Position is the lowest level of leadership - the entry level. The only influence a positional leader has is that which comes with the job title. People following level 1 leaders, because they have to! Positional leadership is based on the rights granted by the position and title. Nothing is wrong with having a leadership position. Everything is wrong with using position to get people to follow. Position is a poor substitute for influence! 

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People who make it only to Level 1 may be autocratic bosses, but they are never leader!

They have subordinates, not genuine team members and followers. They rely on rules, regulations, power, policies, and organization charts to control and manage their people. Their people will only follow them within the stated boundaries of their authority. And their people will usually do only what is minimum required. When positional leaders ask for extra effort or time, they rarely get it.

 

Positional leaders usually have difficulty working with volunteers, younger people, and the highly educated professional. Why? Because positional leaders have no influence, and these types of people tend to be more independent.

 

Position is the only level that does not require ability and effort to achieve. Anyone can be appointed to a position. Organizations where their leaders are stuck at level 1 and or organizations with predominantly level 1 leaders are characterized as organizations with autocratic leaders, culture of fear, anxiety and intimidation, and with distrust to management. At all, no place where people want to work!

 

It’s a great place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. Develop the five levels of leadership and become an effective leader.

 

In the next newsletter I will elaborate on the ‘Level 2 of Leadership: people follow you because they WANT to’. 

 

Source: ‘5 Levels of Leadership, by John Maxwell’.