Leadership—The Five Levels Of Influence—Permission

June 15, 2026

There comes a moment in every leader’s journey when something subtle begins to change. The conversations become less guarded. Team members no longer speak merely because they have to answer a question; they begin sharing what they really think. Laughter finds its way into meetings. Challenges are brought forward before they become crises. People begin lingering after the agenda has ended, not because they are obligated to stay, but because something deeper than responsibility has begun to take root. Nothing on the organizational chart has changed. The title remains the same. The responsibilities remain the same. Yet somehow, everything feels different. What changed was not the position.

What changed was the relationship.

Slowly, often without fanfare, trust begins to grow. Through small moments that rarely make headlines, a different kind of leadership is being formed. A conversation that demonstrates genuine interest. A difficult season met with compassion instead of impatience. A quiet celebration of someone else’s success. A willingness to listen without immediately trying to fix. Brick by brick, trust is being built. And trust, unlike authority, cannot be demanded.

It must be earned.

People have an extraordinary ability to discern whether they are viewed as contributors to a mission or simply as instruments to accomplish one. They know when they are being managed, and they know when they are being shepherded. They know the difference between being tolerated and being treasured. Eventually, a profound truth begins to emerge. People may follow a title because they have to.

Ultimately, they follow a person because they want to.

Leadership is not built on control; it is built on connection. Influence does not grow where people feel used. It grows where people feel valued. This second level of leadership invites us into something far richer than compliance. It reminds us that leadership is not primarily transactional. It is deeply relational. Human beings flourish where trust is present. Hearts open where safety exists. Loyalty develops where people believe they matter. Yet relationships were never meant to become an excuse to avoid truth. Healthy leadership understands that kindness and courage are companions, not competitors. A desire for harmony can sometimes tempt leaders to sidestep difficult conversations, preserving comfort at the expense of growth. But love that refuses to tell the truth is not love at all. Real care is willing to have hard conversations because it believes too much in people to leave them where they are. Trust without truth becomes sentiment. Truth without trust becomes force.

Healthy leadership holds both.

It looks like the leader who remembers names and stories, not merely performance metrics. It shows up in the manager who celebrates victories others might overlook and notices burdens others might miss. It appears in the conversations that communicate, “You matter here,” long before discussing what needs to be accomplished. It reveals itself in the patient leader who understands that before people will fully trust your vision, they first need to trust your heart. Because leadership has never been about extracting results from people.

It has always been about investing belief into people.

Perhaps, that is why the strongest cultures are rarely built by the most impressive personalities. They are built by leaders who consistently create environments where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Environments where individuals are not reduced to what they produce, but are recognized for who they are becoming. At the end of the day, people may forget many of the goals that were achieved. They may not remember every strategy or every meeting. But they will remember how it felt to be led by someone who genuinely cared. And when people know they matter, something remarkable happens. They no longer simply work alongside you.

They choose to walk with you.

-Rob Carroll

Hat tip to Dr. John Maxwell for the inspiration from his book, Five Levels Of Leadership. See the companion articles in this Blog Section:

LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS: LEADERSHIP: THE 5 LEVELS OF INFLUENCE—INTRODUCTION | LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS: LEADERSHIP: THE 5 LEVELS OF INFLUENCE—POSITION | LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS: LEADERSHIP: THE 5 LEVELS OF INFLUENCE—PERFORMER | LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS: LEADERSHIP: THE 5 LEVELS OF INFLUENCE—PEOPLE DEVELOPER | LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS: LEADERSHIP: THE 5 LEVELS OF INFLUENCE—PINNACLE