A case for reviewing The 5 Levels of Leadership
By · CommentsIf you follow me on Twitter, you might have read the exciting news that The 5 Levels of Leadership made it onto the Wall Street Journal hardcover business bestseller list. What an honor. I know a lot of that is because of you, and I’m grateful! Thank you.
I really believe in this book and its ability to help people learn to lead people better. If you’ve had a chance to read The 5 Levels, and you’re interested in letting others know what you think of it, I’d love for you to review it with the online booksellers. Positive or negative, I’d like to know whether or not the book helped you.
And just to make things fun, I’ve decided to host a giveaway here on the blog. This is for those of you who’ve read The 5 Levels and are willing to share your opinion online.
To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is post a review with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books-a-Million (the review can be positive or negative), then leave a comment here to let me know. (Please be sure to enter a valid email address. It will not be displayed.)
If you want to post a review on more than one site, you can do so and enter more than once; just leave a separate comment here telling me about each review you’ve posted.
Then this Friday (10/28) at noon Eastern time, two (2) winners will be chosen randomly from those who posted reviews.
What will you win? Well, you probably already own the book, but maybe you’d like to share it with the people you influence? The winners of this giveaway will receive a CASE (10 books) of The 5 Levels of Leadership!
Perhaps you have employees or friends or family members who would benefit from the teaching. Maybe you want to slip a copy to your boss… Or you might want to start a study group using the book.
(This is a good time to announce that here on John Maxwell on Leadership in January of 2012, I’ll be hosting a “New Year, New You” group study of The 5 Levels.)
I truly hope The 5 Levels of Leadership has a positive impact on you, teaching you what leadership is and providing a roadmap for your growth as a leader.
UPDATED 10/28/11, 12:11 pm: Because of some confusion about where reviews should be posted, we’ve extended the deadline for this contest until 5pm EDT today. Please remember to say in your comment where you posted your review so we can verify. Thank you!
Let’s talk about HONOR
By · CommentsWhat do you think of when you hear the word, HONOR? Respect, recognition, reward, position? Or is it something else? Today’s post features a Minute with Maxwell on HONOR. See what I think of when I hear it:
If you’re having difficulty viewing the video, try clicking here or here.
The Minute with Maxwell is a free daily coaching video, delivered by email to you every morning. Subscribing is as easy as filling out the following form:
Also, any day this week, if you go to the direct link for a video and comment there, you’ll be entered for a free signed copy of The 5 Levels of Leadership! Sign up today to start receiving new videos in your inbox.
Answering some questions on the 5 Levels
By · CommentsWhat level are you on as a leader at work? At home? With a new employee? I hope you’ve had the chance to assess yourself on the 5 Levels of Leadership, either through the book or the free iPhone app. (Search 5 Levels and John Maxwell to find it in the App Store.)
And if you’ve purchased The 5 Levels of Leadership, I want to thank you. I hope it’s adding value to you and empowering you to go to your next level of growth. If you’re still considering whether the book is for you, take a look at the following video. I recorded it a few weeks ago to answer some of the questions I’m most often asked about the 5 Levels. Hopefully it will answer YOUR questions and help you decide if this book will help you grow.
Some insights into the 5 Levels of Leadership
By · Comments
The 5 Levels of Leadership will be available for purchase starting TOMORROW (October 4, 2011)!
I can’t wait! Why? Well, as I’ve told anyone who asks, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
People who have known me for awhile always smile when I say that. That’s because they know I believe it about everything I do. “This is the best lesson I’ve ever taught.” “This is the best book I’ve ever written.” “…Until the next one,” is what they add in their minds.
And they have a valid point, most of the time. I AM a pretty positive guy, and my favorite project is almost always the one I just worked on. But I might have to argue that The 5 Levels of Leadership truly could stand the test of time as the best book I’ve ever done. That’s because it’s the first book based solely on a concept I’ve been teaching for over 30 years, with great positive response. It’s clear, it’s proven, and it’s well-received.
Here’s one last excerpt before the book arrives on shelves. Just a few insights into The 5 Levels of Leadership:
1. You Can Move Up a Level But You Never Leave the Previous One Behind
Now that you’ve seen the levels and learned the basics about them, you may assume that a leader climbs them, leaving one to arrive at the next, similar to the way one moves up a staircase. But the truth is that you never leave a level behind after you’ve achieved it. Instead, you simply build upon it.
