Leadership is about having influence on others. However, many people don’t develop as leaders because they have misconceptions about what it takes to be a leader. They may think they’re not a “born” leader or that their title and seniority automatically make them leaders. They may also think that work experience will make them a leader or that they need to wait until they get a management position to start developing as a leader. These misconceptions can hold people back from developing their influence as a leader.
To develop influence as a leader, it’s important to understand the five levels of leadership. John Maxwell outlines this in his classic book Developing the Leader Within You.
The first level is Positional, where you lead solely because of your job title. However, positional leaders relying on titles only can’t get people to do more than the bare minimum.
To get past being a positional leader, it’s important to:
- know your role or job description thoroughly;
- do your job with consistent excellence;
- do more than expected;
- accept responsibility for yourself and your leadership;
- learn from every leadership opportunity;
- be aware of the history that affects personal dynamics (emotional intelligence); and
- not rely on your position or title to lead.
The second level is Permission, where people follow you because they want to. To develop influence at this level, you must:
- value other people;
- see things through other’s eyes by asking questions;
- care more about the other person than the rules;
- include the other person in the journey by thinking WE instead of ME;
- make your team’s success your goal; and
- practice servant leadership.
The third level is Production, where people follow you because of what you’ve done for the organization. To develop influence at this level, you’ll need to:
- initiate and accept responsibility for your own personal growth;
- develop accountability for results beginning with yourself;
- lead by example and produce results; and
- help your team members find and give their best contribution.
The fourth level is People Development, where people follow you because of what you’ve done for them. To develop influence at this level, it’s important to:
- embrace the idea that people are your most valuable asset;
- be open and honest about your own growth journey to others
- expose your top team members to growth and leadership opportunities; and
- place your team members in the best place to be successful.
The fifth and final level is Pinnacle, where people follow you because of who you are and who you represent. To develop influence at this level, you will:
- to focus your influence on the top 20% of the people you lead;
- teach and encourage them to develop other high-performing leaders; leverage your influence to advance the organization; and
- use your influence outside the organization to make a difference.
Navigating the five levels of leadership takes time and effort. You are on a different leadership level with each person in your life. Each time you progress up a level with a person, your influence increases. You never leave behind a previous leadership level once you achieve a new one. The levels build on one another, and you can’t skip a leadership level. The higher you go up in levels, the longer it takes, and each time you change jobs or join a new circle of people, you start on the lowest level and must work your way up again.
Once a level is earned, it must be maintained. Just as you can add influence as you go up levels, you can lose influence and descend levels. It takes less time to lose influence than to earn it.
Developing influence as a leader is about understanding the five levels of leadership and working your way up each level with each person in your life. It’s about valuing others, leading by example, and developing accountability for results beginning with yourself. It takes time and effort, but it’s worth it to become a leader who positively influences others.