THE 5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP (JOHN C. MAXWELL)

Core Text: The 5 Levels of Leadership – John C. Maxwell
Support Texts: Your Build Your Leadership Brain + PMI Personal Competencies

A. Module Overview

This module helps project leaders move consciously up the 5 Levels of Leadership instead of staying stuck at “title only.” It ties Maxwell’s model directly to:

• Project, program, and PMO leadership

• PMI’s personal competencies (Communicating, Leading, Managing, Cognitive Ability, Effectiveness, Professionalism)

• Real-world stakeholder environments (execs, sponsors, teams, vendors, customers)

B. Learning Outcomes

By the end of Module 1, participants will be able to:

1. Diagnose their current level of leadership with different stakeholders.

2. Describe the mindset, behaviors, and risks at each Maxwell Level.

3. Map the 5 Levels to PMI personal competencies.

4. Build a personal “Level Up Plan” for at least three stakeholders (boss, key team member, difficult stakeholder).

5. Apply Level 3–5 behaviors to real project scenarios (conflict, resistance, change, tough deadlines).

C. Structure (12 Sessions)

Session 1 – Frameworks & Self-Assessment (JAN – FEB)

• Introduce 5 Levels + PMI personal competencies

• Quick self-diagnostic: “Where am I with my team, my boss, my sponsor?”

• Homework: stakeholder mapping by level

Session 2 – Level 1: Position (MARCH-APRIL)
Session 3 – Level 2: Permission (MAY-JUNE)
Session 4 – Level 3: Production (JULY-AUG)
Session 5 – Level 4: People Development (SEPT-OCT)
Session 6 – Level 5: Pinnacle + Capstone “Level Up Plan” (NOV-DEC)

You can run this as six weekly 90-minute sessions, or compress into a 2-day intensive.

D. Deep Breakdown by Level 

LEVEL 1 — POSITION

Tagline: “People follow because they have to.”

Focus: Role, authority, expectations, structure.

Key concepts to teach:

• Positional authority vs. real influence

• The danger of staying at Level 1 (“I’m the PM, so do what I say”)

• Policies, RACI, org charts, governance as necessary but insufficient

PMI Personal Competencies emphasized:

• Managing – Setting expectations, clarifying roles.

• Professionalism – Respecting boundaries, ethics, responsibilities.

• Communicating – Clear instructions, escalation paths.

Classroom activities:

1. “Title Trap” Role Play

   • Scenario: New PM walks into a team that’s older, more experienced.

   • One group plays a “pure Level 1 PM” (authoritarian).

   • Second group plays a PM aiming for Level 2 behaviors.

   • Class debrief: How did the energy change? What shifted in trust?

2. Governance Blueprint

   • Have participants create a simple Level 1 toolkit:

     • RACI chart

     • Escalation path

     • Meeting cadence

     • Decision-making rules

Homework / Assignment:

• “Where am I still hiding behind my title?”

• Write 1 page: one relationship where you rely mostly on position, and one action you’ll take to move toward Permission.

LEVEL 2 — PERMISSION

Tagline: “People follow because they want to.”

Focus: Relationships, trust, listening, empathy.

Key concepts to teach:

• Relationship before task

• Leading through listening and curiosity

• Emotional safety and psychological safety on projects

• How Level 2 behaviors reduce resistance and hidden sabotage

PMI Personal Competencies emphasized:

• Communicating – Active listening, asking better questions.

• Leading – Building rapport, empathy, openness.

• Effectiveness – Using relationships to improve collaboration.

Classroom activities:

1. Stakeholder Listening Lab

   • Triads: Speaker, Listener (PM), Observer.

   • Speaker shares a real frustration from a project.

   • Listener practices: reflect, validate, ask non-defensive questions.

   • Observer gives feedback on body language, tone, empathy.

2. Trust Grid Exercise

   • Each participant lists 8–10 key stakeholders.

   • Rate trust level (Low/Medium/High).

   • Identify 3 stakeholders where improving trust would give huge returns.

