level of journey

• Get the Job
• Resumes and CVs
• Applications
• Cover Letters
• Professional References

Professional Licenses and Exams

• Get a Promotion
• Negotiation
• Professional Ethics
• Professionalism
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Communication Skills

Managing the office, disabilities, harassment and discrimination, unemployment.

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What does journey-level mean.

Certain occupations, trades and crafts categorize jobs by skill, education and knowledge. This is mandated by federal or state registration boards or developed in the private sector. Employees in these occupations typically start at apprentice levels and progress to journey-level positions.

Definition of Journey Level

After an employee has undergone sufficient on-the-job training or completed a formal apprenticeship, a promotion to journey level normally occurs. The worker's promotion depends on knowledge and expertise. Advancement may require passing a test or be solely based on the evaluation of a manager or supervisor.

Contributing Journey Level

If an employee’s competency evaluation reveals that he needs more time to fully meet the job requirements, he is placed at a contributing journey level. The manager or supervisor documents the areas that need improvement and proposes paths to reach the required competency levels to be a full-fledged journey-level worker.

Journey-Level-Full

When the worker increases her competency, the supervisor performs another evaluation. If advancement to full journey level is appropriate, the supervisor cites examples of competency in the areas of communication, technical knowledge and problem solving to substantiate the basis for the promotion.

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• North Carolina Office of State Personnel: What Does Journey-Level Mean?

Cassie Damewood has been a writer and editor since 1985. She writes about food and cooking for various websites, including My Great Recipes, and serves as the copy editor for "Food Loves Beer" magazine. Damewood completed a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in creative writing at Miami University.

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This chart shows the 6 stages of career growth. Where are you now?

Different people are destined to different career paths. But ideally, over time, you will take on bigger assignments and more responsibilities that will help you get to where you want.

As a CEO of more than 15 years, I've helped hundreds of people navigate their professional journey. My best advice is to seek out jobs and opportunities that will help you develop and demonstrate capabilities, particularly in four key areas:

• Having a growth mindset
• Dealing with ambiguity
• Handling change
• Working at a faster pace

The 6 stages of career growth

While not all career paths are the same, there is a master plan that governs just about any journey — and that plan is defined by six stages:

1. Follower

Typically, this is associated with your first job or internship out of college. As a follower, you are action-oriented and task-focused as you carry out what others tell you to do. You will never lead if you don't know how to follow someone!

2. Collaborator

Soon, you'll begin to work closely with others. You're still operating from your technical skill set, but you will develop valuable people skills through collaboration with peers on your team.

3. Instructor

As a first-time team leader, you're tapping your people skills when you give instructions to your team, which may comprise of several people or just one person.

The key here is whether you effectively instruct people on what needs to be done, instead of being the one to do it. Jobs that will help you progress at this level include:

• Staff leadership : At this level, you have the responsibility, but not the authority. Typical examples include planning projects, installing new systems, troubleshooting problems, negotiating with outside parties and working in a group.
• Staff to line shifts:  This involves moving to a job with an easily determined bottom line or result, managing bigger scope and/or scale, demonstrating new skills or perspectives and taking on unfamiliar aspects of your assignments.

Your skill set builds as you manage larger teams with bigger goals and objectives. You will need to motivate direct reports and learn how to manage them by giving objectives and goals, as well as the means to pursue and achieve them.

For example, you may be in a "change manager" role — managing a significant effort to change or implement something of significance, such as total-work systems, business restructuring, new systems and procedures, or responses to major competitor initiatives.

5. Influencer

Now things get interesting! This stage is a transition away from directly managing a team to influencing people.

Influence is a key leadership skill that you need to develop in order to work well with people across the organization, especially with those who do not report to you.

In fact, you could be influencing people in other departments who are at your level, or even a level above you.

In this final stage, you spend much of your time empowering and inspiring others. Instead of telling them what to do, you tell them what to think about.

Your biggest priority is to motivate people so that they can do and become more than even they thought possible.

