John Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership is a classic book and the idea of managers progressing up a leadership ladder with clear descriptions of each level is really helpful.

But I’ve always had a bit of an issue with it. I think there are two shortcuts to the 5 Levels of Leadership that will give you a jump over the competition for that next pay rise or promotion.

If you haven’t got a leadership role yet and you’re stuck wondering how to build the experience you need to get that promotion into management… the first shortcut is for you.

And if you’re IN a leadership role and want to push your career further and faster forwards, the second shortcut is exactly what you need.

Before we take a NEW look at John Maxwell’s ideas and find those two shortcuts let’s remind ourselves what the 5 Levels of Leadership are.

Level 1 – Position

Most new managers start leading in a way that’s based on their position or job title. You get instant authority when you’re given the title of manager, or supervisor, and people follow because they have to. It’s a start to your leadership journey. But. If you want to really LEAD, you need to get off of this level as quickly as you can.

Level 2 – Permission

In this level, you create strong relationships with your team. You understand that leadership is about WAY more than the title and really comes from connecting with PEOPLE. By showing respect, valuing others, and building an environment of trust, you gain PERMISSION to lead regardless of your official position. People follow because they want to. They like you, trust you and see that you have THEIR best interests at heart.

Level 3 – Production

You focus on getting results and driving productivity. You keep hold of relationship hearts and minds… but build respect and credibility by getting stuff done that MATTERS. People follow because of what’s accomplished and the visible impact on the organization.

Level 4 – People Development

You’re committed to investing in the growth of your team. You become a mentor and a coach… challenging, encouraging and supporting people to unlock their potential. People follow because they feel empowered, and enabled to become better versions of themselves.

Level 5 – Pinnacle

The pinnacle of leadership is characterized by a lasting legacy of positive influence. By nurturing other leaders, your impact extends widely, creating a ripple effect that permeates your organization and even the broader community. People follow because of your character and the transformative changes you’ve created.

5 levels of leadership. 5 Ps of leadership. Position. Permission. Production. People. Pinnacle.

John Maxwell teaches that you move through the levels one at a time. 1-2-3-4-5

You start leading because you have the position. Then you build relationships and start getting stuff done. As you do that, you move into focusing on the growth of your people, which starts the ripple effect and, if you stay consistent over time, your influence is felt across the business and beyond.

And this is a really good way to look at it.

But. You don’t HAVE to progress through the levels one by one. And in fact… I really don’t think you should!

There are TWO shortcuts to the 1-2-3-4-5 route that EVERY leader should know, because they’re critical for how you get started as a leader, and how you jump to the higher levels.

Sticking resolutely to the 1-2-3-4-5 levels will slow your progress up the career ladder. 

So I want you to have these TWO shortcuts. 

First… If you WAIT to start leading until you have a “position” that might be appropriate for level 1, you’re going to wait a long time.

When finding people for leadership roles, bosses are usually looking for someone who’s already shown some leadership. 

Which puts you in a chicken and egg situation. How do you get the leadership experience you need before you get the role that would give you that experience? 

In some cases, people get promoted to leadership because they’re really good at their technical role. The best salesperson, gets promoted to lead the sales team. The best Engineer gets promoted to lead the Engineering department and so on.

In that scenario, the start of Maxwell’s 5 levels work perfectly. You’ve been a brilliant technician. You get the supervisor position. And you start leading at Level 1.

But in many cases the hiring manager will be looking for where you have already shown some leadership, before giving you a chance at the leadership position. 

So what do you do?

The short answer is… You JUMP OVER level 1, and start working on Levels 2 and 3. 

My definition of leadership goes like this:

Understanding what’s going on

Figuring out what needs to happen

And working with people to make it happen

And one of the brilliant things about this is that you can do it even if you haven’t got a team.

What sort of thing do I mean?

