The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell

The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential Reviews

• 
  Greg Swierad

  John Maxwell is probably the best writer committed so deeply to the science of leadership. This book has profound knowledge based on his experience, observations, and science. This book offers a great strategy on how to apply all we know about leadership into real life.
  
  My top 3 ideas from this book are:
  * You become a leader when people want to follow you. Not when they have to.
  * Leaders should be very productive. High production gives these leaders confidence, credibility, and increased influence.
  * Leaders don’t compete with others. Leaders develop other leaders.
  
  From this book, I listed 26 strategies/mindsets on how to become the level 5 leader, together with a detailed summary, here it is:
  https://www.mentorist.app/books/the-5...
• 
  Kimberly Smith

  I REALLY enjoyed this book of John Maxwell's, in fact it's my favorite book of his that I've read so far. I know one of his best sellers of all time is the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, which I've also read. THAT book was more like a portrait of a leader in that if you ARE a true leader, these 21 Laws are the attributes you would possess.
  
  THIS book is much more clear in how to identify where you're at, and how to improve and move up to the next level. There are practical applications for anyone who wants to grow and improve in their leadership skills. It's easy to read and gives you the big picture of where you can get to so people follow you out of respect and because of what you have accomplished over time, and because you've helped raise up other leaders. THEN you can truly leave a legacy behind.
  
  
• 
  Robert Stump

  Homo Homini Lupus
  
  http://manisawolftomen.blogspot.com/
  
  The Five Levels of Leadership does one thing that just makes me batty: the five levels all start with the same letter, P. Why do you have to do that? The five P's of leadership. It sounds dumb because it is a dumb idea. Let's consider the 5 P's to see why this approach is so silly. Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle. Two of these descriptors fit their levels, three are misnomers. Position, dead on, this level is all about the position that a person is granted, appointed to, etc. and Production, this is all about what the leader is producing, about the results that he garners. How about Permission? This level is concerned with the relationships between leader and team, about bonding with your team and forming some comradery with them. Where does permission come in? Getting people's permission to be led. I don't get it. Or People Development? This one isn't bad, but it almost would fit stage two better, where this level is really more Leader Development. And of course Pinnacle, but then this misnomer is only related by virtue of it being the last level. There is no other connection. Level five is about a person's legacy and influence as a leader of leaders who make leaders of their own.
  
  Alright: end rant.
  
  This book is excellent with that single exception due to my personal irritation with picking a letter to use as a naming convention for subject matter in a work. It is convoluted and as silly as running through the alphabet for the first word of every sentence in a technical manual on microwave rotating plate assembly.
  
  John C. Maxwell is a man who knows leaders and knows leadership. Beyond his personal success as a business leader, speaker, teacher and author, his company EQUIP has trained a million leaders worldwide. This guy knows what he is talking about. For me the most interesting part was something that say behind the lines, that Maxwell never alludes to or even implies. I wondered at one point if he had noticed the connection. The life of Christ exemplifies the five levels of leadership. Let's just do it real quick.
  
  Level one: The dove comes from heaven as John the Baptist dunks Jesus. A voice from heaven cries out, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased." Position: God's Son.
  
  Level two: Calls twelve ruffians and ragamuffin men out of their current lives to become disciples, and by disciples he means one who follows him around, shares his food, to cast out demons, heal the sick, so forth so on (room and board, not provided). Comradery: Twelve Disciples.
  
  Level three: Feeds 5000, and then 4000, casts out legion, drives out Pharisees, produces 908 bottles of Chateau Le Fie for a wedding. Production: Ministry
  
  Level four: His followers are by the Ascension already gathering others together, maybe five hundred or so. That is to say he has produced leaders from his ragtag bunch. Leadership Building:
  
  Level five: The Great Commission and the Apostle Paul. The command is given by Jesus just before the Ascension to make disciples of all nations, and we see from church history that the process is leaders making leaders who make leaders.
  
  That was fun. Now back to the book itself. The work is well written, easy to follow and packed with advice and such for up and comers. Maxwell follows the same pattern for each level, highs, lows, beliefs, "laws," and how to move onto the next level. There is enough on each level that a long time leader will find bits useful across the board, and light enough that a newcomer won't feel like they need to come back after they have gained a little more experience, though, I could see the benefits there.
  
  The book grows with each level building on the last and giving a clear picture of the practical side of it all. It is obvious from the gate that Maxwell is not a philosophizer or a lazy-boy leader but that he has and is in the trenches. This is a book I would suggest to both the long established and the freshly appointed and even to the naively hopeful.
  
