For a lion, learning to hunt is one of the most important skills that it will ever acquire. In the early days hunting is a combination of instinct, observation, and practice for young lions.
Watching their mothers hunt, cubs learn by watching their mothers capture the prey, before going trying tactics and skills on their own.

Teaching is one thing but learning is another. So how do you make sure that the people you are working with know what to do or how to do it? What is the best leadership transition model? and how do you implement it?

John Maxwell defines the levels of leadership according to your level of authority, leverage and influence. We will dissect each level and try to understand on which level you are with your subordinates.

Ask yourself what level am I on with that person, you may be on different levels with different people. Knowing your levels with those people will allow you to become a better leader to them.

Level 1: Position

Position is the starting point. Anyone can be appointed to a position, which will give you authority over a group of people. This doesn’t make you a leader just yet, it makes you a boss, a person in charge. You have subordinates, not team members. You rely on rules and regulations to manage and lead without any influence or leverage. Your followers will follow you because you have authority over them and not because of your leadership skills.  

Level 2: Permission

‘People go along with leaders they get along with’

You have reached this level, if you succeeded at building relationships, bonds and connections with the people in your charge. You now have influence on them; they follow you and not your orders. Your subordinates will start working with you because you showed care, value and trust. This is the first real phase of your leadership path.

Level 3: Production

Reaching level 3 will require you to move from influencing others around you to help them become efficient and productive. Production separates true leaders from people who occupy leadership positions; you need lead your team into making things happen. Hitting monthly targets, building a community, lifting the spirit of the work environment, problem solving; are all aspects of you making a significant impact. Moving to level 3 requires a clear set vision, dedication, discipline and consistency.

Level 4: People Development

Shifting from Production to People development is a revolutionary shift in the organization’s structure. This shift will transform you from being a leader who gets involved in production tasks into a leader focusing on his people, their well-being and most importantly their own leadership skills. Leaders who reach the fourth level have gone beyond numbers and results and are now growing others as leaders.

Level 5: The Pinnacle

Growing others as leaders is every leader’s ambition, but seeing those grow leaders of their own is the culmination of leadership and the highest level. The pinnacle consists of developing leaders who will reach level 4 (people development) on their own. The individuals who reach level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
Leadership at this high level creates an unshakeable circle of safety, regrouping everyone in the organization and creating a unique environment where everyone feels fulfilled and happy. Level 5 leaders possess an influence that can reach everyone in the organization, this is why it is very important to lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many challenges as possible and extend their impact to make a difference beyond their own organization.