What kind of leader are you? Part V

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

Over the past weeks, we have attempted to answer the question “what kind of leader are you”.  Having looked at the first four levels of leadership (Position, Permission, Production and People Development), today we shall conclude this series by looking at the 5th Level of the leadership hierarchy, Pinnacle.  

Level 5 - Pinnacle

In his book, 5 levels of leadership: proven steps to maximise your potential, John C. Maxwell asserts that the highest and most difficult level of leadership is the Pinnacle.  He mentioned that “while most people can learn and climb to levels 1 through 4, level 5 requires not only effort, skill, and intentionality, but also a high level of talent”.  He also stated that “only naturally gifted leaders often make it to the level 5”.

Level 5 leaders develop people to become level 4 leaders.  Developing followers to lead on their own requires quite substantial effort and time.  As a result, most leaders unfortunately shy away from this activity.  

The level 5 leader is known to create opportunities that others do not.   They instill in other men, the convictions and the will to carry on.  People follow them because of what they are and what they represent.  Due to this, they often transcend their position, their organisation and sometimes, their industry. The level 5 leader is measured by the caliber of leaders they develop, not the caliber of their own leadership.

Level 5 leaders are not ordinary; they stand out from anyone else.  They succeed everywhere they find themselves.  Such leaders lift high their organisation they work for.  It is not uncommon to associate their names with their organisations.  It appears their names are synonymous to their organisations. For example, Jack Welch and General Electric, Mensa Otabil and International Central Gospel Church.  Great organisations have great leaders and what the organisation becomes is largely influenced by the quality of the leader at the top.  

The level 5 leader during their tenure in the organisation would have trained a lot of leaders to lead other people.  As a result, succession planning is usually not an issue.  Should one leader decide to retire or resign, there are always other leaders ready to step in to fill such shoes.  

The influence of the level 5 leader far exceeds the organisations they work for.  Examples of such leaders are Nelson Mandela and Billy Graham.  

One of the downsides to the level 5 leader is that, there is a very high risk of them thinking that they have arrived.  It is worth mentioning that the level 5 is not a place to rest, rather, much is expected of you to stay afloat and relevant to the millions outside your organisation who look up to you.

In conclusion, let us take note of the following points:

1. You do not leave the previous levels behind as you climb up the leadership ladder. The principles of the previous levels are very relevant for your success at the next level.

2. You may not be on the same level with all your subordinates at the same time. For example, a leader with about 4 subordinates may be on Position level with one, Permission with the second, production with the third and people development with the fourth.

3. The higher you climb up the hierarchy, the more time and effort you need to succeed at that level.

4. When you change positions or organizations, you seldom stay at the same level.  You are more likely to start from the bottom of the ladder again. This is because, you need to build trust again.

I trust that these articles have provided some leadership insights to you.  For further reading, kindly get a copy of John Maxwell’s book.

Keep your feedback coming through and remember to share this link and help build great leaders.

References:

1. John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership, Proven steps to maximise your potential.