thirty years I’ve been teaching this and
I’ve taught this for West Point and
Microsoft and Lily and Delta and and the
largest organizations and companies in
the world come and say John teach the
five levels of leadership because they
understand they understand that if you
and I today in these few minutes can
understand how leadership works and by
the way leadership’s not a noun it’s a
verb it’s action it’s moving and if we
can understand how to go from level one
to level two to level three to level
four to up to up to level five in our
leadership we expand our leadership we
expand our influence and we expand our
effectiveness so I’m ready to go I know
you’re ready to go okay here we go
level one we’re gonna start at the very
bottom level this is where you start
this is where we all start the bottom
level is the position level at level
number one that this is where we all
start we all start with the title we all
start with a job description we all
start with a position okay and the key
word at level number word in that level
number one the key word is rights righ T
s rights in other words people at level
number one follow you because they have
to in other words you’re the boss or you
have a title or you’re the supervisor
and and anybody that’s under that person
they just basically follow that person
now this is the beginning of all of our
leadership journey we we get a
leadership position and that people will
come to me all the time they’ll say
Johnny I just became a leader last week
and and when they tell me they became a
leader last week I know what they meant
they really didn’t become a leader last
week what they really did is they got a
leadership position last week and by the
way the position
doesn’t make you a leader I know a lot
of people have a position of leadership
but they’re not a good leader you know
that – you probably worked with them
before so the position doesn’t make you
a leader but if you’re a good leader you
can really make the position but it’s
where we all begin now the upside of
level one is simple it’s a place where
you and I get to shape and define our
leadership we get a leadership job we’ve
become a supervisor and now we begin to
work on ourselves as a leader and we
begin to define who we are that’s kind
of the upside now let me give you the
downside of level number one the
downside of level number one is the
people who follow you will give you the
least amount of their energy and effort
in other words chip if they’re following
you because they have to follow you if
they’re following you because that
that’s what they’ve got to do to get
their paycheck if they’re following you
because that you know that’s you have
the position over them if that’s the
case they will always give you the very
least of their time and of their ability
and of their effort and of their mind
people don’t like to have to follow
people because they have to follow
people and this is their great mistake
that people that have positional
leadership make they think well I’ve got
the title I’ve got the position so now
everybody will follow me well they’re
following you but they’re only following
you many times if you’re not a good
leader because they have to it’s the
only way that they can get paid just
think of this level number one is where
you’re going to get the very least a
people’s energy effort and mine let live
let me tell you I’ve seen that many
times when I’ve gone to to work with
companies on leadership you can always
tell a level one leadership company or
level number one leadership culture you
can always tell it because let’s say
quitting time is that at the quitting
times at five o’clock in level one
positional type companies if quitting
time is at five o’clock
guess what at 4:30 everybody is clearing
the desk
oh yeah they’re they’re moving stuff out
of the way because because it’s only 30
minutes until the highlight of their day
and so they’re they’re already starting
the countdown so they’re they’re
clearing their desks because they want
nothing to impede their progress when
they leave the building
so they’ve got that at 4:30 the desk
starts getting cleared at 4:45 they get
away from the desk and they go around
and they go to the different cubicles
and then and they’re saying their
goodbyes and they’re saying what was
great to be with you today and had a
good time and see the marks and they’re
doing all that kind of stuff because
again at 5 o’clock the big time at 5
o’clock they don’t want to have to be
encumbered by by doing relationship
stuff they would they want to do that on
company time you understand that at 4:50
they’re going to the restroom
of course you want to be sure to pee on
company time of course so they’re over
there and they’re just okay Dahle got
that done for 55 they’re back at their
desk and they’re changing shoes they’re
changing those either they’re getting on
track shoes they’re getting on they got
to get something because at 457 they are
in a they are in a starting position
they are they are counting down they are
and at five o’clock everybody’s gone I
mean everybody you say what do you mean
everybody’s but everybody’s got a 5
o’clock they’re all gone I mean if you
look around the office and they’re gone
in fact they’re gone so fast it startles
you and you go run over you right over
to the window to look out in the parking
lot and you’re now you’re you’re totally
shocked all the cars are gone and you
ask yourself how could people leave a
building so fast without a fire drill
let me explain in positional companies
when people come and park in the morning
they’re very careful how they park they
back their car
they back their career yeah
because because they know at quitting
time they want to be able to get a fast
escape because now they’re on their time
and I can promise you you show me a
positional company a positional culture
you show me leaders that are positional
in their thinking and I will promise you
every time not all the time every time
those people will constantly wonder why
am I not getting the best out of my
people you’re not getting the best out
of your people because the only reason
that people are following you is because
you got a title and they’re going to
give you very little energy now the good
news is you don’t have to stay at level
number one you can go to level number
two so let’s go to that level of number
two as quickly as we can the first level
is the positional level the key word
there is right side get certain rights
so you’ve got to follow me level number
two is the permission level and at the
permission level the key word is
relationships and at this level people
now begin to follow you because they
want to now there’s a world of
