The Five Levels Of Leadership - Level 2: Permission
![]() |
Image: pexels.com/rodnae-productions |
My
friend and mentor Fred Smith says, “Leadership is getting people to work for you
when they are not obligated.”5 That is the essence of the second level of leadership,
Permission.
Leaders
who remain on the Position level and never develop their influence often lead
by intimidation. They are like the chickens that Norwegian psychologist
Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe studied in developing the “pecking order” principle
that is commonly used to describe all kinds of groups.
Schjelderup-Ebbe
found that in any flock, one hen usually dominates all the others. This
dominant hen can peck any other without being pecked in return. The second in
the order can peck all the others except the top hen.
The
rest are arranged in a descending hierarchy, finally ending with one hapless
hen who canbe pecked by all but who can peck no one else. In contrast,
Permission is characterized by good relationships.
The
motto on this level could be written as, “People don’t care how much you know
until they know how much you care.” True influence begins with the heart, not
the head.
It
flourishes through personal connections, not rules and regulations. The agenda on
this level is not pecking order; it’s people connection.
Leaders
who succeed on this level focus their time and energy on the needs and desires
of the individuals on their team. And they connect with them.
People
Who Are Unwilling Or Unable To Build Solid, Lasting Relationships Soon Discover
That They Are Also Unable To Sustain Lasting, Effective Leadership.
The
classic illustration of someone who didn’t do this is Henry Ford in the early
days of the Ford Motor Company.
He
wanted his laborers to work like machines, and he attempted to control their
interactions outside of work with rules and regulations.
And
his focus was totally on his product, the Model T, which he believed was the
perfect car, and which he never wanted to change.
When
people started asking for it in colors other than black, he famously responded,
“You can have any color you want as long as it’s black.” People who are
unwilling or unable to build solid, lasting relationships soon discover that
they are also unable to sustain lasting, effective leadership.
Needless
to say, you can care about people without leading them, but you cannot lead
people well without caring about them. People won’t go along with you if they
cannot get along with you.
That’s
just the way it is. On Level 2, as you connect with people, build relationships
with them, and earn their trust, you begin to develop real influence with them.
That
makes you want to work together more. It makes you more cooperative with one
another. It makes the environment more positive. It boosts everyone’s energy.
And
in work settings, people stay longer and work harder. If you’ve been given a
leadership position, then you’ve been given your boss’s permission to lead.
If
you’ve earned influence on Level 2, then you have acquired your people’s
permission to lead. That’s powerful. However, I do have to caution you.
Staying
too long on this level without adding Level 3 will cause highly motivated
people to become restless. So let’s talk about Production.
Source:
John C. Maxwell, 10 Lesson Developing
The Leader Within You, pg. 24-26
0 Response to "The Five Levels Of Leadership - Level 2: Permission"
Post a Comment