Part 11 (1/2)

Getting work done can be important and rewarding. And leading others and having them help you achieve a vision can be wonderful. But developing others is even more wonderful. And it should be your goal as a leader.

Improvement of individual leaders' lives is the highest goal of leaders.h.i.+p development. When you help other people become leaders, you change their lives. You change the way they see the world. You change their capacity. You increase their potential. You change the way they interact with others. If they become good leaders, you help them improve not only their lives but also the lives of everyone they touch. I believe that is how you change the world for the better.

I described in Level 3 how the Pareto principle can be used to increase productivity. That same principle can be used when developing leaders. As a Level 4 leader, you should focus 80 percent of your attention on developing the best 20 percent of the leaders you have. That focus will bring you the highest return. A handful of leaders will give an organization a far greater return than hundreds of followers.

Focusing your development on the top 20 percent also sets you up for success on Level 5 because the leaders with the most potential, and who give you the highest rate of return on your investment, also have the greatest likelihood of turning around and raising up other leaders, which is the emphasis on Level 5.

2. To Develop Leaders, You Must Create

a Leaders.h.i.+p Culture

Even if you place great emphasis on developing leaders and practice the 8020 rule, you will not be able to move up to Level 5 unless you also create a leaders.h.i.+p culture. If you want to start creating a culture that cultivates Level 5 leaders, then do the following: Champion Leaders.h.i.+p-Define and model good leaders.h.i.+p.

Teach Leaders.h.i.+p-Train leaders on a regular, frequent, consistent basis.

Practice Leaders.h.i.+p-Help emerging leaders to plan and execute, fail and succeed.

Coach Leaders.h.i.+p-Review new leaders' performance and correct their errors.

Reward Leaders.h.i.+p-Reward good leaders.h.i.+p with pay, resources, and recognition.

If you make the purpose of your organization to champion, teach, practice, coach, and reward leaders.h.i.+p, then people will want to become good leaders. They will strive to help others become good leaders. And the potential of the organization to fulfill its vision will explode.

3. Developing Leaders Is a Life Commitment,

Not a Job Commitment

Level 4 leaders develop people. Level 5 leaders consistently develop leaders over a lifetime, and the leaders they raise up also develop leaders. It becomes a lifestyle they practice everywhere and at all times, not a program they implement or a task they occasionally practice. Mentoring is a mantle that they wear willingly, and they strive to add value to others. They value it because they have transitioned from chasing a position of success to pursuing a role of significance.

We live in a very needy world. If you often ask yourself, How do we meet so many needs? then please realize that the greatest needs will never be met until we equip leaders who can work to meet those needs. That is one of the reasons I train leaders. I believe it is a cause worthy of a lifetime commitment. I hope you will accept the challenge to develop people and raise up leaders. If you do, you won't regret it.

Level 5

THE PINNACLE.

The Highest Leaders.h.i.+p Accomplishment Is

Developing Other Leaders to Level 4

Rare is the leader who reaches Level 5-the Pinnacle. Not only is leaders.h.i.+p at this level a culmination of leading well on the other four levels, it also requires both a high degree of skill and some amount of natural leaders.h.i.+p ability. It takes a lot to be able to develop other leaders so that they reach Level 4; that's what Level 5 leaders do. The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leaders.h.i.+p in the organization they serve.

Pinnacle leaders stand out from everyone else. They are a cut above, and they seem to bring success with them wherever they go. Leaders.h.i.+p at this high level lifts the entire organization and creates an environment that benefits everyone in it, contributing to their success. Level 5 leaders often possess an influence that transcends the organizations and the industries they work in.

Most leaders who reach the Pinnacle do so later in their careers. But the Pinnacle level is not a resting place from which leaders should stop and view their success. It is a reproducing place from which they can make the greatest impact of their lives. That's why leaders who reach the Pinnacle should make the most of it while they can. With grat.i.tude and humility, they should lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many great challenges as possible, and extend their influence to make a positive difference beyond their own organizations and industries.

The Upside of the Pinnacle

Your Influence Has Expanded beyond Your

Reach and Your Time

When writing about Level 1, I told you that as you climbed the 5 Levels of Leaders.h.i.+p, the upsides would continue to increase while the downsides would decrease. However, Level 5 doesn't fit that pattern. On the Pinnacle, I see only three major upsides. But though they are few, each carries a tremendous weight and huge impact.