I saw this on my youngest brother's myspace blog and thought I would post this to share with you all:

The Five Levels of Leadership

Based on readings of John C Maxwell

Level 1: Position/Rights

At this level of leadership people follow you because they have to. At this level your influence will not extend beyond the lines of your job description. The longer you stay here, the higher the turnover and the lower the morale. Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level of leadership.

• Know your job description thoroughly
• Be Aware of the history of the organization
• Relate the organizations history to the people of the organization (in other words, be a team player)
• Accept responsibility
• Do your job with consistent excellence
• Do more then expected
• Offer creative ideas for change and improvement.

Level 2: Permission/Relationships

At this level People follow you because they want to. At this level People will follow you beyond your stated authority. This level allows work to be fun. A caution staying too long on this level without rising will cause highly motivated people to become restless. Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level of leadership.

• Possess a genuine love for people
• Make those who work with you more successful
• See through other peoples eyes
• Love people more than procedures
• Do win-win or dont do it
• Include others in your journey
• Deal wisely with difficult people

Level 3: Production/Results

At this level people follow you because of what you have done for the organization. At this level Success is sensed by most people. They like you and what you are doing. Problems are fixed with very little effort because of law of big Mo. Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level of leadership.

• Initiate and accept responsibility for growth
• Develop and follow a statement of purpose
• Make your job description and energy an integral part of the statement of purpose
• Develop accountability for results, beginning with yourself.
• Know and do the things that give a high return
• Communicate the strategy and vision of the organization
• Become a change-agent and understand timing
• Make the difficult decisions that will make a difference

Level 4: People Development/Reproduction

At this level people follow you because of what you have done for them. This is where long range growth occurs. Your commitment to developing leaders will insure ongoing growth to the organization and to people. Do whatever you can to achieve and stay on this level. Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level of leadership.

• Realize that people are your most valuable asset
• Place a priority on developing people
• Be a model for others to follow
• Pour your leadership efforts into the top 20 percent of your people
• Expose key leaders to growth opportunities
• Be able to attract other winners producers to the common goal
• Surround yourself with an inner core that complements your leadership

Level 5: Personhood/Respect

At this level people follow because of who you are and what you represent. This level is reserved for leaders who have spent years growing people and organizations. Few make it. Those who do are bigger than life. Listed below are some characteristics that must be exhibited with excellence before advancement to the next level of leadership.

• Your followers are loyal and sacrificial
• You have spent years mentoring and molding leaders
• You have become a statesman/consultant, and are sought out by others
• Your greatest joy comes from watching others grow and develop
• You transcend the organization

Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone in one way or another. Not everyone will because a great leader, but everyone can because a better leader, now the question to ask yourself is where do you fall as a leader and what do you need to work on to advance to the next level.