Level 2 – Permission: You Can’t Lead People Until You Like People
ByIn only a few weeks, my new book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, will be on bookshelves. And I can’t wait. Here’s why I’m really excited: this book is about a concept that I’ve been teaching for over thirty years! With that kind of history, I really KNOW that it works.
Lately, I’ve been using this blog to provide a sneak peek at the book and what a reader can hope to learn from it. So far, I’ve given you an overview and quite a few details about Level 1. Now I want to use the time between now and October 4 to give you a basic understanding of Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Level 2 – Permission:
You Can’t Lead People Until You Like People
Making the shift from Position to Permission brings a person’s first real step into leadership. Why do I say that? Because leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. Leaders who rely on their positions to move people rarely develop influence with them. If their subordinates do what they are asked, it’s usually because they think they have to—to receive their pay, keep their jobs, prevent being reprimanded, and so on.
In contrast, when a leader learns to function on the Permission level, everything changes. People do more than merely comply with orders. They actually start to follow. And they do so because they really want to. Why? Because the leader begins to influence people with relationship, not just position. Building relationships develops a foundation for effectively leading others. It also starts to break down organizational silos as people connect across the lines between their job descriptions or departments. The more barriers come down and relationships deepen, the broader the foundation for leading others becomes.
When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. And that can change the entire working environment. The old saying is really true: people go along with leaders they get along with.
Moving up to Level 2 is an important development in leadership because that is where followers give their supervisors permission to lead them. People change from being subordinates to followers for the first time, and that means there is movement! Remember, leadership always means that people are going somewhere. They aren’t static. No journey, no leadership.
John,
You are descrbing a particular kind of leadership. There are other kinds of leadership where one’s positon IS the identifying and qualifying justificaton for leadership. Such are academics, whose students PAY for their leadership, because the academic has PAID for his training!!!And the student is free to choose a partiuclar school because of an academic’s creditials!
An academic or other kind of professonal position is earned, but not by permission, but qualitificaton of credentials! And it is not a matter of opinion whether the academic or professonal is qualified to make a judgment about their areas of expertise. But, it is a queston of whether a particular university or corporation will offer a particular positon, then it is the academic or professional’s choice about whether they want the position!
In American society, leadership is granted to those that have affirmed certain values that are important to the population. These sit in our halls of Congress, and local boards. Therefore, consent is a granted right to govern, this is true. But, one is not given a position without permission FIRST!
So I see there are differences n how leadershp “works”! Choice is of ultimate importance to value in any of these, because Positon should never be granted without choice! Choice is about whether one desires or wants a particular positon in the first place!!!
John I wholeheartedly agree with your advice! I’ve always maintained the phylosophy “if you don’t LOVE them leave them! You can not lead unless you become one with you staff you have to acknowledge their needs fears desires etc. WORK with them DO their work at times DO things just as well or even better than what they’re doing if they’re picking up papers join them them only then will you be able to move as a TEAM! Invividuals grow and the organisation wins! GREAT STUFF! Thanks for your inspiration
Level two is SOOOO much better than level one…I have a supervisor who is stuck in level one and I try so hard to help her transition from there. She really needs to learn to trust that we are capable and have good intentions. I think she would enjoy being a level two leader as much as we, her subordinates, would like her to be there!
I’ll be getting this book for me and for her
John,
I had the honor to hear you share your ideas on a possible new book about being as good on the inside as you appear to be on the outside. In light of a lot of unfavorable media news about athletes, coaches and politicians, your timing for this book would be great. Is it still in the works? Keep up the great work!
Thank you John.
Hi John
I appreciate for the overview. Good relationship with followers is really the backbone true leadership.
I agree with you 110%, John
This material you are sharing and re-tooling for your new book dramatically transformed my husband and my life some 30 years ago, and paved the way not only for my career, but to coach the top three executives of a billion dollar company for three years. I have always said “John Maxwell” is my mentor. Your book “Developing the Leader Within You” magnified why our leadership didn’t work, and has been the pillar on which I have coached every leader I have ever worked with. The wisdom is timeless the insight profound, and the resources you provide are priceless! In every environment I work, your books are my main resource. I’ve had leaders buy every one of them after working with me. I’m just a John Maxwell clone, and proud to say it. Thank you for your endless wisdom and insights. Sue The “Accidental Leader”