2. You Are Not on the Same Level with Every Person
Leadership is dynamic, and it changes from relationship to relationship. The same is true for the 5 Levels of Leadership. I may be on a different one of the 5 Levels with each of five different people at my job. Someone the first day on the job will acknowledge only my position, while someone in whom I’ve invested and whom I’ve raised up to lead will likely put me on Level 4.
3. The Higher You Go, The Easier It Is to Lead
Here’s some good news. As you work to climb up the levels of leadership, you’ll find that it gets easier to lead people. Each advance allows you to be more effective in leading others because your influence increases as you go to a higher level. As your influence increases, more people follow you more readily. Limited influence, limited leadership. Greater influence, greater effectiveness.
4. The Higher You Go, the More Time and Commitment Is Required to Win a Level
Which is harder? Being given a leadership position (Level 1) or getting people’s permission to lead them (Level 2)? That’s pretty obvious. It takes time, effort, and commitment to develop positive relationships with people. How about moving from Level 2 to Level 3? I believe it is harder to become consistently productive than it is to make friends. It’s even harder and requires much more time to go to Level 4, where you develop people to become good leaders. And it can take a lifetime to become a Level 5 leader who develops leaders who in turn develop other leaders.
There is no easy way to get to the top. And each time you go up, you pay.
5. Moving Up Levels Occurs Slowly, But Going Down Can Happen Quickly
I’ve had people ask me, “How long will it take me to become a Level 5 leader?”
“A lot longer than you think” is my answer. Building always takes a lot longer than destroying. A lot of things have to be right to climb to a higher level, but sometimes it takes only one thing going wrong to cause someone to fall. While it’s unsettling to think about how quickly one can fall from a level of leadership, I hope you can take solace in this: once you’ve climbed up to higher levels, the ones below you function as a safety net. So the more you’ve advanced up the levels, the more secure your leadership is.
***
By now you may be wondering, “What level of leadership have I reached with the different people that I lead?
Well, there’s an app for that!
My publisher has created a 5 Levels of Leadership iPhone app. In it you’ll find quotes, more insights, and best of all, an assessment. You can get an idea of where you stand on the levels with every person in your life, if you want. Just click the image below or search the iTunes store for “5 Levels of Leadership.”
It’s my sincere hope that this app and the book would add value to your life and help you grow as a leader!
Thank you for joining me on this journey through The 5 Levels of Leadership. I’ve enjoyed sharing a sneak peek at my book and reading your insights into what makes an effective leader. Now we’ve got just one more week before the book comes out. I hope you’ll purchase and read it – not just for my sake, but because I know that the concepts within it can teach you how to grow as a leader.
Here’s a sneak peek at Level 5: The Pinnacle. I hope it inspires you to become the kind of leader who can eventually rise to that level:
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Rare is the leader who reaches Level 5—the Pinnacle. Not only is leadership at this level a culmination of leading well on the other four levels, but it also requires both a high degree of skill and some amount of natural leadership ability. It takes a lot to be able to develop other leaders so that they reach Level 4; that’s what Level 5 leaders do. The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
Pinnacle leaders stand out from everyone else. They are a cut above, and they seem to bring success with them wherever they go. Leadership at this high level lifts the entire organization and creates an environment that benefits everyone in it, contributing to their success. Level 5 leaders often possess an influence that transcends the organization and the industry the leader works in.
Most leaders who reach the Pinnacle do so later in their careers. But the Pinnacle level is not a resting place for leaders to stop and view their success. It is a reproducing place from which they make the greatest impact of their lives. That’s why leaders who reach the Pinnacle should make the most of it while they can. With gratitude and humility, they should lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many great challenges as possible, and extend their influence to make a positive difference beyond their own organization and industry.
***
P.S. October 4 is the actual date of publication for The 5 Levels of Leadership. I’d appreciate it very much if you would help get the word out. On Twitter, you can use the hashtag #5Levels. And here’s the link that you can share anywhere:
http://tinyurl.com/5levelslead
Thank you!