difference between following somebody
because you have to and following
somebody because you want to now what
happened between levels 1 & 2 well
what’s happened is you have connected
you’ve connected with your people you’ve
not only connected with them but but
relationally they like you and you like
them and you’ve got to know each other
and so now in this work environment that
they’re not following you just because
you are a supervisor they’re following
you because you do have a position you
are a supervisor but you are a
supervisor that people like and I’m
always amazed aren’t you amazed I’m
always amazed at people that have
leadership positions or responsibilities
and they’re not they’re not likeable do
you know what I mean
they’re just not likable people don’t
care for them it’s it’s tough being in
the people business and not having
people like you it’s tough in fact in
fact sometimes I see them and I just
want to I just want to I just want to
sit down with them and and say my name
is John and and I’m your friend and I
just want you to know people don’t like
you
how many oh come on let’s just have some
fun how many of you have ever had
somebody you had how many of you ever
had somebody who worked for the adjust
that you just didn’t like it no no wait
wait wait wait wait wait don’t wait wait
oh oh ho ho
that was close let me qualify this for
you not in your present jobs situation
you understand no no no no no no I know
that it’s not happening where you are
now you are happy but how many of you in
another job at another time on another
planet come on come on
alright come on how many of you ever
have somebody you had to follow and they
just weren’t like let’s see the hands
come on let’s get this handsome huh
absolutely all right there you all right
let me ask the real question how many of
your CDs beside that person right now
relationships relationships with people
are the foundation of leadership you
build your leadership offer
relationships why because leadership is
influence and you cannot influence
somebody that you antagonize and every
one of us know what it’s like to have
somebody every one of us know what it’s
like to have somebody that we that’s
hard to like let me ask it this way how
many of you how many of you have ever
how many of you ever been in a grocery
store and and you looked over about
three aisles and you saw somebody you
didn’t want to see how many of you ever
done and the good news is the bad news
you saw somebody didn’t wanna see the
good news is they didn’t see you how
many of you ever done this number
it hid from somebody now in this on
level number two what happens is you
begin to develop relationship skill so
let me just let me describe the leader
on level two the leader on level two
they have three things that they do
extremely well to be a relational leader
one is they listen well in fact they
take all of their leadership cues from
walking slowly through the crowd and
listening they listen well
secondly they observe their conscious
about where their people are and what
their people are doing and they’re
constantly observing them and thirdly
they’re learning they’re learning and
then in the process of listening
observing and learning they have an
attitude of servanthood they know how to
serve and they not only know how to
serve but they do serve and they not
only do serve but they love the shirt
one of the things that I love about
chick-fil-a I live in Florida now and so
when I went down there I I began to talk
to chick-fil-a be able said come on you
got to get in home but your chick Flay’s
down in my area because they lived in
Atlanta and I need my chick-fil-a fix
and they’re starting to come down it’s
wonderful but gonna tell you what I love
about chick-fil-a they have a a servant
culture level number two they got that
wire they’ve got this relationship stuff
wired it’s my pleasure how can I serve
you it’s it’s it’s a mindset it’s a
culture and if you’re going to grow as a
leader you have to grow beyond your
position beyond your title yes you have
a position that’s level one but the
second level is relationships and the
ability to get along with people that’s
level two let’s go to level number three
there’s another level higher the third
level is the production level the key
word there is results and at this level
you’re starting to
help the bottom line of the company
you’re starting to quote bring home the
bacon you’re at this level you become
effective as a leader and you become
effective as a leader on level number
three because you produce and the
characteristics of leaders at level
number three are very common one is that
they they produce by example in other
words they are the example for the other
people that follow them how to be
effective and how to be how to be
productive you see the greatest
motivational principle in the world the
greatest motivational principle in the
world is that people do what people see
and too many too many travel agents too
many travel agents they’re like um or
too many leaders too many leaders are
like they’re like travel agents they’re
sending people where they’ve never been
themselves and you want to be a tour
guide you want to take people with you
you want to say this is the area where
I’ve been this is where I live this is
the area where I lead come along and
follow me and at level number three your
leadership begins to gain credibility
because now you are fleshing out for the
people around you and you are modeling
for them things that they want to see
and you are starting to produce which
something else happens because you’re
becoming productive in your own life you
begin to attract people to begin to be
productive also in the 21 irrefutable
laws of leadership that I wrote one of
the laws is the law of magnetism and the
law of magnetism just says we attract
who we are not who we want so when I
talk to leaders often when we talk about
recruiting then I’ll say well what kind
of people do you want in your company
what kind of people do you want in your
department as a supervisor and they’ll
give me a list of they’ll write things
you know I want I want somebody that’s I
want somebody that self discipline and I
want somebody that is service oriented
and they’ll give me a you know a list of
four or five qualities and since they
give me the list Knight I look at those
qualities in and then I ask him a very
simple question I say okay uh do you
possess those qualities because he owned
level number three basically who you are
as a leader is who you attract on your
team and at level number two or level
number three what is wonderful is that
that at level number three when you
start to produce when you start to
really do
when you really start to grow things you
