The 5 Levels Of Leadership

The 5 Levels Of Leadership will teach you how to lead others with lasting influence by focusing on your people instead of your position.

Have you ever had a leader that you felt was constantly defending their position in the company? This person might have built a large staff or got the highest budget just to make themselves look important. We’ve all seen these types of leaders. They’re more focused on their position than people, and thus end up wasting time, energy, and the potential of their team.

Although position isn’t everything, it is important to have to lead, and is the first step of the five levels. Align your vision with the idea that a title is not a goal, but instead a starting point for you and your organization. Rather than a “big promotion” for you, this is a chance to set your people up for lifelong success.

To give your status within the company life and meaning, use your personality. What are your core values that you’d like to help your teammates develop also? Which practices will help you be the most productive? There are many different styles of leadership, and any one can work as long as it fits your identity.

An experience of a Southwest Airlines former CEO shows how this works. He watched how two court litigators acted. While one was emotional and assertive, the other fostered calmness and diplomacy. Both of these leaders were successful even though they had different styles.

While position is important for making a difference in people’s lives, it’s not enough for them to follow you. It’s vital that you get their permission for you to lead them. Doing this is as simple as changing your focus from yourself to others.

Think of a person that you have to spend time with that you don’t like. How do you feel when you are around them? For most of us, these kinds of people sap our energy and give us a negative attitude about life.

In contrast, getting lunch with a best friend is energizing and fulfilling. Often the reason our friends have such a positive influence is because they like us. They listen to what we have to say and help us when we need it.

Leadership must remain more formal than friendship. But you’ve got to be the kind of leader that gives these kinds of feelings to your employees by valuing them. When your employees feel that you care, they will trust you. And once they do that, they will give you permission to lead them.