You’re on different levels with different people, and you never leave a level behind

Many leaders think of growth as a staircase you climb once. In practice, leadership is more like juggling five balls, one for each relationship. With Sam you might be at Permission because you’ve built trust, with Lina at Production because you’ve shipped wins together, and with a new contractor at Position because they only know your title. You never “graduate” from a level. You add levels, and you carry them into each relationship.

Consider the first insight here, that you can move up but never leave a level behind. If you build great relationships then stop delivering results, your influence drops. If you deliver results but neglect trust, the floor falls out later. This is why some leaders feel whiplash: they’re strong on Level 2 with their team but only on Level 1 with a new cross-functional group. Their speeches work in one room and flop in another. The model explains it without blame.

A second tough truth, you are not on the same level with every person. If you’ve ever shared a vision and gotten different reactions—one nod, one shrug, one eye-roll—this is why. You can’t copy-paste influence. It is earned in context. A simple map helps. Put names in a grid, mark the current level, and choose one next move up for each. With Sam, you might plan a joint quick win. With Lina, you might add a mentoring rhythm. With the contractor, you might schedule a proper kickoff and learn their constraints.

A third truth, moving up is slow, moving down is fast. Trust builds daily and breaks in a minute. That’s not a reason to be scared. It’s a reason to be intentional. When you change teams, humble yourself and start at Level 1 again. You can progress faster because you know the path, but you still must walk it. These dynamics are consistent with social exchange theory and systems thinking. Influence is specific, path-dependent, and fragile. Mapping it makes it manageable.

Grab a sheet and list the people who matter to your work. For each name, mark the level you’re on today and circle one next move to earn the next level—a trust deposit, a joint quick win, or a development step. Notice where you’re only on Position and plan a fast Permission deposit, like a short listening huddle. Where you’re at Permission, plan a small win you can deliver together. Where you’re at Production, schedule one development step to move into People Development. If you’ve just switched teams, treat everyone as new and progress with humility. Do the map, then take one step per person this week.