begin to get momentum and momentum is a
leaders best friend because momentum is
the great exaggerator and once you have
momentum all of a sudden things begin to
look in such a better way and it becomes
easier to grow and it becomes easier to
leave it’s a wonderful thing
in fact level number three is where a
lot of the problem-solving is taken care
of
you see managers they try to solve
problems where leaders try to create
momentum because leaders know that if
they create momentum they’ll solve 80%
of their problems with momentum you see
momentum is a problem solver lack of
momentum is a problem stopper every time
a train going 55 miles an hour on a
track if you had a five foot thick
concrete steel reinforced wall on the
track in front that train because that
train is going in has momentum going 55
miles an hour that train would smash
through that wall and would just keep on
going why because it has momentum
momentum allowed it to get through a
five-foot thick concrete steel
reinforced problem
that’s what momentum does that same
train not moving at all stopped dead on
the track no momentum if you put a
one-inch block in front of the driving
wheels of that train just one inch block
that train can’t even get started now is
it an interesting same train that the
smash to a five-foot thick concrete
steel reinforced wall because of the
head momentum that same train without
momentum can’t even get going with a one
inch block can’t even get going it has
no momentum in fact that’s why that’s
why I tell people many times when they
look at the problems they have in their
organization your problems not your
problem the problem is they think the
problem is the problem and and so
therefore they they concentrate on a
problem that’s not a problem and now
that the problem it is and the problem
has become a problem not because it was
a problem but the problem was they
didn’t know it wasn’t a problem and so
now they’re concentrating on a problem
that wasn’t a problem and now they’ve
got a problem not because they had a
problem but the problem has become a
problem because they didn’t know that it
wasn’t a problem
and so they got a problem and momentum
and level three leadership will take
care of 80% of all the problems in an
organization it happens for sports it
happens for business it happens in
government momentum is a leaders best
friend it happens at level number three
you got to get to level number three to
get that MOU going okay let’s go to
level number four let me go and they ask
you a question for girl level or four
are you learning something are you
learning something okay okay look at
your neighbor and say I’m learning
something go ahead and tell them that
good tell me I’m learning sit
look look back look back at your look
back at you look back at your neighbor
and look back to your neighbor and say
not an F yet you still got two levels to
go you’re you’re not there yet you’re
not there level number four is the
people development level this is what I
live for this is what I strive for this
is what excites me something magical
happens when you begin to understand the
most appreciable assets you have in any
organization is the people of that
organization and you begin to commit
yourself to develop the people within
that organization because how do you
grow a company you grow a company by
growing people and when you grow them
they increase their capacity when they
can increase their capacity they begin
to increase the capacity of what you can
do and what you can accomplish let me
just share with you quickly three
thoughts on developing people just very
quickly
number one is the key to developing
leaders and have hit the key to
developing good people is in recruitment
the better person you bring in the door
the higher odds you can do well with him
I remember having lunch one time with
Lou Holtz and Lou Holtz said Johnny I’ve
had bad players on my football team and
I’ve had good players on my football
team and he said just to be honest with
you I I’m a better coach with good
players of course he is of course it’s
good let me let me say something 80% of
your success of equipping people to be
successful is in the front door on who
you bring in I wish I had time to
develop that for you because what
happens is unless you and I have a clear
picture of what we’re looking for we
don’t know when we see it happens all
the time people come to me and say John
I’m looking for some leaders for my
company what do you suggest the first
question I ask is what what does the
leader look like give me the
characteristics give me the qualities
set up please please paint a picture for
me what does that leader look like
because you’ve got to have that clear
picture so that when you see that person
you know that they’re one that you want
recruitment is key number two is
positioning the ability not only to
bring the right person in the right in
in the in the front door but also to put
them in the right place as columns would
say get them on the bus get them on the
right seat and position is huge and what
I’ve discovered is that successful
people have always positioned them well
and themselves well when you see a
successful person they’re successful
because what they have done is they’ve
found their strengths on him they found
their niche and they stay right in that
sweet spot and they just work that sweet
spot you’ve never heard anybody be an
interview that was successful that you
came up and you interviewed him they
said well the secret of my success is
that I’ve never discovered what I was
good at or they see my successes I’ve
always worked on I’ve just I’ve just
worked in my weakness no no they’re
always in their strengths they always
they’ve already discovered what they’re
good at now successful people have
discovered what they’re good at
successful leaders discover what other
people are good at successful people
position themselves well successful
leader position that other people well
and at level number four that’s exactly
what happened the leader is always
looking at the people
observing watching just like last week I
went back to my my first school I
graduate I graduated from Ohio Christian
University and in the little town in
circle Ohio and and it’s a little school
I go back every year and I give them a
day to speak and they get all the
proceeds and keep the money and and so
because I grew up in that town I told
one of my friends that played ball with
me tear I said Tim let the ballplayers
let the team know let’s her my high
school kids no thumb will be in town and
let’s have a dinner afterwards and we
had over 50 people came together
I hadn’t seen many of these had seen
many of my high school mates since I
