Question

evaluate one of your top leaders against the five levels of leadership. What needs to change and how can you apply your growing knowledge of leadership to help this person progress up to a higher leadership level?

Answer 1

The 5 levels of Leadership, as suggested by John Maxwell are:

• Level 1: Position
  • People follow as it is their right
• Level 2: Permission
  • People follow a leader as the leader has made a relationship with them
• Level 3: Production
  • People follow as they believe the efforts of the leader and have seen the results of his leadership
• Level 4: People Development
  • People follow as they want the reproduction of the same results by the leader
• Level 5: Pinnacle
  • People follow as they have immense respect for the leader

Barack Obama is a living epitome of transformational leadership. He is the former and one of the most loved Presidents of the United States. Let’s evaluate his leadership style on the 5 levels of leadership:

• Level 1: Position
  • People followed Obama as he was their elected President. He was selected by the people to be their representative. Clearly Obama qualifies on the Position aspect of a leader.
• Level 2: Permission
  • Obama always addressed a crowd in first person. Most of his speeches had “We” rather than “I”. He firmly believed in the betterment of the society as a whole. This reflects the relationship which he had built with his followers.
• Level 3: Production
  • He was a leader of the change. He holistically addressed any change and made an awareness of why the change is essential. His government always tried to make any type of change, a smooth process.
• Level 4: People Development
  • Obama always encouraged people to take calculated risks as he believed that risk takers can have the potential growth and success in their life. Under his leadership, America prospered as a global super power. Americans believed in his leadership and that’s why they elected him to power, two times simultaneously.
• Level 5: Pinnacle
  • Obama had the aura of a charismatic leader. His communication style had won him many followers. People still remember him as their favorite President.