A pathway of possibilities

This journey isn't exactly a ladder, one job to the next. Rather, you'll travel through various stages of development, spending more time in some than others.

You may have one or two jobs in one stage, for example, and several jobs in another. You may traverse all six stages, or stop at some intermediate point. It's up to you.

But understanding these stages of growth can help you keep track of where you've been, where you are, where you're going, and where you ultimately want to end up.

Gary Burnison  is a best-selling author and the CEO of  Korn Ferry , the   world's largest global organizational consulting firm. His books include  "Leadership U: Accelerating through the Crisis Curve,"   "Advance: The Ultimate How-to Guide for your Career,"  and  "Lose the Resume, Land the Job."  Follow Gary on  LinkedIn .

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Apprentice vs. Journeyman: What is the Difference?

• November 6, 2018

Table of Contents

Getting into construction and becoming a journeyman is the single greatest opportunity of our generation for millennials.

Forbes has reported that as of 2018 there are approximately 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt.

If you are reading this, you were probably sold the College degree pipe dream, or maybe you are getting ready to graduate high school and trying to figure out your next step. 

The traditional college route may work for some, but make no mistake about it. The world is changing fast. Gone are the days where companies were willing to hire and invest money into someone solely for their college degree.

What were once high-paying stable careers are being replaced at the drop of a hat either by technology or cheaper overseas labor. In today’s marketplace, you have to bring tangible skills to the table.

You must deliver value and become a critical piece of someone’s business.

A lucrative career with little investment

I spent years working with tradesmen across the country helping them get licensed, set up businesses, obtain certifications, and further their careers.

 I met 25-year-old landscapers making as much as doctors, plumbers earning six figures, and electricians supporting their families very comfortably. 

Staffing firms around the country consistently report skilled trades (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding, bricklayers, masons, and more) as the hardest positions to fill.

With the construction industry set to reach $1 Trillion in 2019, investing in yourself and choosing a career in the construction trades is one of the smartest investments you can make in yourself.

A fundamental step in becoming a top earner within the construction is by becoming a journeyman. This article will break down everything you need to know about finding an apprenticeship program and becoming a journeyman in your trade.

What the term “Apprenticeship” means

Apprenticeships are training programs for someone learning a trade or vocational area of expertise. Apprenticeships exist in many different fields.

Within the construction industry, they can be official schools but also could also be an unofficial association between a master tradesman and a beginner.

Some apprenticeships are paid on the job training, while others may take place in a school setting with certifications or job placement gained at the end. 

What apprenticeship should I do?

The answer to this question depends on what you see yourself doing as a career.

Maybe you have always had an interest in taking things apart and rebuilding them, and the technical aspect of electrical work makes sense for you.

Perhaps you have a family member who is a plumber or landscaper and have some knowledge already.

There are apprenticeships in a variety of trades including:

• Electrical 
• Welding 
• Carpentry 
• Roofing 
• Landscaping
• and many more

All trades provide a high income once you reach a certain level, so choosing an apprenticeship should primarily be based on your interests and current skill set.

Official apprenticeships are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.

How long is an apprenticeship?

Apprenticeship programs vary in length depending on the trade. Every construction trade is different and requires a different level of competency to begin working professionally.

Generally, they can be about 2 years, but some may last up to 6 years or need a certain amount of registered hours or testing to be completed.

Age requirements and costs of apprenticeships

Most apprenticeships require you to be at least 18 years old.

However, many will accept you at 16 with permission from your parents. 

• Applicants for formal apprenticeships must hold a high school diploma or GED.
• Often there are basic math skills and physical ability standards that must be met, however, this may vary depending on the area of expertise.

In California alone, 1,400 programs are serving 73,000 apprentices, so the opportunities are there.

• The cost of a construction apprenticeship program again depends on what kind of program you are looking for. 
• One thing I can guarantee is that it is way cheaper than paying the University of fill in the blank $40,000 per year for a degree in sociology.

What is a journeyman?

