Connecting John Maxwell’s leadership levels with practical habits for personal growth
By James McAllister | Tandem Ridge Consulting
When I was a young officer in the fire service, I was given a position of authority without leadership training to match it. I wanted to do the job well, but I had a great deal to learn about earning trust, listening, and helping others succeed.
I made mistakes. Looking back, I wish someone had helped me understand what to work on as my responsibilities grew. Knowing that I needed to become a better leader was one thing. Knowing how to begin would have made a difference.
That question remains relevant for anyone who has read a leadership book, attended a workshop, or accepted a new role: What should I do next?
John Maxwell’s The 5 Levels of Leadership offers a way to understand how influence develops. His The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth offers principles for developing the person carrying that responsibility. Bringing the two together helps turn reflection into action.
The connections below are Tandem Ridge Consulting’s practical application of these two frameworks. Each growth law can support development at more than one level. The levels also build on one another; greater responsibility requires continued attention to trust, performance, and personal growth.
Level 1 Position Start with your own development
A position establishes authority and responsibility. Trust and influence develop through the way that responsibility is carried out.
Three growth laws provide a useful starting point:
Intentionality: Commit to a deliberate growth plan.
Awareness: Understand your strengths, blind spots, and habits.
The Mirror: Recognize your value and invest in your development.
A new leader can begin by identifying one skill the role requires, asking for honest feedback, and setting aside time to practice. That skill might be listening, running a meeting, giving clear direction, or handling disagreement.
Confidence and humility belong together here. A leader needs enough confidence to accept responsibility and enough humility to keep learning.
Put it into practice: Choose one skill to improve over the next month. Ask someone you trust what improvement would look like, then arrange opportunities to practice it.
Ask yourself: What do the people counting on me need me to learn?
Level 2 Permission Build trust through daily behavior
At Permission, relationships become a stronger basis for influence. People develop confidence in a leader through their experience of working with that person.
Three growth laws support that work:
Consistency: Build disciplined habits and follow through.
Reflection: Pause to learn from experience.
Curiosity: Ask questions and remain open to learning.
These principles become visible in ordinary interactions. A leader listens carefully, returns with an answer when promised, and responds constructively when someone raises a concern. Over time, people learn whether the leader’s words are dependable.
Reflection is especially useful after a difficult conversation. Did the other person have room to explain? What assumption influenced the response? What question would have helped?
Put it into practice: Have one conversation with the goal of understanding before offering a solution. Follow up on what you heard.
Ask yourself: What do people experience when they bring me difficult information?
Level 3 Production Turn shared purpose into results
At Production, the leader and team build credibility through meaningful accomplishments. Clear direction and sound decisions help people translate their effort into progress.
Three growth laws are particularly useful:
Design: Develop strategies that support growth and progress.
Environment: Pay attention to the conditions in which people work and learn.
Trade-Offs: Make deliberate choices about what to give up or change.
For a leader, applying these principles means defining the outcome, establishing priorities, and building a workable plan. It also means making room for honest information. A team needs to be able to identify obstacles while there is still time to address them.
When priorities shift, the leader must consider capacity. A new requirement consumes time, attention, or resources. Discussing what must move helps the team understand the decision and carry it out.
Put it into practice: Ask several team members to name the three most important outcomes for the next 90 days. If their answers differ, clarify the priorities together.
Ask yourself: Where would clearer direction or a leadership decision help the team make progress?
Level 4 People Development Help others carry greater responsibility
At People Development, leaders invest deliberately in other people’s ability to lead.
In the fire service, I often asked members about their short and long-term goals. Their answers helped me understand where training, mentoring, or an appropriate assignment could support their development.
Five growth laws offer guidance:
Modeling: Learn from examples worth following.
Pain: Work through difficult experiences to gain insight.
The Rubber Band: Continue stretching toward greater capability.
Consistency: Sustain growth through regular practice.
Expansion: Recognize the capacity that growth creates.
Applied to developing others, these laws encourage a leader to demonstrate sound habits, discuss setbacks constructively, and offer responsibilities that stretch a person with suitable support. Regular feedback helps turn an assignment into a learning opportunity.
Development also requires room to act. When someone is ready for greater responsibility, explain the outcome and boundaries, provide support, and let that person exercise judgment.
Put it into practice: Ask one person what they hope to do next. Agree on one development opportunity and a time to review what they learned.
Ask yourself: Who is becoming more capable because of the time and attention I invest in them?
Level 5 Pinnacle Consider what your leadership leaves behind
Pinnacle describes influence developed through years of investing in leaders who develop others. Its value becomes visible in the people and organizations that continue to grow.
Two growth laws help frame that long view:
Contribution: Use your growth to help others grow.
The Ladder: Develop character alongside capability.
Character matters at every level. Here, it also raises a question about what others will carry forward from a leader’s example. How were decisions explained? How was responsibility shared? What happened when someone made a mistake or brought unwelcome news?
Building this kind of lasting influence takes time. The work can begin now by sharing knowledge, preparing successors, and encouraging developing leaders to invest in someone else.
Put it into practice: Identify knowledge or responsibility that depends too heavily on you. Begin preparing someone else to carry it, and help them learn how to develop others.
Ask yourself: What will continue to improve after my time in this role ends?
Choose a practice and begin
Leadership development becomes useful when it changes what happens in a meeting, a conversation, a decision, or a development opportunity.
Choose the section that best reflects a responsibility you carry today. Select one action, put time on your calendar, and ask for feedback. Review what happened and adjust. You can work on developing others while continuing to improve your listening, planning, and self-awareness.
That is the purpose of connecting leadership levels with personal growth: giving leaders a practical way to take their next step.
At Tandem Ridge Consulting, we help leaders connect personal development with the responsibilities they carry through leadership coaching, training, and practical application.
What will you practice this week to become better prepared for the people depending on you?
Further reading
John C. Maxwell, The 5 Levels of Leadership. See Maxwell Leadership’s overview.
John C. Maxwell, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. See the publisher’s book page.
