Behaviours For Moving from Leadership Level Position To The Next Level

Level 1 of leadership, as per John C. Maxwell is position. This level is not for staying but one has to continuously learn and adopt the behaviours and beliefs to be able to move to the next level, which is permission, which are as follows:

1- Don’t push people by using your position. Let go of control and start fostering cooperation. Choose to think like the higher-level leader, e.g.

• Instead of “I am over you,” say “let’s work together.”
• Instead of “Don’t let people get close to you,” say, “I’ll come to you.”
• Instead of “fake it till you make it,” ask, “What do you think?”
• Instead of “Never let them see your sweat,” to “Together, we can win.”
• Instead of “You are here to help me,” say, “I’m here to help you.”
• Instead of “I determine your future,” to “I want to add value to you.”
• Instead of “Do this or else!” to “I believe you can do this!”
• Instead of “The rule is…” to “Let’s think outside the box,”

2- Embrace a non-positional mindset and don’t take anything for granted. Keep working hard and being a leader without thinking of leadership as a right because it is a privilege.

3- Stop being the king of the hill and connect with people. Make it your responsibility to know who they are, find out what they need and help them. Value people and express your appreciation for them. Take an interest in them personally. When you consider them a valuable asset of the organization (who they truly are), you will notice a shift in their response to you.

4- Understand that the title does not have value if you are not adding value to people’s lives. If your work adds value, you don’t need a title.

5- Don’t act as if you know everything. A leader’s job is not to know everything but to attract people who know things that the leader doesn’t. Call on people to help you find the answers and make problem-solving collaborative. Admit when you do not know something, and stop pretending.

6- Understand that successful leadership is all about others. It means

• Relating well with other people
• Be example for other people 
• Develop and equip people 
• Collaborate with other people and include them 
• Putting other people ahead of yourself 

Good leadership is about leading with people, not just leading people.