Leadership
by John C. Maxwell
Why won't they follow you?
Being made manager or captain doesn't make anyone follow you. John C. Maxwell says leadership is influence, and influence comes in five levels. Each level gives people a different reason to follow, and each one has to be earned.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
People follow because they have to. The title gives you rights, and nothing else. Maxwell calls Position a fine place to start and a poor place to stay, because people give a positional leader exactly what the job requires and no more.
People follow because they want to. You get there through relationships, by listening to people and taking a real interest in their lives. Maxwell's point is that you can like people without leading them, but you can't lead them well without liking them.
People follow because of what you've done for the team. Results give you credibility, and they build momentum, which makes problems easier to solve. Maxwell says this is where real leaders separate from people who merely hold the job.
People follow because of what you've done for them. The job shifts from getting results yourself to growing leaders who can get them. Maxwell calls it reproduction, and says it's how a team keeps growing past the limits of one person.
People follow because of who you are and what you stand for. Few leaders get here. It takes years of developing leaders who then develop leaders of their own, and the respect that gathers around someone who has done that for a long time.
Position
A title alone is the bottom rung. People give you the minimum the job demands.
Permission
Once people feel you like and value them, they start to follow you willingly.
Production
Getting results for the team is what earns you real respect at the third level.
Growing people
The fourth level comes when you spend your time growing others into leaders.
Pinnacle
Few reach the top level, where years of developing leaders give you a reputation that speaks for you.
Hot take · true or myth?
As you move up a level, you can leave the lower ones behind.
Myth. Each level builds on the ones below. Maxwell says a leader at Level 4 still needs the relationships of Level 2 and the results of Level 3.
One thing to try
Write down three people you lead and the level you're on with each. Maxwell says it's rarely the same. Pick the lowest. If it's Position, work on Permission this week: ask them properly how things are going, and listen more than you talk.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. The 5 Levels of Leadership comes with a Hot Take round and a Your Move story to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhy won't they follow you? Being made manager or captain doesn't make anyone follow you. John C. Maxwell says leadership is influence, and influence comes in five levels. Each level gives people a different reason to follow, and each one has to be earned.
Level 1: Position; Level 2: Permission; Level 3: Production; Level 4: People Development; Level 5: Pinnacle.
Write down three people you lead and the level you're on with each. Maxwell says it's rarely the same. Pick the lowest. If it's Position, work on Permission this week: ask them properly how things are going, and listen more than you talk.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from The 5 Levels of Leadership in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Hot Take round and a Your Move story to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
