Leadership Levels and Nigeria’s Political Leaders

“Leadership is all about influence.” This assertion is constantly made by John C. Maxwell, a leadership expert who has taught about leadership for more than 30 years. He claims that anyone who has an influence over another person is a leader. This means everybody can be a leader in their own respect. That submission contradicts what most of us believe about leadership. We have always confused leadership with position but we are not entirely correct if we hold on to that belief. This incorrect belief, I want to assume, contributes to why many people have refused to behave like leaders wherever they have found themselves.

Maxwell also claims that you don’t need a title to be a leader. He urges that people should not get to the top before they learn to lead. I think Maxwell’s appeal is based on the fact that it is almost always too late for an individual to start learning about leadership when he gets to the position. An individual who waits till he gets a title before learning about leadership will come across as inept and unqualified.

Maxwell identifies five levels of leadership to which we all belong at one point or the other. Every leader or individual around you is on one of these levels of leadership. I will briefly explain what each level of leadership is all about and I will also give examples of some personalities, especially Nigerian leaders, who belong in these levels.

Level One is positional leadership. On this level, your position is the only thing that bestows authority on you. So people follow you because they have to and not because they want to. Your influence does not extend beyond the position you are holding or your job description. Examples of people on this level are military dictators who get to power by the power of the gun. Usually, the citizens of such countries follow their leader because they have no option. If they had an option, they would defy the government of their country.

From Level Two, people follow a leader because they want to. A leader on level two is that person who has been able to build relationships with people. Such a person has been able to communicate to his followers that he values them and cares for them. He has earned the trust of people and they in turn give him the permission to lead them. I believe President Barack Obama is on this level of leadership. Late Chief Bola Ige, Late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State are my picks for leaders on level two.

You get to Level Three of leadership because of what you have achieved. People follow you because of your results or track record. They like you and what you are doing. They see you as an achiever; a performer; one who can get things done and because of this they want to follow you. They see you as competent and believe that they will succeed if they follow you. Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State and Nuhu Ribadu are my examples of a level three leader.

Those on Level Four are those who develop others. They have been able to reproduce many other leaders. They pour themselves into their followers by mentoring them and helping them to develop their skills. People follow them because of what they have done for them. One example of a level four leader that readily comes to my mind is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State.

The Fifth Level is a level you can't get to by yourself. You cannot strive to get there. You can only be put there by others after you have succeeded in leading them from the first four levels for a long period. Only a few persons ever get to this level. These are persons who have come to be revered for the impact they have made on the world around them. Examples of individuals in this category are Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Junior and Mahatma Ghandi.

Having read about the five levels of leadership as espoused by John Maxwell, can you identify what level you are on? Whatever level you are on, you should know that there is still room for improvement. It should also help you identify the leadership level of your political leaders.

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P.S. I want to admit that the examples of persons I have given in this post are my own opinions and the possibility of being subjective is very high.