Levels of Leadership and their Laws

When I joined Harvest Institute for the Leadership Course at the beginning of this year, I quickly came to realize that my idea of leadership was very flawed.   Reading John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and 5 Levels of Leadership, I am scared because there is so much to do, but encouraged because there is a formula that I can follow, to become a better leader.

Positional leadership, whereby someone takes up a leadership position is what I previously believed defined leadership, but I am now learning that this is simply Level 1, the starting point.

The first law applicable here is the Law of Sacrifice. In order to progress, I need to let go of some things. I need to sacrifice my need for leadership to be all about me. I have to give up my beliefs of entitlement, demanding respect, ordering people around and having my needs met, in order to grow.

Following on this is the Law of the Lid: My leadership skills will determine how effective I am as a leader. If I take position as the ultimate achievement, I will not seek to grow in skill, and so limit my level of effectiveness.

The Laws of Process and Navigation encourage and spur me on to becoming a better leader. As I recognize my need to grow, I should not look for short cuts but should commit to making the necessary changes daily, consistently and habitually. Almost anyone can be given or voted to a leadership position but I need to be intentional in my growth as a leader so that I’m better placed to help others successfully navigate what lies ahead.

To leave Level 1, I need to move from having people follow my position, to having people allow me to lead. This is Level 2: Permission.

The Law of the Lid still applies here. I am naturally more result- than relationship-oriented, so I need to raise the lid on my relationship ability by being intentional about building relationships with the people I lead. 

“Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less” according to the Law of Influence. I will find it very hard to influence people if I have no relationship with them. How do I build these relationships? People relate better with someone who adds to them, and this is where the Law of Addition comes in. I need to lift people up and serve them, not myself. The Law of Buy-in also ties in here. People follow the person first, then the vision. When people see that I am looking out for their interests and not my own, they let me lead more willingly.

Relationships, the basis of Level 2, are built on trust. This is what the Law of Solid Ground is about. People want to know that their leader will work to fulfill whatever promises they make. A great determinant of trust is whether my actions match my words. If people see me model the same values I ask of them, they will trust me and do as asked. This is where the Law of the Picture comes in.  

According to the Law of Magnetism, I attract people who are most like me. As I build relationships, I should check myself first to see whether I am the kind of person I want to attract, and make the necessary changes. The Law of the Inner Circle ties in here. Are the ones growing closest to me people who can propel me to greatness? I need to identify “inner circle” people and prioritize these relationships but also work at making myself the kind of person those people would be attracted to.

At Level 2, I need to relate with people beyond the leadership space, as whole individuals with complex lives. This is the Law of Connection. This tells them I am interested in them as human beings and not just as means to an end, and makes them more willing to let me lead.

Whether it’s an organization, movement, team, or other kind of entity being led, it must have goals and targets. The purpose of building relationships is to have people working towards the goals of the entity willingly, not out of coercion. If goals are not being met, it doesn’t matter how relational I am; I will not be considered a good leader. I need to reach Level 3: Production. A Level 3 leader makes things happen.

Some of the laws mentioned previously apply here. Take the Law of the Lid: am I skilled enough to produce results, or am I holding my team back? Do I need to upgrade my vocational skills? The Law of Navigation too: I need to develop to the level that I can guide my team through anticipated challenges and have contingency plans for unpleasant surprises in order to deliver results safely, with no excuses. By the Law of the Picture, I need to model winning habits that my team can imitate in order to start and keep winning. And according to the Law of Magnetism, if I am producing results, I will attract more results producers like myself, making the team even more productive.

As a Level 3 leader what tangible results do me and my team have to show for all our “hard work”? This is where the Law of Priorities comes in. I need to guide myself and the team to concentrate efforts on things that give the greatest return for our investment.

People want to be on the winning team, so will more readily follow the person with a track record of winning. The Law of Respect and the Law of Victory work together here. A good measure of strength is one’s ability to deliver results. I need to make delivering results a habit, to be deemed a leader worth following, but also for the sake of team morale and individual betterment of the team members.

The joy of a win or the satisfaction of delivered results encourages the team, shows them that it is possible and encourages them to keep working hard towards the next goal. This is the Law of the Big MO. I need to lead my team to victory consistently in order to maintain morale and enhance production. I need to master the Law of Timing; to not only know what should be done, but also when it should be done in order to lead to victory.

After mastering Level 3, I will move on to People Development. A Level 4 leader concentrates on developing other leaders. By this, my influence will be multiplied. The Law of the Inner Circle applies here again. I should surround myself with others willing to grow in their leadership and mentor them accordingly.

The Law of Empowerment kicks in here. I will be willing to empower others to lead when I understand that raising other leaders will not minimize my own leadership. If I am the only one leading, growth will be much slower than if I train other leaders to do what I am doing. This is the Law of Explosive Growth. In training other leaders I in effect clone myself in them, giving them the ability to produce that many times what I am producing alone.

After Level 4 comes the Pinnacle. A Level 5 leader is training other leaders who are also training other leaders. At this level the leader’s influence and reputation reach beyond their area of expertise. They are consulted by people from all walks of life. The main law here is the Law of Legacy: The effects of a Pinnacle leader live on even after them.

The Law of Explosive Growth also applies here. My effect and influence will be confounded in exponential ways if I recreate myself and my abilities in other leaders who are doing the same in other leaders. Similarly, my influence will stretch beyond my field, influencing other spheres I would not have reached at a lower level. And by the Law of Influence, if I can influence outside my field I will have truly attained the highest level of leadership.

The Law of the Lid again applies here, backed up by the Law of Respect. People tend to follow leaders stronger than themselves, so Level 4 leaders need Level 5 leaders to follow. Therefore I have to raise my lid to Level 5 to allow others to attain Level 4 status.

The Law of Intuition and the Law of Timing work together here. At Level 5, I will have extensive experience to draw upon to seemingly automatically know when and how to lead.

In conclusion, the different laws correctly applied to the successive levels of leadership, will help me develop into the kind of leader God wants and my world needs.