graduated from high school clear back in
1965 we had a wonderful time we laughed
and talked and told stories for two
hours and and coach Neff our basketball
coach he came back I hadn’t seen him for
years and when I saw him I thought of
myself and I thought of a back it in
those scrimmages in basketball because
the first scrimmage every year coach
Neff would take the first team and he’d
say now I’m going to let you play the
second team but there’s one condition
the first team is not going to play
their position and he’d take Doug Roth
who was six foot eight and put him out a
point guard I remember he stacked me one
year under the under center and and he
put all the first-team players out of
position on offense but he left the
second team play in their position and
the second team always beat us in the
scrimmage why’d they always beat us
because and then he would stop and he’d
say let me just explain something to you
no matter how talented you are if you’re
out of position you’ll never reach your
potential what was coach Neff teachings
he was coaching us and he was teaching
us that it’s key to get positionally
correct and it’s also as a leader key to
get your people in the right position
and a level number four that’s what
happens and love whatever for you
recruit well you position well and then
you equip well now you take them and say
okay I understand what their strengths
own is I understand what their
giftedness is now I’m going I’m going to
equip them I’m going to come alongside
of them and I’m going to develop them
and I’m going to train them and I use a
very simple four years for many many
years a simple five-step equipping
process it really works step one I do it
it’s that simple
you can’t teach somebody which can’t do
yourself
yeah we may teach what we know but we
reproduce while we are so if you’re
gonna reproduce yourself you got to be
it yourself so the first step is is I do
it step two as I do it and you’re with
me I take you with me now we’re gonna
spend time together I’m going to be your
mentor I’m going to be your coach you’re
gonna watch me you’re gonna observe me
you’re gonna see me in different
situations we’re gonna make sure that it
works we’re gonna make sure you’re going
to be able to ask me questions
step three is now we turn it and I had I
hand the ball off to you now on step
three you do it you do it and I’m with
you now I’m watching you and I’m
tweaking you and I’m getting I’m helping
you to get better and I I’m I’m I’m just
really fine-tuning you step four is you
do it
you just do it you don’t need me anymore
you know how to do it you do it you do
it well and many times people think that
equipping stops at step four but it
doesn’t there’s one more step that’s
absolutely essential Step five is is if
you do it and somebody’s with you you’ve
never really trained and equipped
somebody until they can multiply
themselves that’s where all compounding
is that’s where all compounded of time
money influence the whole process
compound e begins when you can train
somebody who has trained somebody I know
that well because fourteen years ago I
started a nonprofit organization called
equip that is now the largest leadership
organization in the world and we’ve
trained and equipped over three million
people in 154 countries and the key to
that is we don’t train anybody unless
they make a commitment to train somebody
else it has to continue to go on that’s
level number four
it’s a beautiful level to be on it’s the
level where you develop people now
there’s one more level
as level number five the pinnacle level
the pinnacle level the key word there is
respect you’ve done it so well with so
many for so long the people just
absolutely follow you they follow you
because of who you are the qualities you
have any like they follow you because of
what you have done and there’s a great
amount of respect and it takes a long
time to get to level number five most of
us aren’t there all of us would probably
like to be there but it’s a lifelong
journey and what I want you to
understand about the five levels is
that’s exactly what leadership is
leadership is of always ongoing always
learning growing process okay let me ask
you a question
you’ve got the five levels there and you
can see them and you can see how each
one kind of leads into the next one and
probably the question you’ve asked
yourself now by this time because you’re
a sharp crowd you’ve asked yourself
wonder what level I’m on in my own level
one or my own level three am i on level
four you’ve already done that I know you
have that’s what I would be doing if I’d
be sitting there I’d be say okay where
were you Maxwell and if you asked that
question and you kind of go deep in that
question you’re going to get a little
frustrated because you know what you’re
going to discover you’re going to
discover your that you’re not on the
same level with everybody there was
somebody or maybe on level two with
somebody else you may be on level four
in that truth if somebody new came in
the company you’re on level one with
them and what you’re going to discover
is that you’re on different levels with
different people now I wish I had an
hour to teach this whole process but
here’s what I want you to understand
here’s your assignment very simple take
the people that you lead put their names
down and ask yourself a simple question
what level am I on with that person
do your best to kind of put a number
there and I know it can kind of bleed
together so it’s not quite the exact
science but but do your best shot
because after you know what level you’re
on with each one of your people then
you’re going to know
specifically how to lead them now here’s
the key whenever you try to cast vision
with people in your organization in your
department they don’t see you based upon
who you are as a person or as a leader
they see you through the five levels
grid and a person on level one when you
talk about a vision a person on level
one sees you entirely different than a
person on level number four the
commitment level is much higher the
higher you go with your people so
therefore when you cast a vision or when
you lay it out for your people and say
this is where we want to go just
understand it’s may be the same company
may be in the same building it may be
the same time it may be the same speech
but the reactions are going to be
different and the reactions are going to
be different because they’re on
different levels with you so take the
notes study them apply them to your life
begin to be a student of the five levels
of leadership and I wish you well
because leadership is influence always
has been always will be and within you
you have the power to increase that
influence
you
