The 5 Levels of Leadership book club questions

1. 1.

   Maxwell says most leaders stop at Level 2 and mistake likeability for genuine leadership. Where have you seen that pattern play out in organizations you've worked in?

2. 2.

   At which level do you currently operate with the people you lead or influence? Is that level consistent across all of them?

3. 3.

   The jump from Level 3 to Level 4 requires shifting from building your own results to investing in others' results. What makes that transition difficult in practice?

4. 4.

   Maxwell argues you can lead at different levels with different people simultaneously. What does that suggest about how you should think about your leadership strategy with each person on your team?

5. 5.

   Level 1 leadership produces compliance but not commitment. Where in your professional life are you currently getting compliance when you need commitment?

6. 6.

   The book reserves Level 5 for historical figures. Is that a useful standard or an unrealistic one that makes the framework feel inaccessible?

7. 7.

   Which of Maxwell's five levels feels most natural to you, and which feels most foreign? What does that tell you about your default leadership style?

8. 8.

   Maxwell says leaders need to give up what worked at lower levels to advance. What are you holding onto right now that might be limiting your growth?

9. 9.

   How does the five-level framework apply in contexts where formal authority is absent — peer relationships, volunteer roles, or cross-functional teams?

10. 10.

    Maxwell writes that the goal of leadership is developing other leaders, not developing followers. How does your organization currently reward or ignore that distinction?

11. 11.

    The framework is prescriptive and optimistic. What does it leave out about the structural or systemic barriers that prevent leaders from advancing regardless of their skills?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.