Book SummaryThe 5 Levels of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The 5 Levels of Leadership

What makes a good leader? In this book, John C. Maxwell describes the 5 Levels of Leadership, a roadmap to help you reach your full leadership potential. As he equates leadership with influence, the five levels show how your influence progresses as you grow. Each level serves as a building block for the next one.

(Shortform note: Jim Collins devotes a chapter to the topic of Level 5 leadership in his book Good to Great. We compare his model to Maxwell’s throughout the guide.)

Level 1: Title-Based Leadership

Description

At the first level of leadership, which Maxwell calls Position, people follow you because of your role or position. But while you have a job title, you lack real power other than the authority to lead. (Shortform note: In contrast to Maxwell's Level 1 or beginning leader, Collins's model describes a Level 1 person as an employee or non-leader who uses her knowledge, skills, and work ethic to be productive and make a contribution.)

Your Opportunity

You have the chance to grow and define your personal brand of leadership. If you take your position as an opportunity for development, you can become a better leader, which then has an impact on your people and your organization. (Shortform note: This requires you to have a growth mindset, which Drive defines as a belief that your intelligence and abilities aren’t fixed, and you can learn and improve.)

Potential Pitfall

You might get stuck on pulling rank, or using your position, to get things done. If so, your bosses may conclude that you don’t have the potential for further growth. (Shortform note: Maxwell doesn’t delve into why people get stuck in a positional mindset. Executive coach Julie Diamond, Ph.D. posits that misusing power comes from a feeling of weakness: When you have a rank and yet still feel incompetent, underserving, or powerless, you try to make yourself feel less insecure by showing others who’s boss. Diamond says the healthy way to cope with these negative feelings is to tap into your inner power, instead of relying on outsourced feelings of power that you get from pulling rank.)

Next Steps for Growth

• Come down from the top of the hill. Get to know your team members and find out what makes them tick. It may take time to polish people skills, but one thing you can start doing immediately is to show interest in and appreciation for the people you work with—send a strong message that your people are working with you, not for you. (Shortform note: You can do this by practicing what management consultant Tom Peters called “management by walking around” or “management by wandering around” (MBWA). This entails leaving your desk and walking around the office or factory floor to get to know employees, talk about their concerns, and give feedback.)
• Find a mentor. Ask a leader you admire to coach you. (Shortform note: When enlisting a mentor, make sure that you choose someone whose expertise and skills are aligned with your goals. Read our guide to The Success Principles for tips to help you find and retain a mentor.)

Level 2: Relationship-Based Leadership

Description

At this level, which Maxwell calls Permission, people follow you because of your influence and their trust in you. They do their jobs because they want to, not because they have to. In short, they give you permission to lead them. (Shortform note: Maxwell’s Level 2 and Collins’s Level 2 are similar in that they both focus on relationships. But while Maxwell’s Level 2 is about turning subordinates into followers, Collins’s Level 2 is about being a contributing team member who works well with others.)

Your Opportunity

You can create a friendlier work environment where people like to work. Opening up communication lines, making people feel valued and respected, and developing trust injects the workplace with positive energy. (Shortform note: Becoming a better listener is a crucial part of building relationships. Ask questions, invite others to talk about themselves, and sincerely praise them.)

Potential Pitfall

You can have a hard time balancing the “soft” side and the “hard” side of leadership. Leaning too much toward building relationships (the soft side) means you might accept subpar work from your people just to keep them happy. You might also end up having frustrated high achievers on your team—workers who value action over affection might become impatient with the slow process of building relationships.

This level can also be a challenge if you’re not a people person. In this case, you’ll have to approach relationship-building as a skill that you can hone.

(Shortform note: Coaching experts say that relationships allow you to determine the driving force behind actions and results. As a leader who has built relationships with your team members, you’re able to dig deeper and understand the beliefs and experiences that drive their actions, rather than just penalizing them for poor performance.)

Next Steps for Growth

• Build self-awareness. Be honest with yourself, reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, address points for improvement, and be accountable for your behavior and growth. (Shortform note: Building self-awareness leads to accountability. You can do this by confronting reality, seeing yourself as an active rather than passive player, and being solutions-oriented. [Read our guide to The Oz Principle to find out how to take ownership and...

