John Maxwell has written to us about the 5 levels of leadership in one of his more recent books. The 5 Levels speech is by far one his most popular speeches as he shared in such prestigious leadership venues as West Point and many Fortune 500 companies.

The levels of Leadership are: Position, Permission, Production, People Development and Personhood are all straightforward concepts. These levels each involve rights, relationships, results, reproduction and respect.

Straightforward, simple concepts however, that does not make them anything less than complex. John likes to put the cookies on the lower shelf so everyone can have some and for most of that is enough.

Leadership like planning really doesn’t matter unless it is executed. Implementation is the test that proves the value of the idea, the plan or the principle. The worth is tested in its execution, otherwise it is just a theory.

In an effort to bring even more life to Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership and allow them to become more practical, I offer Guy Ferguson’s quote on the different function involved in leading people.

“To know how to do a job is the accomplishment of labor;
To be available to tell others is the accomplishment of the teacher;
To inspire others to do better work is the accomplishment of management;
To be able to do all three is the accomplishment of true leaders.”

1. To know how to do a job is the accomplishment of labor;
   The average age of skilled craftsman in Michigan is 50+. There is and will continue to be severe shortage of the vocational trades. Shinola watch in Detroit are wildly popular and is the first watch to be made in North America in over 50 years; they are woefully behind on orders because it takes so long to train the artisans necessary to this precise work. While historically undervalued, the ‘laborer’ is a lost art in our culture today.

2. To be available to tell others is the accomplishment of the teacher;
   When I worked with EQUIP, Maxwell’s nonprofit, we used the principle of multiplication to enhance our efforts. We expected each attendee to return home and teach 7 other prospects. Teaching is a powerful profession and a means to create positive change in the life of a child and the future of a community. Teaching is high yield influencing. Especially when you have a teacher that walks the walk. A teacher who is more than a travel agent, a person who sends people on a trip, but a profound teacher/leader is more like a tour guide, a person who takes people on a journey, a leadership journey of self discovery where all things are possible.

3. To inspire others to do better work is the accomplishment of management;
   When a person who is in a position of leadership realizes they are leading people and not projects, the potential is limitless for the team. Founder and President Pat Gillespie of the Gillespie Group in Lansing, MI understands this better than any leader I am currently acquainted with, Pat get it. He dreams big, inspires others to do the same. This is not something he manufactures or conjures up, it is who he is. Three words describe this manner of influence – positive, passionate and productive. Pat doesn’t drive his people, he leads them. He inspires them by living these leadership principles.

4. To be able to do all three is the accomplishment of true leaders.”
   Maxwell writes about the 5^th level of influence as personhood and how true leaders do all four things listed here and they do them seamlessly. As in the 5 levels, you are living on each level and you are doing all 4 functions depending on what the person you leading needs. Each person in the audience, on the team or listening to you is relating to you on one of the 5 levels and they each need you to help them discover their gifts, where they fit and move them to produce.

In short, leaders lead and they create positive change in people as well as projects.

Lead on…

Phil