“ A person who has completed an apprenticeship program or is an experienced worker, not a trainee, and is fully qualified and able to perform a specific trade without supervision ” – CSLB.GOV

Similar to an apprentice, the term journeyman is used across a variety of different professions. In the context of construction, a journeyman is pretty much someone that knows enough about their job to work on a job site without being supervised and take over operations if necessary.

Journeyman experience

Construction trades vary regarding the amount of information one may need to know to achieve journeyman level, so again this term can be relative.

For example, A journeyman landscaper may have taken a shorter time to achieve journeyman status than an electrician.

Furthermore, certain areas within the construction industry require testing to achieve journeyman level. 

In the state of California, getting a contractor license requires that you prove 4 years of journey-level experience. This experience must be confirmed by a contractor, fellow journeyman, fellow employee, or supervisor.

Journeyman exam

A journeyman exam refers to an exam that may be required of a tradesman to achieve a particular pay grade or level of licensing.

Journey exams typically are required of trades where the direct safety of the public is associated with that area of expertise.

In California, Electricians have strict standards of examinations and certification before they can be considered journeyman or contractors. 

Trades related to the foundational or structural integrity of buildings often must take journeyman exams.

Whether or not a journeyman has to complete exams often depends on the state and the level of regulation that may or may not exist there.

In some states an individual journeyman level status before issuing permits, creating plans, or becoming an instructor.

Joining the Construction Union

To join a construction union, you must be a journeyman-level tradesman. There are a variety of benefits of joining a construction union including higher wages, benefits, working conditions, and increased bargaining power.

Many journeyman-level tradesmen join unions to achieve a level of stability and continue mastering their trade in hopes of one day having their own business.​

For a deeper look at construction unions. Check out this article.

Career options for journeyman level tradesman

There are several different career paths within the construction industry.

Once a tradesman has established a certain level of expertise, the area in which they choose to work professionally depends on their personality and income goals.

Some individuals are naturally business-minded and decide to become contractors. Some tradesmen prefer the idea of earning a steady paycheck and performing their trade on a daily basis.

For a more in-depth look at the different career options and job titles for a journeyman, tradesman… check out this article.

How to get a Contractor License​

A Contractor is someone who has demonstrated a certain level of knowledge and expertise not only in their trade but also LAW and the management of money.

In California, a contractor must prove 4 years of journeyman-level experience and pass a two-part exam.

Getting a contractor license differs from state to state. In California, you must meet the following requirements before you are even allowed to take the exam

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a valid Driver's License or USA Issued Identification
• Have a Social Security or ITIN #
• Not currently be on probation or parole
• Pass the Contractor License Exam

Contractors are tested not only on their TRADE  but also  LAW , accounting, cash management, taxes, insurance, fair hiring practices, safety, and more.

Learn more about Contractor License LAW!

Opportunities in Construction

As I stated earlier. The world is changing fast and the only people that are going to survive economically in the next 50 years are people who possess skills that people are willing to pay for.

Construction has been going on since the dawn of time. We will always need skilled tradesmen.

Civilization depends on people who can work with wood, build roofs, fabricate electrical systems, weld iron, and pave roads.

If you are graduating high school, do yourself a favor and take a serious look at joining an apprenticeship program and learning a trade.

Getting into the construction field is an excellent option for ex-felons and even people who are looking to transition careers.

The Construction sector will continue to grow, and the demand for skilled tradesmen will continue to increase. Invest in yourself and take advantage of this lucrative opportunity.

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• How To Get a Louisiana General Contractor License!

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The 5 Levels of Leadership

A business executive. A softball coach. A classroom teacher. A volunteer coordinator. A parent.

Whether you’re one of these things or all of these things, one thing remains true:

You are a leader .

But where are you on your leadership journey, and where do you go from here? Over my years of teaching about leadership, that question exists at the heart of so many leaders. Everyone wants to know where they stand and how to get to the next level. And you are probably no different!