I’ve taught this for West Point and
Microsoft and Lily and Delta and and the
largest organizations and companies in
the world come and say John teach the
five levels of leadership because they
understand they understand that if you
and I today in these few minutes can
understand how leadership works and by
the way leadership’s not a noun it’s a
verb it’s action it’s moving and if we
can understand how to go from level one
to level two to level three to level
four to up to up to level five in our
leadership we expand our leadership we
expand our influence and we expand our
effectiveness so I’m ready to go I know
you’re ready to go okay here we go
level one we’re gonna start at the very
bottom level this is where you start
this is where we all start the bottom
level is the position level at level
number one that this is where we all
start we all start with the title we all
start with a job description we all
start with a position okay and the key
word at level number word in that level
number one the key word is rights righ T
s rights in other words people at level
number one follow you because they have
to in other words you’re the boss or you
have a title or you’re the supervisor
and and anybody that’s under that person
they just basically follow that person
now this is the beginning of all of our
leadership journey we we get a
leadership position and that people will
come to me all the time they’ll say
Johnny I just became a leader last week
and and when they tell me they became a
leader last week I know what they meant
they really didn’t become a leader last
week what they really did is they got a
leadership position last week and by the
way the position
doesn’t make you a leader I know a lot
of people have a position of leadership
but they’re not a good leader you know
that – you probably worked with them
before so the position doesn’t make you
a leader but if you’re a good leader you
can really make the position but it’s
where we all begin now the upside of
level one is simple it’s a place where
you and I get to shape and define our
leadership we get a leadership job we’ve
become a supervisor and now we begin to
work on ourselves as a leader and we
begin to define who we are that’s kind
of the upside now let me give you the
downside of level number one the
downside of level number one is the
people who follow you will give you the
least amount of their energy and effort
in other words chip if they’re following
you because they have to follow you if
they’re following you because that
that’s what they’ve got to do to get
their paycheck if they’re following you
because that you know that’s you have
the position over them if that’s the
case they will always give you the very
least of their time and of their ability
and of their effort and of their mind
people don’t like to have to follow
people because they have to follow
people and this is their great mistake
that people that have positional
leadership make they think well I’ve got
the title I’ve got the position so now
everybody will follow me well they’re
following you but they’re only following
you many times if you’re not a good
leader because they have to it’s the
only way that they can get paid just
think of this level number one is where
you’re going to get the very least a
people’s energy effort and mine let live
let me tell you I’ve seen that many
times when I’ve gone to to work with
companies on leadership you can always
tell a level one leadership company or
level number one leadership culture you
can always tell it because let’s say
quitting time is that at the quitting
times at five o’clock in level one
positional type companies if quitting
time is at five o’clock
guess what at 4:30 everybody is clearing
the desk
oh yeah they’re they’re moving stuff out
of the way because because it’s only 30
minutes until the highlight of their day
and so they’re they’re already starting
the countdown so they’re they’re
clearing their desks because they want
nothing to impede their progress when
they leave the building
so they’ve got that at 4:30 the desk
starts getting cleared at 4:45 they get
away from the desk and they go around
and they go to the different cubicles
and then and they’re saying their
goodbyes and they’re saying what was
great to be with you today and had a
good time and see the marks and they’re
doing all that kind of stuff because
again at 5 o’clock the big time at 5
o’clock they don’t want to have to be
encumbered by by doing relationship
stuff they would they want to do that on
company time you understand that at 4:50
they’re going to the restroom
of course you want to be sure to pee on
company time of course so they’re over
there and they’re just okay Dahle got
that done for 55 they’re back at their
desk and they’re changing shoes they’re
changing those either they’re getting on
track shoes they’re getting on they got
to get something because at 457 they are
in a they are in a starting position
they are they are counting down they are
and at five o’clock everybody’s gone I
mean everybody you say what do you mean
everybody’s but everybody’s got a 5
o’clock they’re all gone I mean if you
look around the office and they’re gone
in fact they’re gone so fast it startles
you and you go run over you right over
to the window to look out in the parking
lot and you’re now you’re you’re totally
shocked all the cars are gone and you
ask yourself how could people leave a
building so fast without a fire drill
let me explain in positional companies
when people come and park in the morning
they’re very careful how they park they
back their car
they back their career yeah
because because they know at quitting
time they want to be able to get a fast
escape because now they’re on their time
and I can promise you you show me a
positional company a positional culture
you show me leaders that are positional
in their thinking and I will promise you
every time not all the time every time
those people will constantly wonder why
am I not getting the best out of my
people you’re not getting the best out
of your people because the only reason
that people are following you is because
you got a title and they’re going to
give you very little energy now the good
news is you don’t have to stay at level
number one you can go to level number
two so let’s go to that level of number
two as quickly as we can the first level
is the positional level the key word
there is right side get certain rights
so you’ve got to follow me level number
two is the permission level and at the
permission level the key word is
relationships and at this level people
now begin to follow you because they
want to now there’s a world of
difference between following somebody
because you have to and following