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Shortform Introduction

What makes a good leader? Some say you’ll know one when you see one; others confuse being a leader with simply having a title. In this book, author John C. Maxwell gives a shape and form to something seemingly indefinable. He culls his knowledge and experience to come up with the 5 Levels of Leadership, a roadmap to help you reach your full leadership potential.

About the Author

Maxwell is an author, leadership expert, speaker, and pastor. He is the founder of EQUIP, a development organization that helps leaders around the world, as well as of INJOY, Maximum Impact Mentoring, and The John Maxwell Team. He regularly speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and diverse organizations. He has published numerous books, 12 of which have made it onto the New York Times Best Seller list. His most popular books are _The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, [Developing the Leader Within...

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Introduction to the 5 Levels of Leadership

To Maxwell, leadership equals influence; therefore, the more influence you have, the more you’re able to contribute to an organization and get other people to become more productive, and the higher up the leadership ladder you can go. The 5 Levels of Leadership show how your influence progresses as you grow:

• Level 1: Position. Title-based—people follow you because of your role.
• Level 2: Permission. Relationship-based—people follow you because of your influence and their trust in you.
• Level 3: Production. Results-based—people follow you because you get things done.
• Level 4: People Development. Empowerment-based—people follow you because you’ve invested in them and helped them become leaders themselves.
• Level 5: Pinnacle. Legacy-based—people follow you because you have a reputation for developing strong leaders and strong organizations.

Maxwell states that knowing these 5 Levels of Leadership has several benefits: It gives you a clear idea of what leadership looks like, breaks down the process of becoming the best leader into practical steps, encourages you to continuously grow and work toward the next level, and shapes your...

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary What’s Your Leadership Level?

You’re only as good as the lowest level of leadership you’ve mastered. Use this assessment to gauge where you are on your leadership journey.

(Shortform note: We’ve created our own short assessment to quickly find what level of leadership you’re on. You can take Maxwell’s four-part assessment here or in the book.)

Read the following statements and determine if each one is true for you. Before you do this exercise, think about the one person on your team whom you have the most work conflicts with. You’ll think about how this person perceives you.

Level 1: Title-Based

• I never justify decisions I make for my team by declaring that I have the final say as the boss.
• I am honest about my areas for improvement and open to learning as much as I can to become a better leader.
• I step out of my office to meet my team members where they are, showing my interest in and appreciation for them.
• __ (my problem person) sees me as their leader and trusts my authority.

If all the statements are true, then you’ve probably started moving up to the next levels of leadership. If not, Level 1 might be the starting point of...

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Level 1: Title-Based Leadership

Position or title is the starting point of leadership, not the destination. According to Maxwell, having a title gives you no real power, other than the authority to lead—people only follow you because they have to.

(Shortform note: Compared to Maxwell’s Level 1, someone in Jim Collins’s version of Level 1 does not occupy a leadership role. Instead, this person uses her knowledge, skills, and work ethic to be productive and make a contribution. To Collins, this level is purely individualistic and does not take into account a person’s ability to work with other people.)

Pros of Positional Leadership

Maxwell writes that the positives of being a positional leader are:

1. It means you have what it takes. While hereditary leadership was common in the past, and seniority and politics may still come into play in some scenarios, the best leaders and organizations typically give leadership roles to those who show leadership potential. In short, the higher-ups likely gave you the position because they saw your talents and abilities.

Is It Really Just About Talent?

Maxwell writes that talents and abilities can lead to positional leadership, but many people...

Shortform Exercise: Move Away From a Positional Mindset

Whether you are a new leader or have identified yourself as a long-time positional leader, you can work your way up to the next level.

Decide what kind of leader you want to be by answering three questions: First, ask, "Who am I?" (Think about your strengths and weaknesses, temperament, work habits, and the kind of people you get along with.)

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Level 2: Relationship-Based Leadership

Relationship-based leadership marks the true start of your leadership journey. Maxwell writes that reaching this level, which he calls Permission, means that you have gained some influence over your team members and they now do their jobs because they want to, not because they have to. They aren’t motivated by a paycheck or job security. They transform from subordinates into followers—they go along with you because they get along with you, not because your title coerces them to.

Maxwell adds that reaching Level 2 means that you’ve unlocked a fundamental truth when it comes to leadership: Your success depends on your relationships. When you focus on communication and connection, it makes your people feel valued and included. This encourages them to go from compliance to cooperation and collaboration. In short, they give you permission to lead them.