That’s why I developed the 5 Levels of Leadership paradigm in my book, Developing the Leader Within You, and then expanded it in my book, The 5 Levels of Leadership.  I wanted to help leaders understand and increase their effectiveness. And while there is more to this teaching than space in this blog, today I want to offer a general overview of the 5 Levels as a reminder that you are still on your way as a leader – and so am I! So feel free to bookmark this page or print it out as a quick guide for your journey as a leader.

THE 5 LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP

Level 1 — position.

The lowest level of leadership—the entry level, if you will—is Position. It’s the only level that requires no ability or effort to achieve. After all, anyone can be appointed to a position! While nothing is wrong with having a leadership position, everything is wrong with relying only on that position to get people to follow. That’s because it only works if you have leverage (such as job security or a paycheck) over your followers. At Level 1, people only follow if they believe that they have to.

People who remain on the position level may find it difficult to work with volunteers. Why? Because position does not automatically result in influence, and volunteers are aware that they don’t have to follow anyone. They truly only follow if they want to.

But the news is not all bad about this level. It is a prime place for you to begin investing in your growth and potential as a leader. Use your time at this level learning to lead yourself – through priorities and self-discipline – and you’ll be ready to move to the next level.

Level 2 — Permission

Level 2 is based on relationship . At this level, people choose to follow because they want to. In other words, they give the leader Permission to lead them. To grow at this level, leaders work on getting to know their people and connecting with them. You can’t lead without people, which means you need to learn to like people if you want to lead well!

When you like people and treat them as individuals who have value, you begin to develop positive influence with them. Trust grows, which usually leads to respect. And the environment becomes much more positive—whether at home, on the job, at play, or while volunteering. Level 2 is where solid, lasting relationships are built that create the foundation for the next level.

Level 3 — Production

The best leaders know how to motivate their people to GTD – get things done ! And getting things done is what Level 3 is all about. On this level, leaders who produce results build their influence and credibility. People still follow because they want to, but they do it because of more than the relationship. People follow Level 3 leaders because of their track record.

The Production level is where leaders can become change agents. Work gets done, morale improves, profits go up, turnover goes down, and goals are achieved. The more you produce, the more you’re able to tackle tough problems and face thorny issues. Leading and influencing others becomes fun, because when everyone is moving forward together, the team rises to another level of effectiveness.

It’s important to note here that the goal with the 5 Levels is not to move away from one level to grow at a new level. Instead, these 5 levels of leadership build upon each other. In other words, Level 3 leaders still need to do the things that make Level 2 happen. They just add Level 3 strategies to the mix. And as they become effective at Level 3, they are ready to layer on the goals of the next levels.

Level 4 — People Development

Level 4 can be summed up in one word: reproduction . Your goal at this level is to identify and develop as many leaders as you can by investing in them and helping them grow.

The reason is simple: When there are more leaders, more of the organization’s mission can be accomplished. The people you choose to develop may show great potential for leadership, or they may be diamonds in the rough, but the main idea is the same: When you invest in them, you can reproduce yourself.

The more you raise up new leaders, the more you will change the lives of all members of the team. As a result, people will follow you because of what you’ve done for them personally. And as an added bonus, some of those mentoring relationships are likely to last a lifetime.

So to grow at the people development level, you need to make investing in leaders a priority, and take intentional steps every day to help them grow. Do that consistently, for long enough, and you may begin to reap the rewards of the next level.

Level 5 — Pinnacle

The highest level of leadership is also the most challenging to attain. It requires longevity as well as intentionality. You simply can’t reach Level 5 unless you are willing to invest your life into the lives of others for the long haul. But if you stick with it, if you continually focus on both growing yourself at every level, and developing leaders who are willing and able to develop other leaders, you may find yourself at the Pinnacle.

The commitment to becoming a Pinnacle leader is sizeable, but so are the payoffs. Level 5 leaders develop Level 5 organizations. They create opportunities other leaders don’t. They create a legacy in what they do. People follow them because of who they are and what they represent. In other words, their leadership gains a positive reputation . As a result, Level 5 leaders often transcend their position, their organization, and sometimes their industry.