somebody because you want to now what
happened between levels 1 & 2 well
what’s happened is you have connected
you’ve connected with your people you’ve
not only connected with them but but
relationally they like you and you like
them and you’ve got to know each other
and so now in this work environment that
they’re not following you just because
you are a supervisor they’re following
you because you do have a position you
are a supervisor but you are a
supervisor that people like and I’m
always amazed aren’t you amazed I’m
always amazed at people that have
leadership positions or responsibilities
and they’re not they’re not likeable do
you know what I mean
they’re just not likable people don’t
care for them it’s it’s tough being in
the people business and not having
people like you it’s tough in fact in
fact sometimes I see them and I just
want to I just want to I just want to
sit down with them and and say my name
is John and and I’m your friend and I
just want you to know people don’t like
you
how many oh come on let’s just have some
fun how many of you have ever had
somebody you had how many of you ever
had somebody who worked for the adjust
that you just didn’t like it no no wait
wait wait wait wait wait don’t wait wait
oh oh ho ho
that was close let me qualify this for
you not in your present jobs situation
you understand no no no no no no I know
that it’s not happening where you are
now you are happy but how many of you in
another job at another time on another
planet come on come on
alright come on how many of you ever
have somebody you had to follow and they
just weren’t like let’s see the hands
come on let’s get this handsome huh
absolutely all right there you all right
let me ask the real question how many of
your CDs beside that person right now
relationships relationships with people
are the foundation of leadership you
build your leadership offer
relationships why because leadership is
influence and you cannot influence
somebody that you antagonize and every
one of us know what it’s like to have
somebody every one of us know what it’s
like to have somebody that we that’s
hard to like let me ask it this way how
many of you how many of you have ever
how many of you ever been in a grocery
store and and you looked over about
three aisles and you saw somebody you
didn’t want to see how many of you ever
done and the good news is the bad news
you saw somebody didn’t wanna see the
good news is they didn’t see you how
many of you ever done this number
it hid from somebody now in this on
level number two what happens is you
begin to develop relationship skill so
let me just let me describe the leader
on level two the leader on level two
they have three things that they do
extremely well to be a relational leader
one is they listen well in fact they
take all of their leadership cues from
walking slowly through the crowd and
listening they listen well
secondly they observe their conscious
about where their people are and what
their people are doing and they’re
constantly observing them and thirdly
they’re learning they’re learning and
then in the process of listening
observing and learning they have an
attitude of servanthood they know how to
serve and they not only know how to
serve but they do serve and they not
only do serve but they love the shirt
one of the things that I love about
chick-fil-a I live in Florida now and so
when I went down there I I began to talk
to chick-fil-a be able said come on you
got to get in home but your chick Flay’s
down in my area because they lived in
Atlanta and I need my chick-fil-a fix
and they’re starting to come down it’s
wonderful but gonna tell you what I love
about chick-fil-a they have a a servant
culture level number two they got that
wire they’ve got this relationship stuff
wired it’s my pleasure how can I serve
you it’s it’s it’s a mindset it’s a
culture and if you’re going to grow as a
leader you have to grow beyond your
position beyond your title yes you have
a position that’s level one but the
second level is relationships and the
ability to get along with people that’s
level two let’s go to level number three
there’s another level higher the third
level is the production level the key
word there is results and at this level
you’re starting to
help the bottom line of the company
you’re starting to quote bring home the
bacon you’re at this level you become
effective as a leader and you become
effective as a leader on level number
three because you produce and the
characteristics of leaders at level
number three are very common one is that
they they produce by example in other
words they are the example for the other
people that follow them how to be
effective and how to be how to be
productive you see the greatest
motivational principle in the world the
greatest motivational principle in the
world is that people do what people see
and too many too many travel agents too
many travel agents they’re like um or
too many leaders too many leaders are
like they’re like travel agents they’re
sending people where they’ve never been
themselves and you want to be a tour
guide you want to take people with you
you want to say this is the area where
I’ve been this is where I live this is
the area where I lead come along and
follow me and at level number three your
leadership begins to gain credibility
because now you are fleshing out for the
people around you and you are modeling
for them things that they want to see
and you are starting to produce which
something else happens because you’re
becoming productive in your own life you
begin to attract people to begin to be
productive also in the 21 irrefutable
laws of leadership that I wrote one of
the laws is the law of magnetism and the
law of magnetism just says we attract
who we are not who we want so when I
talk to leaders often when we talk about
recruiting then I’ll say well what kind
of people do you want in your company
what kind of people do you want in your
department as a supervisor and they’ll
give me a list of they’ll write things
you know I want I want somebody that’s I
want somebody that self discipline and I
want somebody that is service oriented
and they’ll give me a you know a list of
four or five qualities and since they
give me the list Knight I look at those
qualities in and then I ask him a very
simple question I say okay uh do you
possess those qualities because he owned
level number three basically who you are
as a leader is who you attract on your
team and at level number two or level
number three what is wonderful is that
that at level number three when you
start to produce when you start to
really do
when you really start to grow things you
begin to get momentum and momentum is a
