The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential (8 page)

Once you have completed the assessment, please return this document to the leader listed at the top of the page.

You can gain a “snapshot” of your leadership by doing the following:

1. In the column labeled Part 1, record the number of statements you agreed with as true in each section of the assessment.
   
2. In the column labeled Part 2, record the number of your team members who are on each level with you based on your assessment of them.
   
3. In the column labeled Part 3, record the number of people who put you on each level according to their answers to the statements.
   
4. Now add the lines across. Which level of leadership has the highest number? More than likely, the one with the highest number indicates your current level of leadership with the majority of people on your team. (This isn’t meant to be scientifically valid. It’s simply a tool to give you insight into yourself.)
   

Keep this assessment in mind as you move through the book. The Guide for Growth at the end of each section of the book will help you to improve your leadership skills and move up to the higher levels of leadership with your people.

L
eadership traditionally begins with Position. Someone joins the Army, and he or she becomes a recruit, working to earn the rank of private. A person gets a job, and along with it usually comes a title or job description: laborer, salesperson, waiter, clerk, accountant, manager. Position is the starting place for every level of leadership. It is the bottom floor and the foundation upon which leadership must be built. Real influence must be developed upon that foundation.

There was a time when people relied heavily on position to lead, which is no surprise when you consider that at one time, hereditary leadership positions were handed down from father to son (and sometimes daughter) within families. Princes became kings and their decisions were law—for good or bad. In most industrialized nations, those days are gone. True, there are still nations with kings and queens, but even in most of those nations, such as England, monarchs rule with the permission of the people, and the real leaders are usually elected. Position gives you a chance, but it usually carries with it very little real power, except in systems where the penalties for not following are dire.

There’s nothing wrong with having a
position
of leadership. When a person receives a leadership position, it’s usually because someone in authority saw talent and potential in that person. And with that title and position come some rights and a degree of authority to lead others.

Position is a good starting place. And like every level of leadership, it has its upside and downside. Let’s start by looking at the good things about the Position level of leadership.

J
ust as there are positive and negative aspects in every season of life, there are both positive and negative aspects to every level of leadership. If you are new to leadership and you receive a position, then there are things to celebrate. I’m going to tell you about four of them.

Most of the time when people enter a leadership position, they do so because it was granted or appointed by some other person in authority. That probably seems obvious. But think about the implications: it usually means that the person in authority believes the new leader has some degree of potential for leading. That’s good news. So if you’re new to leadership and you have been invited to lead something, then celebrate the fact that someone in authority believes in you.

I remember the first time I was given a leadership position. I was named by my high school basketball coach to be the captain of our team. What an exhilarating moment that was! When I close my eyes, I can still remember how it felt to know that Coach Neff had confidence in me.

After he made the announcement, he shared with the other players
that I was an example of positive attitude and hard work. But later he took me aside and explained that the title of captain would merely give me a platform to display my leadership abilities. It did not guarantee that the players would follow me. He said earning that would be my responsibility.

The best leaders promote people into leadership based on leadership potential, not on politics, seniority, credentials, or convenience. John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach who was a fantastic leader, once told me that he didn’t designate a captain for his team until after a few games into the season. He waited because he wanted to see which player would step up and deserve the honor. He has often been quoted as saying to his team, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do, show me what you’re going to do!”

If you have a new leadership position, then let me say welcome to the first step in your leadership journey. You have a seat at the table and have been invited to be part of the “leadership game.” You will have opportunities to express your opinion and make decisions. Your initial goal should be to show your leader and your team that you deserve the position you have received.

When an individual receives a position and title, some level of authority or power usually comes with them. Often in the beginning that power is very limited, but that’s okay because most leaders need to prove themselves with little before being given much.

Going back to my first official leadership position—captain on the basketball team—I received certain new privileges. Before tip-off, I
got to meet at center court with the referees and the other team’s captain to discuss the game to be played. I could call time-out during the game and was asked for input from the coach when we were in the huddle. I also spoke to the team in the locker room before and after each game. My title gave me recognition and authority. However, I also recognized the limitations of that recognition and authority. As the
Infantryman’s Journal
(1954) says, “No man is a leader until his appointment is ratified in the minds and the hearts of his men.”

As a new leader, you must use the authority you are given wisely, to advance the team and help the people you lead. Do that, and your people will begin to give you even greater authority. When that happens, you gain leadership, not just a position.

There should always be a relationship between receiving a leadership position and fulfilling the requirements demanded by it. One of the main requirements is personal growth. I learned this early in my life from my father, who loved to quote, “To whoever much is given, much shall be required.” He believed that each of us had received a lot in life, and we had a responsibility to learn and grow so that we could make the most of it.

The journey through the 5 Levels of Leadership will only be successful if you dedicate yourself to continual development. If you believe that the position makes the leader, you will have a hard time becoming a good leader. You will be tempted to stop and “graze,” meaning you’ll stay where you are and enjoy the position’s benefits, instead of striving to grow and become the best leader you can.

Frequently I’ll ask a group, “What’s the
one
thing you would change to improve the effectiveness of your organization?” Usually people name things that can be found on this list of Ps: products, promotions,
policies, processes, procedures, pricing, and people. Seldom does anyone say the most important and impacting of all answers: “ME! I would change me to improve our organization.” Yet that seldom-heard response is the key to success. If you want to lead, you need to grow. The only way to improve an organization is to grow and improve the leaders. If you want to make an impact, start with yourself.

The leaders who do the greatest harm to an organization are the ones who think they have arrived. Once they receive the title or position they desire, they stop growing. They stop innovating. They stop improving. They rest on their entitlements and clog up everything. Make the most of this opportunity in leadership by making growth your goal. And strive to keep growing. Good leaders are always good learners. To be an effective leader, you must believe that the leadership position you receive is merely an invitation to grow. If you do that and become a lifetime learner, you will continually increase your influence over time. And you will make the most of your leadership potential, no matter how great or small it might be.