Homework / Assignment:

• Conduct one “Level 2 conversation” with a stakeholder in the real world:

  • No agenda, just: “How are things for you on this project? What’s frustrating? What could I do differently as your PM?”

• Capture insights and what shifted in the relationship.

LEVEL 3 — PRODUCTION

Tagline: “People follow because of what you’ve done for the organization.”

Focus: Results, reliability, credibility.

Key concepts to teach:

• Why “nice” isn’t enough without delivery

• The link between delivery and influence

• Making the PM’s work visible: status, outcomes, wins

• Using metrics to communicate performance, not punish

PMI Personal Competencies emphasized:

• Effectiveness – Delivering what you promised.

• Cognitive Ability – Problem-solving, prioritizing, making trade-offs.

• Managing – Organizing people and resources for execution.

Classroom activities:

1. Results Timeline Mapping

   • Ask participants to map their last year of projects.

   • Identify: big wins, near-misses, failures, recoveries.

   • For each, write: “What leadership behavior helped / hurt performance?”

2. 90-Day Execution Sprint Plan

   • Have each participant choose one real project.

   • Design a 90-day Level 3 plan with:

     • 3 concrete outcomes

     • Key KPIs (schedule, scope, quality, stakeholder sentiment)

     • Communication rhythm to make those wins visible

Homework / Assignment:

• Implement one concrete change that improves delivery reliability

  • e.g., daily 15-minute check-in, Kanban board, better risk log.

• Report back next session: What changed?

LEVEL 4 — PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

Tagline: “People follow because of what you’ve done for them.”

Focus: Multiplying leaders, not hoarding tasks.

Key concepts to teach:

• Difference between delegation and development

• Succession thinking on projects (who can lead when you’re gone?)

• Coaching vs. instructing vs. rescuing

• Giving stretch assignments safely

PMI Personal Competencies emphasized:

• Leading – Empowering others.

• Professionalism – Investing in people, not just deliverables.

• Cognitive Ability – Seeing potential, not only current skill.

Classroom activities:

1. Delegation vs. Dumping Exercise

   • Present scenarios of “fake delegation” (dumping tasks with no support).

   • Groups rewrite those scenarios as true development opportunities with:

     • Clear outcome

     • Boundaries

     • Support and coaching check-ins

2. Talent Map

   • Each participant creates a “Talent Map” for their team:

     • Who are the future PMs?

     • Who could lead a workstream?

     • What’s one development step for each?

Homework / Assignment:

• Choose one team member and design:

  • 1 stretch assignment

  • 2 coaching conversations

  • 1 public recognition moment

• Capture what happens to their confidence and engagement.

LEVEL 5 — PINNACLE

Tagline: “People follow because of who you are and what you represent.”

Focus: Legacy, multiplication of cultures, not just projects.

Key concepts to teach:

• From “project manager” to culture shaper

• The shift from “my project” to “our ecosystem”

• Modeling character, consistency, and courage

• Creating a leadership pipeline inside the PMO / VDO / organization

PMI Personal Competencies emphasized:

• Professionalism – Integrity, ethics, modeling behavior.

• Leading – Vision, influence beyond your direct remit.

• Effectiveness – Long-term impact, not just short-term wins.

Classroom activities:

1. Legacy Vision Exercise

   • Prompt: “Five years from now, if people talk about your leadership, what do you want them to say?”

   • Turn that into 3 daily behaviors and 3 yearly decisions.

2. Culture Shift Blueprint

   • Pick one culture issue (e.g., blame, fear, silos, apathy).

   • Design a 12-month influence plan using the 5 Levels:

     • Level 1 – clarify expectations

     • Level 2 – build relationships around the change

     • Level 3 – show results that support the new culture

     • Level 4 – develop champions for the new way

     • Level 5 – personally model and protect the culture

Capstone Assignment: “My Level Up Plan”

Each participant creates a 3–6 month plan that includes:

1. Three key stakeholders (e.g., sponsor, direct report, peer).

2. Current leadership level with each (1–5).

3. Target level to reach.

4. Concrete actions by month to move up one level.

5. How they’ll measure progress (feedback, behavior changes, outcomes).