5 levels of leadership – John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership explained

Do you want to develop your leadership skills? In this post, we take you through John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership. We will then help you know how you can implement them.

5 levels of leadership

Leadership is a crucial attribute for a professional to aspire high in the ladders of success and growth.

The question is, How to develop leadership qualities?

John Maxwell, the American author and speaker, has elaborated on the 5 levels of leadership. In this article, we will discuss in detail the five levels of leadership, their significance, and influence and the best John Maxwell book.

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Who is John Maxwell?

Before we discuss the 5 levels of leadership, let us find out who is John Maxwell?

Born in 1947 in Garden City, Michigan, John Maxwell is a pioneer when it comes to leadership and how it defines human characteristics. He is an American speaker, pastor, and author of several books focused on leadership. 

The 5 Levels of Leadership

The 5 levels of leadership of John Maxwell are Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle leadership development. In this section, John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership are elaborated with their benefits and how you can achieve them. The leadership levels will guide you to become a good and established leader at the workplace.

Leadership level 1 – Position

Position is the first level among John C Maxwell 5 levels of leadership. It initiates the leadership journey. At this level, you are entitled to function in a particular role or job but without any significant influence on the team or peers. Though you possess the authority and command, yet you have not yet earned the due respect as a leader.

As per the laws of leadership, at the Position level, you need to unlock your potential to be a leader. You need to nurture the process, understand your limits, and plan to grow further.

Before moving on to the next leadership level, there are few important facts to realize. 

• You are respected and recognized by the work you do and not solely by your job title
• Consider people around as valuable, supporting and guiding them
• Work as a team collaboratively to seek towards the objectives

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Leadership level 2 – Permission

Permission is the second level among John Maxwell 5 levels of leadership. At this level, you grant importance to your team and impart the feeling of their importance. The team in turn listens to you and follows you in their daily work and activities.

People are jubilated on the recognition and feel happy that they are valued. The trust and confidence rendered upon them instil positivity and harmony in the workplace. In fact, the relationship is further improved and bonding starts to work on. The team is motivated to follow your instructions. At this level, you need to be trustworthy and work on aiding and assisting the team.

Before moving on to the next leadership level, there are few important facts to realize. 

• Growth can be achieved by coordination and collaboration jointly with the team
• It is crucial to trust the people and help them to achieve the success ladder
• The mission and vision must be perceived and attained as a team

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Leadership level 3 – Production

Production is the third level among John Maxwell five levels of leadership. The level is for nurturing your credentials to achieve more than the desired results. It’s about leading from the front to motivate the team and yourself in delivering quality.

The product leadership level intensifies the capability to go beyond the normal potential and seek to attain visionary objectives. The team feels rejuvenated and amplified by following your ideologies and vision. The combined effect of results and relationships serve as a boon. Hence at this level, you must dedicate your attention strictly on results. 

Before moving on to the next leadership level, there are few important facts to realize. 

• Confident in overcoming the challenges and achieve success
• Focus on the objectives and the results to be attained
• Gear up the team to bring in growth in their career and fulfil their ambitions

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Leadership level 4 – People Development

People Development is the fourth level among John Maxwell laws of leadership. At this level, you need to focus on empowerment. It focused on believing people and their potential, granting them the authority to perform key tasks and activities.

In a way, you can assess the capability of the team and reward them based on their potential. The rewards and recognition encourage them to move forward. You need to delegate work to them and motivate them to perform better. Arrange for competency update sessions to aid in the learning process. 

Before moving on to the next leadership level, there are few important facts to realize. 

• Plan to create new leaders
• Coach and guide the team to inculcate the leadership culture
• Constant grooming for the betterment 
• The reward for good performance and encouragement

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Leadership level 5 – Pinnacle 

What is level 5 leadership?

Pinnacle is the last level in John Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership. Very few people reach up to this level. In the last level, the leaders create new leaders who are at the fourth level. In other words, its like building and developing leaders whom people can trust and follow.

Level 5 leadership is about deploying the correct judgement in enhancing the potential of the team to lead from the front. You need dedicated and focused attention and possess the appropriate the skill to achieve such a result. On success, you can create 5 levels of the organization.

As per the laws of leadership, the more you succeed in creating aspiring and new leaders in your organization, the more you can increase growth and customer satisfaction. New leaders can fast track the market presence of a firm and invest more in attaining the strategic vision.

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How to navigate various levels of leadership?

We have learnt in detail about the 5 levels of leadership. Now in this section, we will discuss how to navigate between the different levels of leadership and move upward the ladder through the 5 levels of leadership summary.

While transforming from Level 1 to Level 2, here are what you must do:

• Attend the needs of the employees
• Reward and recognize the employees for their contribution
• Provide constructive feedback to the team members
• Focus on nurturing and developing emotional intelligence

While transforming from Level 2 to Level 3, here are what you must do:

• Communicate the mission and vision of the company
• Share the key performance indicators or KPIs with the team for them to be part of achieving the goals
• Share the deadlines on each of the members and track the progress
• Strong time management 
• Planning, organizing and strategizing

While transforming from Level 3 to Level 4, here are what you must do:

• Create a mentorship program to develop the leadership skill of the employees
• Plan for the employees and help to reach the goals and objectives of the company
• Empower and delegate the team to fulfil their activities and tasks

While transforming from Level 4 to Level 5, here are what you must do:

• Assess the progress and focus on improvement
• Developing a new legacy of leadership

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What are the 5 levels of influence?

The 5 levels of influence on leadership are:

• Social systems
• Individual preferences
• Social institutions
• Mission and Vision of the organization 
• The routine habits and practices

All these have a significant impact on the leadership levels and a key factor in driving the leadership qualities. You need to understand the impact and ensure they are catered to while paving the path towards leadership.

John Maxwell books

John Maxwell has written almost 100 books. The best selling John Maxwell books are:

• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
• Developing the Leader Within You 
• The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

John Maxwell books on leadership are quite popular and have sold almost million copies. Change Your World is John Maxwell new book. John Maxwell leadership books have earned great popularity because of the ease in which the leadership descriptors are elaborated clearly. His book Good Leaders Ask Great Questions: Your Foundation for Successful Leadership is among the best leadership books 2016.

John Maxwell quotes

Here are some of John Maxwell quotes: 

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”

“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit”

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them”

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision”

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John Maxwell leadership training

You can opt for the following John Maxwell leadership training:

• Free 5 levels of leadership training, which involves a selection process
• 15 Laws of growth online course
• Developing the leader within your online course
• Advanced growth system online course
• Put your dream to the test online course
• Corporate Leadership training

5 Ps of leadership 

The 5 Ps of leadership are:

• Purpose
• Position
• Priority
• Process
• Professionalization

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If the purpose of the vision is clear, then you can prioritize the activities. You can leverage your position and authority to drive the process and bring professionalization in achieving the goals. With all the 5 Ps in place, you will be able to place yourself as a good leader that employees can rely on and trust.

How do leaders become leaders?

Leaders can become great leaders by being compassionate, result-oriented, focusing on the goals and bringing in innovations in the overall process. John Maxwell five levels of leadership define the technique or strategy that needs to be adopted to be a leader. Being a leader is not to be self-centric but to grow as a team and attain the vision; the facts stated by the five levels of leadership.