What is production leadership? What makes production leadership so special, according to John C. Maxwell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Production leadership truly separates the movers and shakers from the fakers. A title and good relationships can only take you so far. Production is what truly begins to separate you from the rest of the pack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep reading to learn about production leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Production leadership is where you truly begin to lead and make an impact. To thrive at this level, you need to be self-motivated, disciplined, and organized. When your team members see your work ethic, they are inspired to be productive themselves, creating a winning team that attracts other strong workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The upsides of production leadership are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. It makes you more credible. <\/strong>You don\u2019t get noticed just because you have a title or a cooperative team. You only start getting attention and gaining influence outside your team when you produce results\u2014this proves that you can back up your title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. It sets the standard for others to follow. <\/strong>You have to serve as a model for your team members. When they see you working hard and getting results, they\u2019ll be inspired to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. It brings a vision to life. <\/strong>For some people, a vision may seem like nothing more than empty words or a vague concept. They may be ready and willing to help you get there, but they just don\u2019t understand what they\u2019re supposed to be doing. In this case, action really does speak louder than words: Your work shows people the way and gives them a clearer idea of what they\u2019re supposed to do. From there, they\u2019re able to align their own actions to realize the vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. It bolsters morale. <\/strong>Which comes first: high morale or high productivity? While high morale can help increase productivity, you can\u2019t maintain high morale without productivity. Even if you have a team of happy workers<\/a>, failure after failure can demoralize them, reducing not just the positive feelings but also their trust in and loyalty to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. It makes everything easier. <\/strong>Swimming with the tide is always easier than going against the flow, and the winning combination of high morale and high productivity turns the tide in your favor. This momentum can help carry you to your goals more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your team, you might find three different types of people<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leveraging high morale and high productivity and learning how to manage the momentum takers, breakers, and makers can propel your team faster and farther.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. It can give you a winning team. <\/strong>The more productive you are, the more you win, and the more you win, the more other people will want to work with you. But leadership production attracts all sorts of people, so you\u2019ll need to hone your instincts for the best ones. Once you have good people and build them into a team, you\u2019re better positioned to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the downsides of Level 3 leadership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. You might think you\u2019re a leader just because you\u2019re a producer. <\/strong>All leaders are producers but not all producers are leaders. Just because you\u2019re hitting your personal targets, it doesn\u2019t mean your team is winning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many organizations give leadership roles to high producers, thinking that they\u2019ll surely make high-production leaders. But that doesn\u2019t always turn out to be true. High-production workers can only be effective leaders when they\u2019ve established themselves in their position, have gained people\u2019s permission to lead, have hit their personal targets, and<\/em> are driven to make the rest of the team productive as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. You need to continue to balance the \u201csoft\u201d and \u201chard\u201d sides of leadership. <\/strong>As in Level 2, you still have to find that sweet spot between relationships and productivity. The difference is that in Level 3, you might be inclined to direct all your energy towards production, believing that your work in the relationship area is done. But focusing solely on the bottom line might damage your relationships and send you right back to Level 1. The work of maintaining your relationships doesn\u2019t stop even as you dive into production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. You are always under a lot of pressure.<\/strong> When a team is having a rough season, the first person on the chopping block is the coach. And when a team wins a championship, the coach doesn\u2019t rest. Instead, she has to start planning for the next season, figuring out how the team can do even better and win another championship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In any team, in sports or otherwise, the leader carries the weight of responsibility. She is the one who is accountable for a team\u2019s productivity, profitability, and growth. And once the team hits its targets, the leader still can\u2019t rest. She has to keep setting her sights on higher and higher targets\u2014and this can be too much for some. As a Level 3 leader<\/a>, you need to decide if you\u2019re willing to bear the weight of continuous production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. You have to make some tough decisions. <\/strong>In Level 2, you need to make hard decisions<\/a> when it comes to relationships with your people. In Level 3, you\u2019ll continue to make hard decisions<\/a>, but this time, many of them are related to yourself. For example, you\u2019ll have to decide to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without making decisions like these, you won\u2019t experience a leadership breakthrough and you\u2019ll remain stagnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the best behaviors to help you make the most out of being in Level 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Align your strengths with the organization\u2019s vision. <\/strong>If you\u2019ve done the work to become more self-aware in Levels 1 and 2, then you already have a clear idea of your strengths. Now, take it a step further. Ask yourself: How can I continuously develop these strengths and use them to help the organization achieve its vision?<\/em> In this way, you can use your strengths to fuel your production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Be clear about the vision. <\/strong>Your people might be raring to get to work, but they won\u2019t go very far if they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re working towards<\/em>. Instead of just giving people the ball and telling them to shoot, point them towards the basket so that they know what they\u2019re aiming for. To help you come up with a clear, well-defined vision:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Develop your team. <\/strong>Your teammates may like each other, but they also have to learn how to work together effectively. You can lay the groundwork for a productive team by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Learn to prioritize. <\/strong>Your to-do list<\/a> might seem endless, but you need to learn how to whittle it down to the tasks and projects that will yield high returns. Use the Pareto Principle<\/a> (a.k.a. The 80\/20<\/a> rule) to trim your list and channel your energies towards the areas where your team can be successful. Focus on the top 20 percent of your to-do list that yields an 80-percent return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is also another instance wherein knowing your people\u2019s strengths and weaknesses can come in handy. Since you know their respective \u201cspots,\u201d you can structure your team in such a way that members work in their strength zone 80 percent of the time, in their learning zone 15 percent of the time, outside their areas of strength five percent of the time, and in their weakness zone zero percent of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Seek out common ground to effect change. <\/strong>Progress can only come with change, but it can be hard to get people on board. They\u2019ll be more open to going along with changes if you can find common ground, rather than pointing out differences. Use the relationships you\u2019ve built in Level 2 as a springboard to find commonalities in your vision and values. Get everyone on the same page by clearly communicating what\u2019s happening and maintain a positive attitude as you move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Stay focused. <\/strong>Don\u2019t let the momentum do the work for you\u2014be a momentum maker instead of a taker and keep your attention on getting results. Keep pushing forward and producing while never disregarding the relationships you\u2019ve built. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are the relevant Laws of Leadership for those in Level 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some beliefs to help you move up to Level 4:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some practical tips to help you be the most productive leader you can be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Be a shining example. <\/strong>List down the qualities you want your team members to have. Then reflect if you possess those qualities. If not, write down a concrete way to help turn you into the person you want your team members to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Go from being a productive worker to being a production-level leader. <\/strong>It\u2019s not just about hitting your personal quotas anymore. A sure sign that you\u2019re a production-level leader is if your team members have also become more productive<\/a> due to your influence. If not, find ways to help them improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Build a winning team<\/a>. <\/strong>Just as Coach Wooden figured out his players\u2019 high-percentage shooting spots, you should also determine where your team members can make the biggest contribution. From there, come up with a game plan to leverage everyone\u2019s strengths and build a productive team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve mapped out everyone\u2019s roles and responsibilities, regularly check in with the team (at least once a week). The focus is on improvement: Give constructive feedback, praise effort, use failures as learning opportunities, and reward successes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Communicate the vision<\/a> every day. <\/strong>Clearly, frequently, and creatively describe what success looks like for your team and for the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCons of Leadership Production<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Maximizing Level 3 Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Applicable Laws of Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Moving-Up Mantras<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Your To-Do List<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n