The categorization of leadership into levels seems to be, at least in part, an artificial structure which, while allowing comprehension of some aspects of leadership, may actually limit our understanding by limiting our concepts to the defined structures/levels and causing would be leaders to focus on climbing a ladder. What I’m saying is, maybe there aren’t different levels of leadership, at least not as has been suggested.
Oh, sure using the level description it is much easier to describe someone by saying “She has only reached level 3 in Leadership.” Or, “Now he is a level 5 leader.” All of which ignores much of what is . . . and is not happening in the leadership process.
As I have suggested before, Leadership includes initiative and a willingness to take responsibility for decisions; an almost compelling need to exercise initiative. Think about that. It might be said that Leaders who do not exercise initiative are not leaders at all, in spite of the definitions of levels.
Now obviously, there are individuals who are in positions which are recognized by the world as leadership positions, but that doesn’t make the people in those positions leaders, at any level. And what kind of initiative does a true leader exhibit? It is initiative toward a goal. The goal may be misguided or well counseled. The goal may be specific or nebulous. However, leaders always take initiative toward a goal. They may have a misunderstanding of the culture, or the factors which may help them achieve this goal, but this is not a matter of a “level” of leadership as much as maturation and wisdom.
Let’s think about leadership in terms of an accumulation of skill sets, i.e. accumulating leadership tools into a toolbox. The acquisition of those skill sets will enhance the ability of the leader to move the organization toward the goal. Instead, then, of concentrating on moving to a different level of leadership, a better path to effective leadership might be to identify the skill set(s) needed to be effective and to acquire those skill sets. This would also include bringing individuals around you who can supplement your weaknesses if the skill set is beyond your ability or would require excessive time to acquire).
What are some of those skill sets? Some of them might be:
- Ability to handle conflict
- Ability to communicate clearly
- Ability to think critically
- Willingness to take risks
- Willingness to make a decision
- Ability to stay focused
- Management skills such as strategic planning, analysis, etc.
- Emotional Intelligence (i.e. people skills)
You add some more to this list, it’s not complete.
In summary, Leadership might be conceived as a toolbox with a growing number of leadership skills, instead of a ladder.
