7 Levels of Leadership

Everyone is a leader, either by choice or by default. The question is, how do you lead? Most importantly, how aware are you of your leadership style and how it affects the results you’re creating in your life?

In this article, I will introduce a unique form of leadership rooted in different levels of awareness. These concepts are based on years of research conducted by Bruce D. Schneider, Ph.D. and founder of the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching.

Leading from a high level of consciousness will allow you to motivate yourself and inspire others, feel a greater sense of purpose, get more done with less stress, and consistently attract positive people and success to you.

It’s not about DOING and implementing specific leadership strategies. It’s about BEING a truly authentic leader in all walks of life.

Let’s start with an overview of the 7 levels of leadership and how these different levels of awareness impact your leadership ability. 

Level 1 Leadership

Level 1 leaders typically work in crisis mode and view themselves as the victim. They tend to feel worried and guilty, and often don’t believe in their abilities. This can have a huge impact on their self-esteem and confidence. As a result, those leaders are always dealing with problems, they attract and focus on what they don’t want.

They may feel like having no choices because, in their mind, they can never win.

Their communication skills are poor to nonexistent, as is their ability to truly inspire and motivate others.

Thoughts: Victim Mentality

Emotions: Overwhelm

Actions: Procrastination

Level 2 Leadership

Having a lot of Level 2 leaders and managers in an organization can lead to employee dissatisfaction and huge turn-over. These leaders “rule” by fear and intimidation. They are often described as the antiquated authoritarians with a superiority complex who believe that only their way is the right way. 

Interactions with these types of leaders can feel like a zero-sum game, in which their world is comprised of winners (them) and losers (everyone else). It's not uncommon for Level 2 leaders to be micromanagers.

This type of leader is bossy and condescending and doesn’t give credit to anyone else. This aggressive leadership style can lead to short-term productivity, but it’s not sustainable in the long run. Leading by force and intimidation will cause employees to be dissatisfied, unproductive, quit, or worse, give up and not quit.

Thoughts: Conflict

Emotions: Anger

Actions: Resistance

Level 3 Leadership

At Level 3, there is a distinctive shift between fear (Level 1) and fight (Level 2) to positive energy and a willingness to accept responsibility for one's actions. Level 3 marks the beginning of cooperation.

Leaders who resonate at Level 3 handle people and situations much differently than Level 1 and 2 leaders. Instead of being caught up in reacting to emotions, these leaders know how to work with emotions. Level 3 leaders know how to effectively manage emotions within themselves and others. 

While Level 3 leaders get a lot done, they also tend to rationalize. Things are just fine. 

Thoughts: Responsibility

Emotions: Rationalization

Actions: Cooperation

Level 4 Leadership

Let’s dive into Level 4 and explore the characteristics of folks operating from this perspective.

Level 4 leaders form deep connections with others. They genuinely care about their team. Their staff members respect them and see them as trustworthy.

Level 4 leaders are great team players and love to work in groups. Yet if they’re not recognized for their contributions, they can quickly feel victimized.

Thoughts: Concern

Emotions: Compassion

Actions: Support

Level 5 Leadership

Leaders operating from Level 5 are powerful, inspiring, and skilled at capitalizing on whatever opportunities present themselves. They are open-minded and focus on the organization as a whole rather than just on themselves. Level 5 leaders see their employees as gifted and full of potential.

They view challenges as opportunities for growth and development. They solve problems efficiently and focus on solutions.

Thoughts: Reconciliation

Emotions: Confidence

Actions: Leveraging Opportunities

Level 6 Leadership

Level 6 leaders are driven by their intuition. Often, they are creative geniuses and visionaries. Individuals at this level of leadership see others around them as an extension of themselves, which fosters an attitude of empowerment and achievement among team members.

Level 6 leaders are powerful, yet humble. They listen to feedback and take action to improve, without letting their ego get in the way. 

Thoughts: Synthesis

Emotions: Joy

Actions: Wisdom

Level 7 Leadership 

The 7th and highest level is often the hardest to achieve, and few people have ever experienced it. It's characterized by a complete lack of blame, shaming, and fear of failure. Level 7 leaders don't make judgments and, unlike Level 2 leaders, feel that winning and losing are illusions. They are fearless and are creators and observers at the same time.

Thoughts: Non-Judgment

Emotions: Passion

Actions: Creation

Just know that everyone has a mix of all those levels. The key is to become aware of how the different levels show up in yourself, especially when you experience challenges or stress.

There are no limits to growth. It's not your circumstances that define you, it's your thinking that defines your reality.