(Shortform note: Maxwell’s Level 2 and Collins’s Level 2 are similar in that they both focus on relationships. But while Maxwell’s Level 2 is about turning subordinates into followers, Collins’s Level 2 is about being a contributing team member who works effectively with others to achieve a shared objective.)

Pros of...

Shortform Exercise: Earn Your People’s Permission to Lead Them

Start building relationships and start earning your team’s trust, confidence, and permission to lead.

Be your team’s No. 1 encourager. List the names of all your team members below and put something positive beside each name (is always willing to help teammates, makes excellent presentations, and so on). In the next week, find a way to tell each member his or her positive points.

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Level 3: Results-Based Leadership

Level 3 separates the movers and shakers from the fakers. Maxwell writes that a title and good relationships can only take you so far; production is what truly begins to separate you from the rest of the pack. You can’t be a good leader if you’re not producing results.

To thrive in Level 3, which he calls Production, you need to be self-motivated, disciplined, and organized. When your team members see your work ethic, they’re inspired to be productive themselves, creating a winning team that attracts other strong workers.

(Shortform note: For Collins, Level 3 is about being an effective manager, one who marshals people and resources to achieve objectives. His hierarchy clearly delineates between being a manager (Level 3) and a leader (Level 4), but he doesn’t delve into their differences. Similarly, Maxwell merely mentions that management and leadership aren’t interchangeable—that management is about maintaining the status quo, while leadership is about creating change. A Harvard Business Review article [goes more in-depth into the...

Shortform Exercise: Become a More Productive Leader

Go from being just a high-production worker to a high-production leader.

List all the qualities you look for in your team members, then do a self-check. For each quality, determine if it’s something you already have or something that you need to improve. Write an action statement for each desired trait that you have to work on. For example, beside “detail-oriented,” write, “Re-read all documents before I send them out.”

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Level 4: Empowerment-Based Leadership

Maxwell says that people are an organization’s greatest asset. Tap into their potential and bring out the best in them, and you also bring out the best in the organization. This is why at Level 4, which he calls People Development, you shift your gears from being a producer to a developer of people. The time you spend developing others will pay off not just by multiplying production but also by giving you the greatest fulfillment.

(Shortform note: Collins finally calls those at Level 4 “leaders” and shares a similar view that those on this level inspire their subordinates to perform better. But to him, this is all in pursuit of a vision—there is no mention of personal fulfillment.)

Pros of People Development

Maxwell writes that the upsides of developing people are:

1. It puts you ahead of the pack. Businesses have a fairly even playing field when it comes to physical resources—they can purchase the same equipment and continuously upgrade it to stay in step with their competitors. But what businesses can’t copy is their competitor’s people. If you invest in developing skilled, dedicated employees, your...

Shortform Exercise: Become a Leader of Leaders

Go from being a producer to being a developer of people.

Level 4 leaders need to overcome their insecurities to be effective. To find out if you need to work on this area, answer yes or no to the following questions:

• Do you happily listen to other people’s ideas?
• Do you accept when their ideas are better than yours?
• Do you give credit to others when your team experiences success?
• Do you take accountability for your team’s failings?
• Do you entrust them with their tasks instead of micromanaging?

The 5 Levels of Leadership Summary Level 5: Legacy-Based Leadership

Level 5, which Maxwell refers to as Pinnacle, combines everything you’ve learned, the skills you’ve honed, and your natural leadership ability to bring growth and success to an organization. Maxwell writes that pinnacle leadership is about making a lasting impact, developing Level 4 leaders so that your organization continues to thrive even after you’ve left. It’s about leaving a legacy.

(Shortform note: Collins likewise believes that Level 5 leaders are all about building an enduring organization that will thrive long after they’re gone. After analyzing what made companies go from good to highly successful, he found that one of the distinguishing factors was the leaders. They were quiet and self-effacing but relentless when it came to getting results—their ambition was funneled towards organizational, rather than personal, success. This “company first” mentality meant that they groomed the next generation of leaders, ensuring that the company would be left in good hands.)

Pros of Pinnacle Leadership

According to Maxwell, the upsides of Level 5 are:

**1. It puts your organization ahead of the pack and...

Shortform Exercise: Start Thinking About Succession

The only way you can leave a legacy is if you develop other people to carry on the work.

Crucible moments can be powerful teaching tools. Think back on your own crucible moments. Reflect on one or two of them. What did they teach you?