Influence Before Authority: Level 1 Is Where Most Leaders Stall

When I was a corporate director, I sat down with the directors on my team to talk about how we were going to handle a process in our CRM. I already knew how I wanted it done. I had thought it through, and I was confident my way was the right way.

Every one of my directors wanted to do it another way.

I had a decision to make. Did I force my will on these directors and have them fight me the entire time? Or did I ask questions and find out what the holdup was and why they were hesitant?

I had the title, and I could have made the call and moved on. Instead, I asked questions and listened. After hearing them out, I realized they were going to be far more comfortable doing it their way, so that is what we did. Down the road, we did end up moving to the process I originally wanted. The difference was that by then, the team was ready to go there with me.

That meeting taught me the difference between authority and influence. Authority could have won the argument that day. Influence is what got the team to follow me later.

Key Takeaways

• In John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership, Level 1 is Position. People follow a positional leader because they have to, and only as far as the job description requires.

• The clearest signs of Level 1 leadership are phrases like “because the boss said so” and “that’s not my job.”

• You are on a different level with every person on your team. The only way to know where you stand is to look at each relationship one at a time.

• Leaders move from Level 1 to Level 2 (Permission) by building relationships: listening first, caring about people as people, and connecting before correcting.

What are John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership?

The 5 Levels of Leadership is John C. Maxwell’s framework for how influence grows. As a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member, it is the model I use with every client. Here is the short version:

1. Position: people follow you because they have to.

2. Permission: people follow you because they want to.

3. Production: people follow you because of what you have done for the organization.

4. People Development: people follow you because of what you have done for them.

5. Pinnacle: people follow you because of who you are and what you represent.

Each level builds on the one before it. You cannot skip steps, and once you reach a higher level, the ones below it still matter.

What is positional leadership?

Positional leadership is Level 1. It is leadership based on your title and the rights that come with it.

There is nothing wrong with Level 1. Getting a position means someone saw leadership potential in you and gave you a seat at the table. That is worth celebrating. The problem is staying there. A positional leader can only get people to do what falls inside their defined authority. Anything beyond that, like going the extra mile, staying late when it counts, or buying into a vision, requires influence the title cannot give you.

What are the signs you’re stuck at Level 1?

• You lean on your boss’s influence instead of your own. When you are worried the team will not follow, you reach for “we have to because the boss said so.”

• You hear “that’s not my job” a lot. When you ask for something extra and people push back, they are telling you they follow the title and nothing more.

• Your security comes from your title more than your talent. You protect the position instead of growing the person holding it.

• Things change the minute you leave the room. People do what you say while you are standing there and go right back to their old habits when you walk away.

You will hear Level 1 leaders say, “They may not like me, but they respect me.” In most cases, it is not respect they are getting. It is compliance, and compliance does not last.

How do you know what level you’re on with each person?

Here is something that surprises a lot of leaders. You are not on one level with your whole team. You are on a different level with every person. You might be at Level 3 with someone who has worked with you for five years and at Level 1 with the person you hired last week.

So instead of asking “What level am I?”, take out a list of your team and ask these questions about each person:

1. If I asked them to do something outside their job description, would they do it willingly?

2. Do they bring problems to me early, or do I find out late?

3. Do they tell me the truth, even when I will not like it?

4. Do they work the same way when I am out of the room?

5. Do I know what matters to them outside of work?

If you answered no to most of these for someone, you are probably leading that person from Level 1. That is not a failure. It is a starting point, and now you know exactly where to invest.

Why do so many leaders stall at Level 1?

In my experience, there are three big reasons.

First, most people get promoted because they were great at their job, not because anyone taught them how to lead people. The skills that earned the promotion are not the skills the new role requires.

Second, a lot of people wait for a title before they start developing as a leader. By the time the position arrives, they have no influence built up to go with it.

Third, authority is fast and relationships are slow. When you are under pressure, it is quicker to say “do it because I said so” than to build buy-in. The problem is that speed today costs you influence tomorrow.

How do you move from Level 1 to Level 2 leadership?

Level 2 is Permission. It is where people start following you because they want to. The focus on this level is not your place in the pecking order. It is your connection with people.

• Listen before you lead. Like my CRM meeting with those directors, sometimes the best move is to let your team be heard even when you are confident you are right.

• Learn about your people as people. Know what matters to them outside of work. Ask about their families, their goals, and what they want next.

• Care before you correct. People will not go along with you if they cannot get along with you. Correction lands differently from someone who has shown they care.

• Do the work with them. Nobody respects a leader who only tells people what to do. Get in there and help.

Maxwell makes a point I come back to often. You can care about people without leading them, but you cannot lead people well unless you care about them. If you want to see what this looks like day to day, I break it down in my post on leadership habits.

And a little lagniappe for you: it takes time, effort, and energy to climb a level, and it only takes one careless mistake to fall back down. When you change jobs, you start over. My track record came with me from the locker room to the corporate office, but my influence with the new people did not. Guard the trust you build.

Where do you go from here?

Pick one person on your team you know you are leading on title alone, and invest in that relationship this week. Ask a real question, listen to the answer, and follow up on something they told you.

If you want to take your whole team through the 5 Levels together, I teach it in my Workshops & Training. And if you just want to talk through where you are as a leader, reach out through my contact page. I would enjoy the conversation.

Truly Caring for YOUR Success,

Coach Clark