  4/5
  
  Propter Sanguinem Agni,
  RS
  
  
  This book was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. They asked only for my honest opinion. Nothing weird or anything like that. I am only disclosing this information because it is illegal if I don't. I'm pretty sure that I would go to prison, probably for life, seeing how reviewing a product you are given for free under the guise of having purchased it yourself is similar to murder. O laws, like whitewashed tombs!
  
• 
  Britni

  What makes a good leader? A title? People skills? Getting work done? How about all of the above. In John Maxwell's new book, he explains what he calls the Five Levels of Leadership - position, permission, production, people development, and pinnacle - and tips for achieving each of these different levels in your own leadership roles.
  
  I really liked how organized this book was. The first few chapters provided the background behind the five levels of leadership and then the subsequent chapters walk through details regarding each of the levels. Each specific level includes information regarding the upsides, downsides, how to make the most of the position, and ways to transition from that level to the next one up the ladder. I felt that this organization allowed me to get the most out of the book, and there was a lot to get out of the book so I really appreciated that.
  
  Overall a great book on leadership and learning how to develop better leadership skills. I'd recommend it to anyone who is in or would like to be in a leadership role. 5 stars
  
  
• 
  Sha Hafez

  من رأيي الشخصي إذا قررت قراءة إحدى كتب ماكسويل، فهذا الكتاب سيكون الخيار الأمثل. لمن لم يقرأ كتب الإدارة والقيادة والتنمية الذاتية وما شابهها من كتب من هذا القبيل، يميل المؤلفون لتكرار نفس المحتوى بشكل مغاير عند إصدار كتب جديدة. فالكاتب "مجبر" على التأليف حتى لا يضمحل نجمه الذي بزغ بعد كتاب مميز ترك صدى في السوق. ولأن العقل لا يبتكر أفكارًا جديدة كل عام، يصير تكرار المفاهيم مع قليل من الحكايا الجديدة هنا وهناك مصحوب بعنوان جذاب آخر هو السمة المميزة لسلسلة كتب. هذا الكتاب هو خلاصة الأفكار المكررة في عديد من كتب ماكسويل عن فن القيادة، وهي مقدمة بشكل منظم وومنهج مع قليل الإسهاب.
• 
  Melike Beykoz

  "Learn,earn,return" , this summarizes best the maturity jouney of leadership
• 
  Elias Thomase

  I finished reading the book “The 5 Levels of Leadership by John C. Maxwell”. Another Favorite of many reads so far, and I have always enjoyed reading books from John C. Maxwell. One of my takeaways was when J.C. Maxwell mentioned in the book about the five levels; how we start from level 1 and what it takes to get to level 5.
  
  
  The 5 Levels
  • Level 1
  Position – Rights – People follow you because they have to.
  • Level 2
  Permission – Relationships – People follow you because they want to.
  • Level 3
  Production – Results – People follow because of what you have done for the organization.
  • Level 4
  People Development – Reproduction – People follow because of what you have done for them.
  • Level 5
  Pinnacle – Respect – People follow because of who you are and what you represent.
  The 5 P’s
  • Position – Is the only level that does not require the ability and effort to achieve.
  • Permission – People do more than merely comply with orders. They start to follow.
  • Production – Leaders don’t just create a pleasant work environment. They get things done!
  • People Development – To Improve the skills, abilities, and confidence of leaders.
  • Pinnacle – The highest point of development or achievement.
  The 5 R’s
  • Rights – You are the “Boss” Your influence doesn’t extend beyond the job description.
  • Relationship – They trust you, and they believe in you. People will follow you beyond your stated authority.
  • Results – You need to have self-discipline, a strong work ethic, organization, and skills to produce.
  • Reproduction – Long-range growth occurs here because you’re developing future leaders to carry the torch.
  • Respect – Few people make it here (1% of leaders). A leader creates leaders over a lifetime. It’s a life commitment; the leaders they develop and grow to become leaders that develop other leaders.
  
  J.C. Maxwell mentions that it does not matter your title, you are a leader, but where are you on your leadership journey. Maxwell says everything rises and falls on leadership by learning the five levels to know what leadership is and how to grow as a leader. Leadership is a verb, not a noun; it’s progressive and builds.
  My takeaway is that leadership is to develop influence and ultimately change that will benefit everyone. True leaders keep learning and have a serving heart for people. Leaders lead people by example, with a strong work ethic or result from being productive; in other words, leaders with significant momentum. Leaders recruit the right people, position, and equip them well. Leaders can always teach what they know; you will only replicate who you are by growing people and building them into leaders.
  
