Chapter 11 The Seven Levels Of Leadership

The Seven Levels Of Leadership

You are an excellent person. The potential of your possibilities are now endless. You have rediscovered those possibilities. As you share that rediscovery of possibilities it will be tangible in the real world as you share those possibilities with other people.  

Through your participation in this program you have accomplished the following:

1. You have gained the tools to eliminate your own self-destructive behaviors.
2. Your ability to produce results in your life has taken off.
3. Your power to contribute to life has become amazing even to you.
4. Your relationship with other people has improved dramatically.
5. You have become an inter-dependent team member with the ability to influence your surrounding communities in a dramatic way. 

The continued manifestation of these accomplishments is dependent upon the sustained focus on the primary goal of building excellent people. The change of behavior or the production of improved skills is only a byproduct of that primary goal. This project is designed, and has demonstrated in action, that when great individuals come to realize their innate greatness they then transform themselves, their communities, their organizations and the world in which they live.

The following model has been developed as a guideline to this individual, community and organizational development project.

Seven Levels Of Leadership

LEADERSHIP STYLE	LEVEL 1DICTATOR	LEVEL 2DIRECTOR		LEVEL 3ORGANZATIONAL  PROTECTOR	LEVEL 4 CLARIFIER			LEVEL 5FACILITATOR	LEVEL 6  LEADER SERVANT	LEVEL 7PEER VISIONARY
FOLLOWER-SHIP STYLE	NAÏVE DEPENDENT	NAÏVE OBEDIENT		LOYAL OBEDIENT	CLARIFYING EXPLORER			STEWARDSHIP CONTRIBUTOR	PEER PARTICIPANT ONE AMONG EQUALS	PEER VISIONARY
MOTIVATIONOF FOLLOWER	PHASE  I   EXTERNAL I SEE ME AS STRONG AND YOU AS WEAK. COUNTER  DEPENDENCE		PHASE II GROUP  MEDIOCRITY  I SEE YOU AS STRONG AND ME AS WEAK                           CO DEPENDENCE				PHASE III PERSONAL EXCELLENCE   PHASE IV SHARED MASTERY                                          I SEE ME BUT NOT YOU           WE ARE WHOLE AND COMPLETE                    INDEPENDENCE                            INTER DEPENDENCE

 

The theory behind this model is that the leader or COMMUNITY organizer has a clear vision of the end result and begins the project with the end in mind that being the transformation of the vision of the followers into equals or peers. The Phase I followers begin as naïve dependents externally motivated by the leader for the development of that vision much like a parent and a young and innocent child. At level 1 the leader must insist upon complete obedience to the tenets or rules of the organization. Creative thinking on the part of the followers at this stage is not useful. Deviation from the plan would result in slowed progress or the complete halting of the progress. The first step in building people into leaders is to help them govern themselves or self leadership. In the model the leadership style is described in Levels. The followership style is described in Phases.  

The followers at Phase I generally have a notion that they know it all and need no direction and if left to their own devices will end up in a mess. Phase II begin to recognize the wisdom and experience of the leader and demonstrate a dependence on that leadership. They become more willing use compliance with the rules of self control. With the followers at Phase II the leader is able, and finds it indeed essential, to loosen up and become more benevolent in attitude and approach. The leader is always free to back up a step if the vision of the followers regresses. When the followers develop a good grasp of the fundamental tasks at hand and begin to recognize their ability to take direction and achieve improved  results, the leader then is required to move to level 3 and become a protector of the progress of the organization and a modeler of the rules. Standards are set, group comparisons are made and the performance of the followers is brought closer to the standard of excellence.

The leadership style continues to evolve as the followers become more skilled at their tasks or duties. A higher skill level brings the followers to a new level of creative inquiry. The level 5 leader is no longer making all of the decisions but is encouraging the followers to ask questions, think for themselves and propose solutions for the progress of the organization. Again using the parent-child model the child asks, “What should I do for a living?” The wise parent responds, “You figure it out and then I will help you get there.”

At Phase III the followers have figured out their own plan for progress and come to the leader with that plan. They begin to see themselves as competent. They don’t come to the leader for decision but for guidance. The leader then becomes the servant leader and helps the follower get the bureaucracy out of the way so the follower’s plan can be implemented. The followers accept stewardship responsibility and their own planned project with the help and support the leader and the entire organization. At this point either the leader or the followers could lead the project because they have become one among equals.

The leader and followers have now achieved level 7 or peer visionaries and Phase IV Interdependence. Both leaders and followers are now ready to begin again with a new group of beginning peer visionaries. This model then is an effective illustration of the means to transform an individual, a family, an organization, a community and the world. The first part of this training was about you. The next part is about relating to other people. We have 4 session of support to assist you in moving to Phase IV and level 7.

1. Listening to understand
2. Speaking to motivate
3. Creating a new future with acknowledgement
4. The language of shared vision

Let us begin that process together.

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