leaders best friend because momentum is
the great exaggerator and once you have
momentum all of a sudden things begin to
look in such a better way and it becomes
easier to grow and it becomes easier to
leave it’s a wonderful thing
in fact level number three is where a
lot of the problem-solving is taken care
of
you see managers they try to solve
problems where leaders try to create
momentum because leaders know that if
they create momentum they’ll solve 80%
of their problems with momentum you see
momentum is a problem solver lack of
momentum is a problem stopper every time
a train going 55 miles an hour on a
track if you had a five foot thick
concrete steel reinforced wall on the
track in front that train because that
train is going in has momentum going 55
miles an hour that train would smash
through that wall and would just keep on
going why because it has momentum
momentum allowed it to get through a
five-foot thick concrete steel
reinforced problem
that’s what momentum does that same
train not moving at all stopped dead on
the track no momentum if you put a
one-inch block in front of the driving
wheels of that train just one inch block
that train can’t even get started now is
it an interesting same train that the
smash to a five-foot thick concrete
steel reinforced wall because of the
head momentum that same train without
momentum can’t even get going with a one
inch block can’t even get going it has
no momentum in fact that’s why that’s
why I tell people many times when they
look at the problems they have in their
organization your problems not your
problem the problem is they think the
problem is the problem and and so
therefore they they concentrate on a
problem that’s not a problem and now
that the problem it is and the problem
has become a problem not because it was
a problem but the problem was they
didn’t know it wasn’t a problem and so
now they’re concentrating on a problem
that wasn’t a problem and now they’ve
got a problem not because they had a
problem but the problem has become a
problem because they didn’t know that it
wasn’t a problem
and so they got a problem and momentum
and level three leadership will take
care of 80% of all the problems in an
organization it happens for sports it
happens for business it happens in
government momentum is a leaders best
friend it happens at level number three
you got to get to level number three to
get that MOU going okay let’s go to
level number four let me go and they ask
you a question for girl level or four
are you learning something are you
learning something okay okay look at
your neighbor and say I’m learning
something go ahead and tell them that
good tell me I’m learning sit
look look back look back at your look
back at you look back at your neighbor
and look back to your neighbor and say
not an F yet you still got two levels to
go you’re you’re not there yet you’re
not there level number four is the
people development level this is what I
live for this is what I strive for this
is what excites me something magical
happens when you begin to understand the
most appreciable assets you have in any
organization is the people of that
organization and you begin to commit
yourself to develop the people within
that organization because how do you
grow a company you grow a company by
growing people and when you grow them
they increase their capacity when they
can increase their capacity they begin
to increase the capacity of what you can
do and what you can accomplish let me
just share with you quickly three
thoughts on developing people just very
quickly
number one is the key to developing
leaders and have hit the key to
developing good people is in recruitment
the better person you bring in the door
the higher odds you can do well with him
I remember having lunch one time with
Lou Holtz and Lou Holtz said Johnny I’ve
had bad players on my football team and
I’ve had good players on my football
team and he said just to be honest with
you I I’m a better coach with good
players of course he is of course it’s
good let me let me say something 80% of
your success of equipping people to be
successful is in the front door on who
you bring in I wish I had time to
develop that for you because what
happens is unless you and I have a clear
picture of what we’re looking for we
don’t know when we see it happens all
the time people come to me and say John
I’m looking for some leaders for my
company what do you suggest the first
question I ask is what what does the
leader look like give me the
characteristics give me the qualities
set up please please paint a picture for
me what does that leader look like
because you’ve got to have that clear
picture so that when you see that person
you know that they’re one that you want
recruitment is key number two is
positioning the ability not only to
bring the right person in the right in
in the in the front door but also to put
them in the right place as columns would
say get them on the bus get them on the
right seat and position is huge and what
I’ve discovered is that successful
people have always positioned them well
and themselves well when you see a
successful person they’re successful
because what they have done is they’ve
found their strengths on him they found
their niche and they stay right in that
sweet spot and they just work that sweet
spot you’ve never heard anybody be an
interview that was successful that you
came up and you interviewed him they
said well the secret of my success is
that I’ve never discovered what I was
good at or they see my successes I’ve
always worked on I’ve just I’ve just
worked in my weakness no no they’re
always in their strengths they always
they’ve already discovered what they’re
good at now successful people have
discovered what they’re good at
successful leaders discover what other
people are good at successful people
position themselves well successful
leader position that other people well
and at level number four that’s exactly
what happened the leader is always
looking at the people
observing watching just like last week I
went back to my my first school I
graduate I graduated from Ohio Christian
University and in the little town in
circle Ohio and and it’s a little school
I go back every year and I give them a
day to speak and they get all the
proceeds and keep the money and and so
because I grew up in that town I told
one of my friends that played ball with
me tear I said Tim let the ballplayers
let the team know let’s her my high
school kids no thumb will be in town and
let’s have a dinner afterwards and we
had over 50 people came together
I hadn’t seen many of these had seen
many of my high school mates since I
graduated from high school clear back in