  Just another short article on my takeaways, has anyone else read John C. Maxwell’s book of The 5 levels leadership? If so, what was your major takeaway?
  
  Finally, have you started to implement this in your work, Business, or Life?
  
• 
  Aleya

  I am not really a Maxwell fan. He provides surface level information and stories. This book was no exception. I've been reading this for a work thing and we've gone over it every month since October of last year. Each section we have done invites a little bit of discussion but not enough. It's only the surface of leadership. He tries to pack in a ton of stuff but doesn't give enough examples. I prefer Simon Sinek's works to Maxwell's. It wasn't the worst book ever, but it definitely was not the best.
• 
  Jacob Bowes

  A phenomenal book and a must read for those wanting to growth in their leadership abilities. This book keeps a very complicated topic simple and yet leaves the read with a clear idea of how to improve. This is another book that I will probably read over and over again.
  
  The book is a little repetitive, but I felt this was done deliberately to drive home the author's main points. It was done effectively and didn't take away from the book's quality.
• 
  Malik Aljabri

  Finish it ad AudioBook, you need to read/listen if you will gone to implement the steps.
• 
  Soundview Executive Book Summaries

  The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell was chosen by
  Soundview Executive Book Summaries as one of the
  Top 30 Business Books of 2012.
  
  THE SOUNDVIEW REVIEW:
  
  John C. Maxwell remains one of the most popular authors whose books have been summarized by Soundview Executive Book Summaries. When one considers the reasons why Maxwell strikes a resonant chord time and again, a trio of potential answers become readily apparent. Maxwell’s books include straightforward advice, a strong moral and philosophical underpinning, and a warmth in delivery that feels like personal coaching from an old friend. All of the above are present once more in Maxwell’s latest best-seller The 5 Levels of Leadership.
  
  Maxwell takes readers on a journey through a career in leadership. His five levels (Position, Permission, Production, People Development and The Pinnacle) are a framework upon which a career in any industry can be constructed. Each level is supported by principles, rules or beliefs that instill capability and confidence in readers. Maxwell distinguishes his level system from other leadership books by establishing up front that being named to a leadership position, while an honor, does little more than provide an empty vessel. How and with what that vessel is filled forms the heart of the challenge of leadership.
  
  Executives reading The 5 Levels of Leadership will want to pay particular attention to Maxwell’s fourth level (People Development). The ability to develop productive leaders from one’s own team is a difficult skill to master. It can also intimidate executives who fear that they are grooming their own replacements. Maxwell provides heartfelt council about the reasons why developing leaders is the single highest goal to which any executive can aspire. It is only through the multiplication of one’s own success in others that the fifth and final level (The Pinnacle) can be attained. The fact that Maxwell states that the fifth level is a rarity is a testament to the determination it takes to achieve this goal.
  
  Soundview's 8-page Executive Book Summary of The 5 Levels of Leadership is available
  here.
• 
  Matthew

  Several years ago, I was browsing in a bookstore and read that Stephen Covey was a Level 5 Leader within John Maxwell's system. I was already a big fan of Stephen Covey and "7 Habits", so I was curious to read from someone else who thought so highly of him. And then I waited a number of years, until the covid pandemic made it so hard to get a library book that I was forced to revisit my ever-growing list of books to read...
  
  Like "7 Habits", this is a book that was written by someone with decades of leadership experience. It isn't merely a description of leadership, it's the distillation of a lot of hard-fought wisdom earned over many years. I feel comfortable saying I'm on level two. Should I be glad that I'm not on the lowest level, or humbled that there is so much left to climb? While reading this book I found myself thinking about various people I've met who have achieved up to a certain level but are clearly not at level five. What level are they at? What are they missing?
  
  The author is up-front about his Christian faith and mentions it several times, but he isn't pushy or preachy about it. I could see that being a turn-off to some people. Otherwise I would recommend this to anyone who is serious about leadership. There is a lot of food for thought, and a lot of practical advice and suggestions.
• 
  Melanie

  Great book on improving yourself as a leader. Can be applied to all kinds of leadership positions. I found insights that will help me as a mother, Cub Scout leader and school volunteer. The five levels of leadership are position, permission, production, people development, and pinnacle.
  
  Some of my favorite quotes:
  "Good leaders are always good learners." p. 44
  "Successful leaders work hard to know themselves." p. 46
  "To be effective, leaders must always be learners. If you're through learning, you are through ." p. 239
  
  And I thought this list of crucial leadership lessons was spot-on: integrity, vision, influence, passion, servanthood, confidence, problem-solving, communication, creativity, teamwork, attitude, self-discipline.
  
