The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential (35 page)
Read The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential Online
Authors: John C. Maxwell
During the service, broadcaster Dick Enberg described his last visit with John Wooden. As Enberg stood up to leave, Coach had smiled and pointed to his forehead. Enberg described how he walked over and kissed Coach’s forehead, saying, “It was like kissing God.” Coach loved a quote attributed to Socrates: “I pray thee, O God, that I may be beautiful within.” That was John Wooden’s prayer, and I believe God answered it.
At the close of the memorial service the people who attended did not exit quickly. They had spent two hours honoring a wonderful leader, and afterward they just wanted to stay and soak up the atmosphere. I believe many were thinking,
I want to live and die like he did.
I know I was.
Many times people don’t find out how wonderful a leader was until he dies. They go to the funeral or memorial service, and they are surprised to discover how many other lives were impacted by the person. In the case of Coach, we didn’t have to wait to find that out. Players
from four decades of teams had received the benefit of his leadership, and so did the people they have led after their days on the court. And millions more had watched from afar as he led teams to victory. I wish I were more like him: giver, grower, teacher, coach, leader, and friend. He was wise, honest, principled, disciplined, humble, humorous, courageous, and faithful. He was a Level 5 leader. The world needs more like him.
You Can Have a Leadership Game Plan for Your Life
1.
John C. Maxwell,
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Revised and Updated 10th Anniversary Edition
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).
Level 1: Position
1.
D. Michael Abrashoff,
It’s Your Ship
(New York: Warner Books, 2002), 4.
2.
“Trouble Finding the Perfect Gift for Your Boss—How About a Little Respect?” Ajilon Office, 14 October 2003, http://www.ajilonoffice.com/articles/af_bossday-101403.asp, accessed 25 September 2006.
3.
See
Today Matters
(Nashville: Center Street, 2004) for the twelve areas I focus on and the habits I use daily to manage my life.
4.
Cartoon copyright © 2010; reprinted courtesy of Bunny Hoest.
5.
John C. Maxwell,
Leadership Gold
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008).
6.
Cartoon copyright © 2001 by Randy Glasbergen.
7.
“Gallup Study: Engaged Employees Inspire Company Innovation,”
Gallup Management Journal,
12 October 2006, http://gmj.gallup.com/content/24880/Gallup-Study-Engaged-Employees-Inspire-Company-Innovation.aspx; accessed 2 July 2010.
8.
Marco Nink, “Employee Disengagement Plagues Germany,”
Gallup Management Journal,
9 April 2009, http://gmj.gallup.com/content/117376/Employee-Disengagement-Plagues-Germany.aspx; accessed 2 July 2010.
Level 2: Permission
1.
Janet Lowe,
Jack Welch Speaks: Wit and Wisdom from the World’s Greatest Business Leader
(New York: Wiley, 2007), 89.
2.
Ibid.
3.
“Active Listening,” U.S. Department of State, http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/65759.htm; accessed 28 July 2010.
4.
Martin Kalungu-Banda,
Leading like Madiba: Leadership Lessons from Nelson Mandela
(Cape Town, South Africa: Double Story Books, 2008), 13–15.
5.
Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg,
Becoming a Contagious Christian
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 57.
6.
Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus,
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge
(New York: HarperBusiness, 1997), 52.
7.
Matthew 7:12 (NKJV).
8.
Hadith of an-Nawawi 13.
9.
Talmud, Shabbat 31a, quoted in “The Universality of the Golden Rule in World Religions,” www.teachingvalues.com, 23 September 2002.
10.
Udana-Varga 5, 1, quoted in ibid.
11.
Mahabharata 5, 1517, quoted in ibid.
12.
Shast-na-shayast 13:29, quoted at www.thegoldenrule.net, 23 September 2002.
13.
Analects 15:23, quoted at ibid.
14.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, 30, quoted at www.fragrant.demon.co.uk/golden, 23 September 2002.
15.
Sutrakritanga 1.11.33, quoted at ibid.
16.
Ibid.
17.
Proverbs 27:6 (NASB).
18.
Pauline Graham, ed.,
Mary Parker Follett: Prophet of Management
(Baltimore: Beard Books, 2003).
Level 3: Production
1.
Joel Weldon, “Jobs Don’t Have Futures, People Do,”
The Unlimited Times
(e-newsletter), http://cmaanet.org/files/shared/CONTROLLABLES.pdf; accessed 19 August 2010.
2.
Walt Mason, “The Welcome Man,” in
It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration,
ed. Joseph Morris and St. Clair Adams (1921; Project Gutenberg, 2004), http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10763/10763-8.txt; accessed 19 August 2010.
3.
Source unknown.
4.
Jim Collins,
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
(New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 139.
5.
Henry Ford in interview
The American Magazine
(July 1928), vol. 106.
Level 4: People Development
1.
Drucker, Peter,
On the Profession of Management
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Review, 2003).