At a very simple level it can be… Spotting and understanding that Ian is off his game today, and that really isn’t like him. Figuring out that someone needs to check in with him, and then actually going and doing it yourself. And then in the conversation, either just letting him know you’re there if he needs you, or maybe even help him think through how to handle something.

You don’t need to be someone’s line manager to look after him a little bit. But if you get in the habit of doing it… Looking out for the welfare of your colleagues, building your relationships with them and helping them think through any challenges… You’re ACTING like a supportive line manager should and you’re creating a story you can tell in an interview for a supervisor position.

Even if you haven’t got a “team that reports to you”… You can start being a Level 2 leader in the team that you’re a part of now.

And the same thing works with with Level 3. Production. 

You don’t have to be in charge to be the person who ACTUALLY makes sure stuff gets done. 

In loads of teams and businesses… the person in the “manager chair” often isnt the person who actually makes things happen and gets projects over the line. 

No. Often that person is the one IN the team who REALLY understands the other people in the team. Who can find the right thing to say to nudge them forwards. Or knows the right person to help get something finished. 

Wherever you sit in the hierarchy, you can DECIDE to be the person that is going to make sure a project gets completed. Talk to people about it constantly. Offer ideas. Offer specific help. Maintain the team’s energy and enthusiasm for it. Be the person who repeatedly paints the picture of how things will be better when you’ve finished and the new thing is embedded and happening.

If you do this well… You’ve created another great story to tell in a leadership interview.  

And you’ve done it by jumping straight into Level 3 of Maxwell’s 5 levels, leveraging your relationships with people to actually get stuff done, even though you haven’t got a team that reports to you! By working powerfully with the people in the team you’re a part of, YOU can be the person to make stuff happen… and when that happens, you’ve BECOME a leader. You’ve turned yourself into one!

So… My first shortcut in Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership is… You can jump over Level 1, straight into levels 2 and 3, before you even have a team of your own. And that’s exactly what you NEED to do so that you can show some leadership BEFORE you’ve got a leadership role.

The next shortcut is further up the 5 levels ladder! You’ve been IN leadership a while. You’ve built your relationships with your team and your boss and you’re definitely operating in Level 2: Permission.

But you want to progress further. Your ambition is kicking in. You can SEE the future, for your team and the business and you want to start really making things happen.

So you’re stepping into Level 3: Production. Building leadership by making sure things get done.

But here’s the shortcut.

You know the BEST way to get things done as a leader? Through the ingenuity, talent, energy and enthusiasm of your team.

Some just call it delegation. Asking Michael to do this, Tammy to do that and so on. And at it’s simplest that’s what Level 3 leadership… Production… Getting things done… is all about. Shaping the workload of your team to make sure the right things  get done and your team and your business make progress.

But if you’ve REALLY built the relationships with your people… If you’re NAILING Level 2 leadership… you know what they really want. You understand their aspirations, hopes and expectations. You know what they’re good at. And what they’re not good at.

So you can really shape the delegations you make… to FIT with your people – and with their development.

Yes. You give Michael things to do that you KNOW he can do. But you should also be thinking… What’s the thing that’s going to push Michael a little past his comfort zone? What’s the thing that’s going to set him up for HIS next promotion or pay rise? How do THOSE things fit with what we’re trying to achieve as a team?

This shortcut to Maxwell’s five levels is about killing two birds with one stone.

If you start really thinking about your people and their development as you delegate… You get things done AND start developing your people.

You move into Level 3 and 4 territory AT THE SAME TIME.

What this means overall is that… Your route through MAxwell’s five levels doesn’t have to be 1-2-3-4-5.

You can skip level 1 – it’s not much good anyway.

Jump straight into Levels 2 and 3, even if you haven’t got a team reporting to you yet.

As soon as you HAVE got a team, start thinking about their development and bring levels 3 and 4 together.

Those are your two shortcuts through Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership. Start with 2-3. Progress into 3-4. And before you know it you’ll be knocking on the door of executive roles and Level 5 leadership will be at your fingertips.