Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Leadership: Debunking 5 myths
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Permission & Production
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: People Development and Personhood
Leadership: Climbing the steps
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 0 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Position
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
In this post, I had mentioned my surprise at learning that each of us influences at least ten thousand other people during our lifetime. (!) “So the question is not whether you will influence someone, but how you will use your influence.”
Continuing with this miniseries on leadership from John C. Maxwell’s book Leadership 101, and inspired by the statement above, I want to expand on what the author calls the levels of leadership. Maxwell says there are five levels—or steps—that we all take along the leadership journey. We can develop our influence and leadership potential by understanding what each step entails. And by allowing ourselves the necessary time to dwell and grow through each level, we can become the leaders we want to be.
So, what are the levels of leadership, you ask? Today we’ll take a look at the first one. Come back tomorrow to learn about the next ones.
Level 1: Position—People follow because they have to. “This is the basic entry level of leadership. The only influence you have is that which comes with a title. People who stay at this level get into territorial rights, protocol, tradition and organizational charts. These things are not negative unless they become the basis for authority and influence, but they are poor substitutes for leadership skills.”
In here Maxwell makes an important distinction: “A real leader knows the difference between being the boss and being a leader.”
| The boss: | The leader: |
| Drives his workers | Coaches his workers |
| Depends on authority | Depends on goodwill |
| Inspires fear | Inspires enthusiasm |
| Says “I” | Says “we” |
| Fixes the blame for the breakdown | Fixes the breakdown |
At this level, unfortunately, security is not based on talent. Instead, it’s based solely on title, which means that this step is often reached by appointment (whereas all subsequent levels are gained by ability). And since “people will not follow a positional leader beyond his stated authority,” this also means that the so-called followers at this stage “will only do what they have to do when they are required to do it. Low morale is always present… [and] when the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.”
What to do if you are at this level or know someone who is? Develop the following characteristics until you exhibit them with excellence, and you’ll then be ready to move up.
Level 1: Position/Rights
- Know your job description thoroughly.
- Be aware of the history of the organization.
- Relate the organization’s history to the people of the organization (in other words, be a team player).
- Accept responsibility.
- Do your job with consistent excellence.
- Do more than expected.
- Offer creative ideas for change and improvement.
Come back tomorrow to continue reading about the subsequent levels of leadership. You’ll learn the characteristics you need to develop in each step to move up the leadership ladder.
ACTION
TODAY: We’ve all interacted at some point with someone who exerts positional leadership and calls him/herself the boss as per the description above (yikes!). What can you learn from those people so as to not do it yourself? Consider them inverse mentors.
FUTURE: As uncomfortable as it is to be around someone at this level of leadership, be compassionate and remember the saying “every master was once a disaster.” Or if this was you at some point, stop cringing and forgive yourself. We all start somewhere in our leadership journey and build from there. Maybe if you extend a helping hand, offer friendly advice, or give helpful feedback, you’ll be able to assist the positional leader to move along the path toward the next step.
Know someone who wants to learn more about leadership? Please share this post and the upcoming ones in this miniseries, thank you! Email, Facebook or Twitter.