  "Change occurs in people's lives when they: 1) hurt enough that they have to (pain & adversity)
  2) learn enough that they want to (education and experience)
  3) receive enough that they are able to (support & equipping)"
  
  I loved how Maxwell ended his book with examples from the life of pinnacle-leader and basketball coach, John Wooden. It was a great tribute to a wonderful man.
  
  
• 
  Chanh Nguyen

  
  
  
  Overview of the 5 levels
  
  Level 1: Position: People who make it to this stage are the lowest stage and may not be leaders but just bosses, J. Maxwell noted.
  
  Level 2: Permission: People follow the leader at this stage because they want to. To back this point, he said one can like people without leading but an individual cannot leader people well without liking them.
  
  Level 3: Production: This stage is based on the result. People follow based on what leaders have done for the organization. Leaders at this stage become change agents.
  
  Level 4: People development: Over here, John Maxwell noted that, leaders reproduce themselves. Meaning, they change the lives of people they lead.
  
  Level 5: Pinnacle: The highest leadership accomplishment is developing other leaders to level 4 and this is what Level 5 is about. It involves high level of challenge. People follow this kind of leaders for who they are and what they represent.Overview of the 5 levels
• 
  RC

  2.5 stars
  
  i genuinely enjoyed certain parts of this book. i do think it had a lot of valuable tips and tricks about being a good leader, especially regarding confronting one’s ego. i used my highlighter on several paragraphs, especially near the beginning and middle sections.
  
  however…
  
  i really wish this book had gathered a larger perspective of leadership opinions. the vast majority of those quoted in the book were cishet white men. further, some are actively abhorrent people, such as christopher columbus and the founder of chickfila. i do not value their input, and i wish these people had been excluded. the lack of diversity in this book makes it skewed towards helping a specific subset of the population: cishet white men.
  
  also offputting was the sudden pivot at the end towards religion. although the book stopped short of saying “being religious is important to being a great leader”, there was a newfound focus on faith & religion at the end that i found unnecessary. it left a bad taste in my mouth that it felt as though the author viewed religion or faith as a necessary building block towards being a great leader.
• 
  Annie

  This book is more for someone new in a leadership role. The information is basic and not memorable (like using P words for each of the leadership levels):
  1. Position: You're in a managerial role so your direct reports do as you tell them.
  2. Permission: People choose to follow your lead (i.e., give permission for you to lead them).
  3. Production: People follow you because of what you've produced (i.e., history of success).
  4. People Development: People follow and stay connected with you because of what you've done for them.
  5. Pinnacle: People follow you because of who you are and what you represent (e.g., attract followers because of your reputation as a great leader).
• 
  Joseph Santora

  Leadership has always been a topic that interests me. I've read several of John Maxwell's books, and each time, I learn something new. The 5 Levels of Leadership outline actionable items on each level to help you improve as a leader. The author uses personal stories to help you understand the significance of their lesson. If you are interested in improving as a leader, or even just self-improvement as an influencer, this book is for you.
• 
  Brian

  An amazing look into John Maxwell's levels of leadership. From leveraging your position or title to relationships to productivity, these platforms provide a way for leaders to evaluate their style of leadership and are given guidelines to move up the levels and take on more responsibility and influence. Maxwell succinctly describes how he believes leadership is a verb that follows a dynamic process, a process I will spend the rest of my life attempting to learn.
• 
  Andrew

  5 stars!
  I listened to the audiobook.
  
  You can’t go wrong with Maxwell! This book is full of leadership gold. Maxwell has an uncanny ability to get at the heart of the best leadership principles and state those principles in simple terms.
  
  My main criticism is that I would have liked him to dive deeper into some of the ideas. To me this felt like more of an introductory book because he goes into a lot of what you should do, but not a lot of “how.”
  
  Definitely worth the read (or listen).
  
• 
  Sarah

  I was given this book as an assignment from work to read and I actually really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. As I focus on progressing in my career, sometimes I get caught up in just wanting to get to the next step but through reading this book it has made me realize I need to focus on more at the level I am currently on
• 
  Shelby

  Challenged me in the way I view “leadership.” Sometimes leadership is a very vague concept, but this book really broke it down. I would recommend to anyone who is looking to develop themselves, are struggling with their current leadership, or just need help adjusting their mindset in the workplace. Good tidbits throughout even if you’re not wanting to be in a “leadership position.”
• 
  Ivan

  Readable, practical, and insightful. Rather than some generic mishmash of principles, Maxwell offers a roadmap that any person in any organization can follow to maximize their leadership—to grow and serve others.
• 
  Matt McAlear

