doing the right thing for the right reasons?”, “how do I build and maintain an atmosphere of trust?”, and “what goals are worthy of me spending my life and time on?” The concept of values is a frequent discussion topic in corporate training and the team building processes I facilitate. And, values are often at the root of many workplace challenges and communication challenges.

This week, what are three actions you can take to empower others, build relationships and create an environment where the team becomes champions for the corporate goals and mission?

To add this book to your leadership training program or corporate library shelves, visit:

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: