Book Summary: How Successful People Lead - Taking Your Influence to The Next Level

What’s the secret to being a compelling leader? It starts with recognizing how your influence can play an important role in benefiting others. Drawing from decades of research on leadership development, author John C. Maxwell explores the five major levels of leadership: position, permission, production, people, and the pinnacle. In this book summary, you’ll learn how to move through each level while inspiring your team and training the future leaders who will help your organization thrive.

Become the strongest leader you can be and bring others along with you on the journey to success.

READ THIS BOOK SUMMARY IF YOU:

Are looking for clear, concise techniques to help you become an effective leader
Need to earn the respect of your team and nurture working relationships
Want to make meaningful change by inspiring and mentoring future leaders

Introduction

Leadership makes the world go ‘round. From corporations and governments to families and communities, the quality of leaders has a significant impact on any group’s opportunities, direction, and progress. Because of their reach and authority, leaders have the power to enact meaningful changes that can last for generations to come. Not only that, leaders influence how people respond to ideas, helping to advance ways of thinking that can make a positive impact on the world.

Whether you think of yourself as a natural leader, or you’re getting used to a new leadership role, author John C. Maxwell has developed a series of leadership tools to help you be your absolute best. His premise is this: Leading is a verb, not a noun, and leadership is a process, not a position. When you think of a process, you think of something dynamic and always changing — so it is with leadership, which is meant to create change, generate growth, and advance your organization. An effective leader doesn’t accept the status quo; rather, they push their team to- ward progress.

Although most people learn what works in leadership through trial and error, Maxwell’s principle of the Five Levels of Leadership guides you through the challenges at each level, so that you can learn from each before moving to the next stage. These five levels are position, permission, production, people development, and the pinnacle. While each has both advantages and disadvantages, Maxwell’s tools equip you to make the best possible decisions at every level, so you can lead the people around you and make a lasting difference.

Level 1: Position

Position serves as the first — and lowest — level of leadership. While in most cases, leadership positions are awarded on achievement and merit, Maxwell points out that position alone doesn’t command genuine respect. Anyone can be ap- pointed to a position. At this level, people follow you because they’re required to. Privileges are granted to positional leaders because of their titles and responsibilities, but it takes a true leader to earn the trust and esteem of their followers.

No doubt you’ve encountered the positional leader at some point. Can you remember what it’s like to work for such a person? They may be the boss, but you would never think of them as a leader. Armed with their authority, they rely on rules to control those who report to and depend on them. Instead of creating a culture of camaraderie and teamwork, they treat people like subordinates. Because of this, those under their authority aren’t willing to go above and beyond for them. Instead, employees do what’s required to stay out of the boss’s way — and nothing more.

If you’re starting out at the first level of leadership, you’ve likely been placed there because of your potential. You now have the opportunity to begin your journey of leadership and think about how you’d like to shape your influence on those around you. So, how can you make the most of your position? First, genuinely value the people who work for you by getting to know their skills and strengths. People sense and respond to authentic appreciation. Next, encourage collaboration and cooperation by working with people to find solutions together instead of just issuing commands.

When you’re not preoccupied with your title, you can grow closer to the people around you and build their trust. After all, people — not your position — are your most valuable asset.

Level 2: Permission

Leaders at this level have moved beyond trying to preserve the authority of their position. Instead, they base their leadership strategy on cultivating lasting, reciprocal relationships with their team members. The better the relationship, the more likely followers will grant the leader permission to lead. As a permissive leader, you demonstrate genuine interest in and compassion for others. In other words, you get to know your people, and they get to know you. This dynamic allows both leaders and followers to bring their best efforts to the goals they’re trying to accomplish together.

As a Level 2 leader, you prioritize creating a work environment where everyone feels valued. Your employees want to work hard because you’ve made them believe that their contributions are essential to the success of the company. When people can tell that you like them, it increases their energy levels and motivation. Not only that, leaders at the permission level actively work to cultivate good communication. Rather than imposing your own agenda, you should listen openly to your teams’ ideas, perspectives, and objections.

The most important aspect of Level 2 leadership is seeing people as complex human beings instead of just workers. Encourage them to bring their unique skills, interests, and passions to what they do and nurture each person’s special gifts. Ask yourself: What does each person value? What do they hope for in life? To guide your team properly, it’s important to know who your followers really are. It takes time and intentionality to build a significant foundation of trust with people, but in the end, this trust gives the leader permission to lead.

Level 3: Production

At the production level of leadership, you focus on making things happen. Your strong relationships with staff, built in Levels 1 and 2, give you the confidence and credibility to develop an environment of success. At this point, you’ve gained strong influence over your team, and they’re invested in being as productive as possible. As you experience wins together, you continue to build momentum for future projects and create growth opportunities for the organization.

Production is all about getting results. Without them, you’ll never be able to advance to the next two levels of leadership. To deliver the goods, you must lead by example, modeling self-discipline, a strong work ethic, and organizational prowess. At this level, leaders should demonstrate that they’re solution-oriented and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. They must deliver results and fulfill promises to everyone who depends on them, from clients to management to employees. Level 3 leadership is intense, and it demands a commitment to the thoughtful and thorough execution of your responsibilities.

Another important component of this leadership level is that you communicate the long-term goals of your organization to your followers in a way that gets them engaged. The most effective way to do this is by taking meaningful action on compelling projects. When you act together to achieve a clear objective, every member of the team takes ownership of the outcome. In this way, the productive leader demonstrates that the company’s vision for progress isn’t abstract or impractical — the team can take real steps together to achieve its goals. By never losing sight of the fact that results are their goal, productive leaders generate enthusiasm and energy and celebrate victories when they succeed.

Level 4: People Development

What’s better than developing relationships with your staff, gaining their permission to lead, and working together to produce amazing results? According to Max- well, it’s developing people, so they can lead with you. This is the core principle of Level 4 leadership. At this level, you’ve already cultivated relationships with the people around you and shown them that you appreciate their unique skills. Now, it’s time to start challenging them and help them grow into their own leadership potential.

At this stage, it’s your job to support less experienced leaders and teach them how to create a positive, productive work environment. You’ll never regret spending time developing strong leaders among your people — the more leadership skills a person has, the more capable they’ll be of fulfilling the organization’s mission. Not only that, as you invest in the advancement of those around you, you’ll also extend your influence and impact, establishing yourself as a person who can be counted on for guidance, advice, and assistance.

One of the best ways to determine which people to prepare for leadership roles is to pay attention to those who seem to step into leadership naturally. When you meet with your team, encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas freely and carefully observe who comes up with the best ideas. Take note of who the others look to for guidance and validation, and you’ll probably discover a natural leader in the group.

Developing the people around you is not only beneficial to your organization, it also helps you expand your own horizons. As you delegate responsibilities to other competent leaders, you’ll be able to spend more time strategizing, innovating, and envisioning.

Level 5: The Pinnacle

Level 4 leaders develop people, but Level 5 leaders develop people for a lifetime. No matter what their job title or environment, Level 5 leaders make mentoring a lifestyle that they practice all the time, everywhere they go. No longer pursuing a position for themselves, they’re always looking to add value to the lives of others by making themselves available for consultation, support, and feedback.

Pinnacle leaders come from a place of gratitude and humility for the learning opportunities they were given through all four previous levels of leadership, and they believe their role is to produce effective leaders who will be empowered to create their own legacies in the organization. After all, producing capable, reliable leadership that lasts for decades to come ensures the sustainability of the organization and its goals.

As a pinnacle leader, you must also be aware of some possible downsides. For example, it can be tempting to think that you’ve “arrived” and thus stop pushing yourself to be your best. It’s also common to start thinking that it’s all about you and overstep your role. But even at Level 5, you must maintain a teachable attitude so that you can be useful in your role. Remember, your duty at this stage is to sup- port, encourage, and develop rather than direct, command, or coerce.

Once you’ve gotten to the top, the best thing you can do is make room for others. By doing this, you increase the impact and reach of the entire organization, which helps propel everyone forward. Your priority at this stage should be to continually look out for and mentor other potential Level 5 leaders, so they can benefit from the spirit of generosity and collaboration you’re modeling. You should also be taking every opportunity to guide and shape the organization’s future by championing a cause that could improve others’ lives, exhibiting good values and sound judgement, and drawing on your relationships to impact your community in a unique way.

In summary, use every opportunity to pass on the expertise you’ve developed.

Summary

Being a good leader isn’t a given — it’s a set of skills that must be learned and a measure of respect that must be earned. In this summary, you explored Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership and learned how to perform at every level, so that you can move to the next stage.

Starting with a basic position of leadership, you discovered how to nurture relationships with your followers so that they grant you permission to continue leading them. With their support, you’re then able to focus on the intense phase of production and creating results. Once you prove how capable you are at executing goals, your role changes, and you begin developing people into strong leaders and dele- gating responsibilities. When you succeed at creating leaders to continue the vision of your organization, you’ve reached the pinnacle of leadership, and you can devote your life to mentoring emerging leaders.

Wherever you are on your leadership journey, ask yourself: What kind of leader am I? What kind of leader do I think I could become? What kind of influence do I want to have on those around me? If you’ve been thinking in terms of position and privilege, remember that hiding behind a sense of entitlement holds you back from growth.

Leadership teaches you how your personal gifts can contribute to the progress of your organization and advance not only yourself but those around you. As you work your way through the Five Levels of Leadership, equipping others to lead should become one of your most important endeavors. Not only will it maximize the impact of your team, it will enable you to pursue new growth opportunities for your organization.

About the author

John C. Maxwell is the author of dozens of bestselling books on leadership and a sought-after speaker for Fortune 500 companies and international organizations. He’s also the founder of EQUIP, a company that has trained over 5 million leaders worldwide.

John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than twenty-four million books in fifty languages. Often called America’s #1 leadership authority, Maxwell was identified as the most popular leadership expert in the world by Inc. magazine in 2014. And he has been voted the top leadership professional six years in a row on LeadershipGurus.net.

He is the founder of The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, and EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than five million leaders in 180 countries. Each year Maxwell speaks to Fortune 500 companies, presidents of nations, and many of the world’s top business leaders. He can be followed at Twitter.com/JohnCMaxwell. For more information about him visit JohnMaxwell.com. Maxwell lives in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Genres

Personal Growth, Job Hunting, Career Success, Business Management, Leadership, Motivation, Success Self-Help, Personal Development, Education, Social

Introduction 1
How Leadership Works 7
Insights on Leading from the Levels 14
Level 1 Position 29
It’s a Great Place to Visit, but You Wouldn’t Want to Live There
Level 2 Permission 65
You Can’t Lead People until You Like People
Level 3 Production 103
Making Things Happen Separates Real Leaders from Wannabes
Level 4 People Development 137
Helping Individual Leaders Grow Extends Your Influence and Impact
Level 5 The Pinnacle 177
The Highest Leadership Accomplishment Is Developing Other Leaders to Level 4
Conclusion 209

Overview

In this perfectly compact read, #1 New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell explains how true leadership works.

It is not generated by your title. In fact, being named to a position is the lowest of the five levels every effective leader achieves. To be more than a boss people are required to follow, you must master the ability to inspire and invest in people. You need to build a team that produces not only results, but also future leaders. By combining the advice contained in these pages with skill and dedication, you can reach the pinnacle of leadership-where your influence extends beyond your immediate reach for the benefit of others.

Derived from material previously published in the Wall Street Journal bestseller The 5 Levels of Leadership.

Review/Endorsements/Praise/Award

John Maxwell’s books have been required reading for my leadership team for years. I can’t think of anyone better at distilling decades of leadership experience into practical, approachable principles that anyone can apply at any level of leadership. ―Dave Ramsey, host of The Dave Ramsey Show and bestselling author of The Total Money Makeover

“John has been a mentor and teacher for me for many years and what I love most about him is that he has pushed and helped me personally go through the 5 Levels of Leadership!”―Kevin Turner, COO, Microsoft

“The leader’s greatest calling is building leadership in the coming generation, and John Maxwell’s The 5 Levels of Leadership offers the roadmap for taking the journey to that highest level.”―Michael Useem, author of The Leadership Moment and The Go Point

“The 5 Levels Of Leadership is John Maxwell’s ultimate contribution to the topic. It’s clear, helpful, inspiring and guaranteed to give any reader the ability to fulfill what Napoleon defined as the role of the leader: ‘Define reality, then give hope.'”―Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! and author of Today We Are Rich

“I first became acquainted with John Maxwell’s material when I went back into coaching for the St. Louis Rams after a 14 year hiatus from NFL coaching….What a wealth of leadership and personal growth wisdom! I believe his 5 Levels of Leadership is his best work yet. I know you’ll love it.”―Dick Vermeil, Former NFL Head Football Coach

“When it comes to leadership, inspiration is just as important – if not more so – than information. John Maxwell offers both. The 5 Levels of Leadership will not only tell you how to climb higher, it will give you the motivation you need to reach the top.”―Dan T. Cathy, President & Chief Operating Officer, Chick-fil-A, Inc.

“John has taught The 5 Levels of Leadership to our leaders at Delta with great results. The insight and valuable principles he delivers has helped all of us – no matter the position or level – raise our effectiveness and improve our performance. John is a dynamic communicator with a heart for leadership that all can learn from.”―– Ed Bastian, President of Delta Air Lines.