Climbing The 5 Levels of Leadership
From empty title to genuine respect
Personal Touch before we start.
‘The 5 Levels of Leadership’ is my go-to leadership framework.
Jason Taylor, my direct manager at Ansarada, first introduced it to me, and I am grateful for it. ❤️
It helps me to simplify, demystify, and structure my thinking around ‘Leadership.’
As a direct report and a manager, I was on both sides of the framework. It works.
Expand Leadership → Expand Influence → Expand Effectiveness
“When you expand your leadership ( = climbing the leadership levels), you expand your influence. When you expand your influence, you expand your effectiveness. Great leaders are effective.”
John C. Maxwell, Leadership Author and Speaker
Let’s Start.
Level 1: I have the title, so you follow me.
If people follow you just because they must, they will give you the least of their effort, time, and mind. They simply want to get paid. And I don’t blame them...
Getting a leadership job doesn’t make you a leader.
Level 2: You like me, so you follow me.
People start to like you. You are helpful; you listen to them, observe, and learn. You are getting along with people and building relationships.
You must be likable and not antagonizing to build real influence.
The statement: “... You don’t need people to like you as long as they do what you say...” is a total BS and an example of a lazy leadership style and a toxic mindset. 💩
Level 3: I produce results, so you follow me.
You produce outcomes and gain credibility. You start attracting other productive people (the law of magnetism) because you build momentum and solve problems. You are effective, and it’s visible.
We attract who we are, not who we want.
Level 4: I coach you to be me, so you follow me.
You grow others. You grow a company by growing people. When you increase their capacity, they increase the capacity of what you can accomplish.
Effectiveness at scale is achieved through the people you grow.
Level 5: I gained your respect, so you follow me.
You did so much for so many and for so long that people follow you because of who you are.
Getting to Level 5 is a lifelong journey.
What’s Next?
Identify your leadership level with each of your direct reports. The level is subjective per person.
Work with me!
There are three ways we can work together. Check those out. 😉
A simple but impactful framework. Thanks for sharing.