Overview of the 5 Levels of Leadership

here are 5 levels of leadership, and each level is very distinct from the others:

1. Position: People follow you because they have to.
2. Permission: People follow you because they want to.
3. Production: People follow you because of what you’ve done for the organization.
4. People development: People follow you because of what you’ve done for them.
5. Pinnacle: People follow you because of who you are and what you represent.

Here are some important things to know about these 5 levels:

• You are not on the same level with every person. With every person, you have to build your position from the beginning.
• The higher you go, the easier it is to lead.
• The higher you go, the more time and commitment is required to win a level.
• Moving up levels occurs slowly, but going down can happen quickly.
• The higher you go, the greater the return.
• Not climbing the levels limits you and your people.
• When you change positions or organizations, you seldom stay at the same level. However, it’s much easier to climb because you know how to do it.
• You cannot climb the levels alone.