2.
George Barna with Bill Dallas,
Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats
(Carol Stream, IL: BarnaBooks, 2009), 61.
3.
James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer,
Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead
(New York: Warner Books, 1994), 19.
4.
Everett Shostrom,
Man, The Manipulator
(New York: Bantam, 1980).
5.
“The Little Boy and Sugar,” Storytime for Children, Gandhi Memorial Center, Washington D.C., http://www.gandhimemorialcenter.org/for_children, accessed 8 April 2011.
6.
George Barna with Bill Dallas,
Master Leaders
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2009), 62.
7.
David Sedaris,
Naked
(New York: Back Bay Books, 1997), 215.
Level 5: The Pinnacle
1.
Collins,
Good to Great
, 29.
2.
Robert J. Thomas, “Crucibles of Leadership Development,”
MIT Sloan Management Review
49, no. 3 (Spring 2008), 15.
3.
Ibid, 16.
Portrait of a Level 5 Leader
1.
“John Wooden: A Coaching Legend, October 10, 1910—June 4, 2010,” Official Website of UCLA Athletics, http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/ucla-wooden-page.html; accessed 24 September 2010.
2.
“John Wooden: Life and Times,” UCLA, http://www.spotlight.ucla.edu/john-wooden/life-and-times; accessed 23 September 2010.
3.
“NAIA Celebrates Black History Month—The Clarence Walker Story” (video), YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TPw7UnCG3g; accessed 23 September 2010.
4.
“John Wooden: A Coaching Legend.”
5.
“Season-by-Season Records,”
UCLA History
, http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ucla/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/MBB_History_99-128.pdf, 116; accessed 24 September 2010.
6.
“John Wooden: A Coaching Legend.”
7.
“Sporting News’ Top 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time,”
Sporting News
, July 29, 2009, http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2009-07-29/sporting-news-50-greatest-coaches-all-time; accessed 24 September 2010.
8.
“Wooden’s Pyramid of Success,” The John R. Wooden Course, http://wood encourse.com/woodens_wisdom.html; accessed 24 September 2010.
Can Teach You How to Be a REAL Success
Relationships
25 Ways to Win with People
Becoming a Person of Influence
Encouragement Changes Everything
Ethics 101
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
The Power of Partnership
Relationships 101
Winning with People
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork
Developing the Leaders Around You
Equipping 101
Make Today Count
Mentoring 101
My Dream Map
Partners in Prayer
Put Your Dream to the Test
Running with the Giants
Talent Is Never Enough
Today Matters
Your Road Map for Success
Attitude 101
The Difference Maker
Failing Forward
How Successful People Think
Sometimes You Win—Sometimes You Learn
Success 101
Thinking for a Change
The Winning Attitude
The 5 Levels of Leadership
The 10th Anniversary Edition of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s Day
The 360 Degree Leader
Developing the Leader Within You
Go for Gold
How Successful People Lead
Leadership 101
Leadership Gold
Leadership Promises for Every Day
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YOU CAN HAVE A LEADERSHIP GAME PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
You Can Learn Practical Leadership Tools
Overview of the 5 Levels of Leadership
Insights into the 5 Levels of Leadership
LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT: HOW TO GAUGE YOUR CURRENT LEVEL OF LEADERSHIP
LEVEL 1: POSITION:
IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT, BUT YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO LIVE THERE
The Upside of Position:
You Have Been Invited to the Leadership Table
The Downside of Position:
True Leadership Isn’t about Position
Best Behaviors on Level 1:
How to Make the Most of Your Position
The Laws of Leadership at the Position Level:
Lid, Process, and Navigation
Beliefs That Help a Leader Move Up to Level 2
Guide to Growing through Level 1
LEVEL 2: PERMISSION:
YOU CAN’T LEAD PEOPLE UNTIL YOU LIKE PEOPLE
The Upside of Permission:
The Workplace Has Become More Pleasant for Everyone
The Downside of Permission:
The Pressure Is on You to Build Positive Relationships
Best Behaviors on Level 2:
How to Gain People’s Permission
Beliefs That Help a Leader Move Up to Level 3
Guide to Growing through Level 2
LEVEL 3: PRODUCTION:
MAKING THINGS HAPPEN SEPARATES REAL LEADERS FROM WANNABES
The Upside of Production:
You Now Have Leadership Credibility
The Downside of Production:
The Weight of Leadership Just Got Heavier
Best Behaviors on Level 3:
How to Make the Most of Production in Leadership
Beliefs That Help a Leader Move Up to Level 4
Guide to Growing through Level 3
LEVEL 4: PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT:
HELPING INDIVIDUAL LEADERS GROW EXTENDS YOUR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT
The Upside of People Development:
The Potential of the Organization Just Got Greater
The Downside of People Development:
Leading on Level 4 Requires High Levels of Maturity and Skill