What kind of leader are you Part II

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

In the previous article we discussed the first stage of the leadership hierarchy - “Position”. We learnt that it is the worst stage of the leadership hierarchy anyone should remain at because anyone can be given a position.  At that stage, the leader does not have influence over his subordinates except that provided by the role he/she occupies.  It is therefore fundamental for anyone desiring to develop his/her leadership capabilities to climb up the ladder in the subsequent stages.  

Today, we shall be looking at the second stage of the leadership hierarchy referred to by John Maxwell1 as “Permission”.

Level 2 – Permission

At the permission stage of the leadership journey, people follow you because they want to.  They follow you because they trust you and also because of the relationship you have built with them.  The leader at this stage knows his followers and the followers know their leader.  Without liking your followers, it is almost impossible to lead them.  

We cannot talk about leadership without picking some great lessons from the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ.  In the book of John 10:27, Jesus said “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”. In verse 14 of the same chapter, He says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and am known by them”

To be a great leader, you must know your sheep.  There is no compromise to this. It takes a conscious effort.  It does not come easy.  John Maxwell says that “when you like people and treat them like individuals who have value, you begin to develop influence over them, you develop trust and the environment becomes much more positive”.  

In their book, “In Search of Excellence”, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman2 identified eight common themes which they argued were responsible for the success of the best run American companies and one of them was “Productivity through People”.  This attribute talks about treating the rank and file of employees as source of quality.

It is very easy for leaders to be preoccupied with other staff and ignore the very fundamentals which is, building relationships with followers.  To maximise the benefits of the Permission stage of leadership, the leader has to develop that skill of building relationships with his followers.

Next week, we shall be looking at the third level of the leadership hierarchy - Production. As we progress these discussions, you will notice that moving up the ladder happens slowly.  It is also important to remember that, as you move up the ladder, you do not leave the previous level behind.  Rather, you build upon it.

Please keep your feedback coming through for they are important to me.

References:

1 John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership

2 Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982), In Search of Excellence: Lessons from   American’s Best-Run Companies.