On The Journey To The Pinnacle

A person in a board meeting I was in this week introduced himself as having reached the pinnacle of his career. I thought to myself, “What does that mean?” What is left is he has truly reached the pinnacle. I then Googled what pinnacle means. According to Merriam-Webster pinnacle means: “the highest point of development or achievement.” After reading this, I asked myself the question, “Do I ever want to reach the pinnacle of my career?” If I reach the pinnacle would that not mean I would be on the the way down from there? I want my mindset to be that I will always continue on the journey toward pinnacle.

I do, however, want to be a pinnacle leader, as John Maxwell defines it as part of his 5 Levels of Leadership. A pinnacle leader is one that people follow because of who they are and what they represent. Maxwell calls these Level 5 leaders and told us the leaders, “…create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.” I have always said I want to be remembered as a thoughtful leader who showed love for those I served by providing growth and development. The pinnacle is not easy to achieve. We start at Level1 leading by position only. Level 1 doesn’t last very long. Then as we build a relationship we move to Level 2 and lead by permission. At Level 3 others follow us because of results. At Level 3 we begin to gain followers because of what we have done for an organization. Then at Level 4 we are in the people development business. People follow us for what we have done for them. My goal is to become a Level 5 leader to as many as I can. Hopefully I can stay true to my never-ending journey to the pinnacle. Where are you on that journey?

Byron's Babbles