  Awesome book, with many takeaways. Talks through the 5 levels and makes a great argument for why each level is important and how to move up the leadership ladder.
• 
  Gloria Washington

  This book is excellent for dual purposes. Personally and for developing your team.
  A great read and study.
• 
  Alexander Gil

  An engaging read, Maxwell delivers with quotes and the 5 levels that all aspirational leaders should read.
  The pinnacle and personal developer are great aspirations.
• 
  Rob

  Excellent breakdown of the various stages that all leaders go through, as well as specific steps to take to improve as a leader. Another great book from John Maxwell, highly recommend.
• 
  Rachel

  3.5 stars
  
  Great information but I found myself falling asleep while trying to read this.
• 
  Rizaldo Rizky

  John Maxwell explains well about levels of leadership including its upside, downside, belief embodying it, and also steps to the next level. He emphasizes the difference between positional leadership and the other level of leadership such as relational and productive leaders. The 4th and 5th level is mostly about giving back to others, this make me understand why there are many managerial trainee and mentoring program in organization. Highest level leader could create leader who can create another leader. Its compound effect could be the key for sustained innovation in the organization. In the books there are tons of quotes from historical leader that related with author points. The book written in a easy to understand language, and there are a lot of meaningful story that could be used as inspiration for learner.
• 
  Jay Ehret

  Listened to the audio book but should have read the real book. Lots to take notes on and work on. John has lots of lists and much to work on.
• 
  Ghuraify Alawi

  
  يتحدث الكاتب عن مفهوم القيادة وتجلياتها كسلوك عملي وانعكاس مستواها من خلال بعض الظواهر في بيئة العمل.
  
  ويصر ماكسويل بأن هذه المستويات متعاقبة من حيث قوة التأثير، بمعنى أن لكل مستوى تأثيره على المقودين، وكذلك له خصائصه التي تبرز ثقافة القائد ونمطه القيادي.
  
  ويذكر الكاتب المستويات الخمسة مع تفاصيل عملية لمتطلباتها القيادية والإدارية، والجميل أن الكاتب يتناول البعد الانساني والعلاقات صعودا مع كل مستوى، كما أنه يؤكد أن على الإنسان أن يسعى دائما للمستوى القيادي الذي يليه للحفاظ على حالة النمو والتحسن والإبقاء على قوة جذب التابعين.
  
  ١- الحق الموقعي: في هذا المستوى يظفر شخص ما بالصعود إلى موقع وظيفي يعطيه حق القيادة، الناس يتبعون القائد لأنهم مضطرون لفعل ذلك بسبب موقعهم في الهيكل التنظيمي للمؤسسة. مستوى الابداع عند الموظفين منخفض في هذا المستوى، ومع استمراره يتسرب الكثيرون من بيئة العمل.
  
  ٢- القبول: الذي يعتمد على العلاقات، يتبعك الآخرون لأنهم يحبون أن يتبعوك بفضل الجو الأسري الذي تخلقه في بيئة العمل، وهو مناخ منتج ولكن استمراره قد يرفع كفة العلاقات على الانتاجية.
  
  ٣- النتائج: يتبعك الآخرون بسبب انجازاتك وما تحققه للمؤسسة من خلال العاملين معك، ما يجعلهم يشعرون بالفخر والاعتزاز بوجودك قائدا لهم.
  ٤- تطوير الناس: يتبعك الآخرون بسبب تأثيرك عليهم وما تقدمه لهم من فرص لاكتشاف ذاتهم للنمو إلى مقامات أفضل، الأمر الذي يقود إلى تحسن شامل على مستوى المؤسسة، ويعطيها قدرة تنافسية أفضل مقابل المؤسسات الأخرى. في هذا المستوى يكون دور القائد هو صناعة قادة جدد.
  
  ٥- الزعامة والإلهام: حيث يتبعك الآخرون بما تمثل من قيم ومثل. القائد هنا يكون ملهما وصانعا للنجاح للمؤسسة لتكون رائدة في مجالها ومستقطبة للكفاءات المهنية. القيادة هنا حالة خاصة من التميز لا يصل إليها إلا القليل جدا من البشر.
  
  الكتاب يحتوي على الكثير من الأمثلة والأفكار العملية التي توضح المسار للانتقال والتطور نحو المستويات الأعلى للقيادة، وتعالج بعض الظواهر على مستوى أداء القائد وتحفيز العاملين والتي قد تخفى على الكثيرين.
  
  أنصح بقرائته بشدة