How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 455

develop trust. The environment becomes much more positive—whether at
home, on the job, at play or while volunteering.
The agenda for leaders on Level 2 isn’t preserving their position. It’s
getting to know their people and figuring out how to get along with them.
Leaders find out who their people are. Followers find out who their leaders
are. People build solid, lasting relationships.
You can like people without leading them, but you cannot lead people well
without liking them. That’s what Level 2 is about.
Level 3—Production
One of the dangers of getting to the permission level is that a leader will
stop there. But good leaders don’t just create a pleasant working
environment. They get things done! That’s why they must move up to
Level 3, which is based on results. On the production level leaders gain
influence and credibility, and people begin to follow them because of what
they have done for the organization.
Many positive things begin happening when leaders get to Level 3. Work
gets done, morale improves, profits go up, turnover goes down and goals
are achieved. It is also on Level 3 that momentum kicks in.
Leading and influencing others becomes fun on this level. Success and
productivity have been known to solve a lot of problems.
Level 4—People Development
Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their
ability to empower others. That is what leaders do on Level 4. They use
their position, relationships and productivity to invest in their followers and
develop them until those followers become leaders in their own right. The
result is reproduction; Level 4 leaders reproduce themselves.
Production may win games, but people development wins championships.
Two things always happen on Level 4. First, teamwork goes to a very high
level. Why? Because the high investment in people deepens relationships,
helps people to know one another better and strengthens loyalty. Second,
performance increases. Why? Because there are more leaders on the team,
and they help to improve everybody’s performance.
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