1965 we had a wonderful time we laughed
and talked and told stories for two
hours and and coach Neff our basketball
coach he came back I hadn’t seen him for
years and when I saw him I thought of
myself and I thought of a back it in
those scrimmages in basketball because
the first scrimmage every year coach
Neff would take the first team and he’d
say now I’m going to let you play the
second team but there’s one condition
the first team is not going to play
their position and he’d take Doug Roth
who was six foot eight and put him out a
point guard I remember he stacked me one
year under the under center and and he
put all the first-team players out of
position on offense but he left the
second team play in their position and
the second team always beat us in the
scrimmage why’d they always beat us
because and then he would stop and he’d
say let me just explain something to you
no matter how talented you are if you’re
out of position you’ll never reach your
potential what was coach Neff teachings
he was coaching us and he was teaching
us that it’s key to get positionally
correct and it’s also as a leader key to
get your people in the right position
and a level number four that’s what
happens and love whatever for you
recruit well you position well and then
you equip well now you take them and say
okay I understand what their strengths
own is I understand what their
giftedness is now I’m going I’m going to
equip them I’m going to come alongside
of them and I’m going to develop them
and I’m going to train them and I use a
very simple four years for many many
years a simple five-step equipping
process it really works step one I do it
it’s that simple
you can’t teach somebody which can’t do
yourself
yeah we may teach what we know but we
reproduce while we are so if you’re
gonna reproduce yourself you got to be
it yourself so the first step is is I do
it step two as I do it and you’re with
me I take you with me now we’re gonna
spend time together I’m going to be your
mentor I’m going to be your coach you’re
gonna watch me you’re gonna observe me
you’re gonna see me in different
situations we’re gonna make sure that it
works we’re gonna make sure you’re going
to be able to ask me questions
step three is now we turn it and I had I
hand the ball off to you now on step
three you do it you do it and I’m with
you now I’m watching you and I’m
tweaking you and I’m getting I’m helping
you to get better and I I’m I’m I’m just
really fine-tuning you step four is you
do it
you just do it you don’t need me anymore
you know how to do it you do it you do
it well and many times people think that
equipping stops at step four but it
doesn’t there’s one more step that’s
absolutely essential Step five is is if
you do it and somebody’s with you you’ve
never really trained and equipped
somebody until they can multiply
themselves that’s where all compounding
is that’s where all compounded of time
money influence the whole process
compound e begins when you can train
somebody who has trained somebody I know
that well because fourteen years ago I
started a nonprofit organization called
equip that is now the largest leadership
organization in the world and we’ve
trained and equipped over three million
people in 154 countries and the key to
that is we don’t train anybody unless
they make a commitment to train somebody
else it has to continue to go on that’s
level number four
it’s a beautiful level to be on it’s the
level where you develop people now
there’s one more level
as level number five the pinnacle level
the pinnacle level the key word there is
respect you’ve done it so well with so
many for so long the people just
absolutely follow you they follow you
because of who you are the qualities you
have any like they follow you because of
what you have done and there’s a great
amount of respect and it takes a long
time to get to level number five most of
us aren’t there all of us would probably
like to be there but it’s a lifelong
journey and what I want you to
understand about the five levels is
that’s exactly what leadership is
leadership is of always ongoing always
learning growing process okay let me ask
you a question
you’ve got the five levels there and you
can see them and you can see how each
one kind of leads into the next one and
probably the question you’ve asked
yourself now by this time because you’re
a sharp crowd you’ve asked yourself
wonder what level I’m on in my own level
one or my own level three am i on level
four you’ve already done that I know you
have that’s what I would be doing if I’d
be sitting there I’d be say okay where
were you Maxwell and if you asked that
question and you kind of go deep in that
question you’re going to get a little
frustrated because you know what you’re
going to discover you’re going to
discover your that you’re not on the
same level with everybody there was
somebody or maybe on level two with
somebody else you may be on level four
in that truth if somebody new came in
the company you’re on level one with
them and what you’re going to discover
is that you’re on different levels with
different people now I wish I had an
hour to teach this whole process but
here’s what I want you to understand
here’s your assignment very simple take
the people that you lead put their names
down and ask yourself a simple question
what level am I on with that person
do your best to kind of put a number
there and I know it can kind of bleed
together so it’s not quite the exact
science but but do your best shot
because after you know what level you’re
on with each one of your people then
you’re going to know
specifically how to lead them now here’s
the key whenever you try to cast vision
with people in your organization in your
department they don’t see you based upon
who you are as a person or as a leader
they see you through the five levels
grid and a person on level one when you
talk about a vision a person on level
one sees you entirely different than a
person on level number four the
commitment level is much higher the
higher you go with your people so
therefore when you cast a vision or when
you lay it out for your people and say
this is where we want to go just
understand it’s may be the same company
may be in the same building it may be
the same time it may be the same speech
but the reactions are going to be
different and the reactions are going to
be different because they’re on
different levels with you so take the
notes study them apply them to your life
begin to be a student of the five levels
of leadership and I wish you well
because leadership is influence always
has been always will be and within you
you have the power to increase that
influence
you
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