There’s so much more I’d love to tell you, but let me leave you with this. Leadership is about growth – for yourself, your relationships, your productivity, and your people. To lead well, you must embrace your need for continual improvement, and the 5 Levels provide a leadership GPS to help you with your journey. You must know where you are, to know where you’re going.

Otherwise, as the Cheshire Cat told Alice, when you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

For more in-depth teaching on The 5 Levels of Leadership, read my 2011 book on the subject. Or learn from one of my expert facilitators at a workshop in your area.

36 Comments

[…] John Maxwell’s Blog Post The Five Levels Of Leadership […]

What if you do the assessment and there is a tie for two (2) levels, which one do you choose and why?

Is this site still active? No one is responding

Hi Racquel–thank you for your persistence and patience. I just replied to your much earlier comment, and would love to help you further should you need it.

Gerroe–great question, and thanks for being patient waiting for an answer! The simplest answer is whichever level comes first within the five. For example, if the two levels that are tied are 2 and 3, focus on Level 2 because you must be good there first. If you have additional questions, feel free to tag me in your comments–my name is Jason Brooks and I’m happy to help you!

For the team members point of view, I decided the number of team members who placed me on a particular leadership level based on the number of team members who answered “yes” to all the questions in that level? For example, I have 5 team members, all of them said “yes” to level 1 questions but 3 answered “no” to Level 2 so I said 5 persons placed me at level 1 but 2 at Level 2. Is that an appropriate strategy?

Hi Racquel–thanks for being BEYOND patient. Nearly a year is a long time to wait for an answer, so I apologize for the delay. You are correct in how you assessed the responses from your team members. You can continue using the same logic for the remainder of the survey answers. If you have any further questions, feel free to call me out by name in your comments–it’s Jason Brooks, and I am delighted to help you.

[…] this is the main thrust of many leadership models. In John Maxwell’s “5 Levels of Leadership” model someone may be assigned a leadership position, but they still have to earn permission (engagement) […]

[…] is what do you have to do to build credibility as their leader? The answer is in understanding the 5 levels of leadership. Most importantly, working your way from being a Level 1, a position leader, to a Level 2, a […]

Highly appreciated. having watched the youtube and read the tips, I am standing at a wow position. At least I know that position is not an end to itself but a step in the leadership ladder. This has made me to aspire more if I want to see that people want to follow me and not that it’s me that demands from them to follow me. This is very helpful. Thank you and kind regards.

[…] Source : https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/ […]

VEry informative . I dont know though how I can apply in church settings.

[…] John Maxwell tells us that there are five levels of leadership. […]

[…] I will encourage you to read more about John C Maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership: https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/ […]

[…] Maxwell has effectively expounded the idea of leadership levels. His five levels of leadership start with a personal leadership – Position as level 1. Afterward, level 2 to 5 mainly […]

[…] as a leader is much the same way. John C. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership framework provides a concrete explanation of your evolution on your way to becoming a masterful […]

[…] John is a leadership expert; he developed the 5 levels of leadership framework and is a best selling author. You should check out his work here. […]

Have a good day.

I love 5 levels of leadership framework. I inspire by this methodology.

I’ve written a leadership insight article inspired by John C. Maxwell.

You can read my blog.

https://forbesarticles.com/leadership-insights/

Zohaib Butt Success Coach and Corporate Trainer

[…] J. (2016) ‘ The 5 Levels of Leadership’ [online] available from < https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/&gt ; [25 June […]

Very encouraging and exiting lesson from the 5 levels of leadership and it is easier to solve strategic leading challenges. I am overwhelmed.

[…] Maxwell’s 5 niveaus van leiderschapdefinieert een cumulatieve reeks kwaliteiten voor groei als leider, en Budd stelt voor om zich te […]

[…] Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadershipdefines a cumulative set of qualities for growth as a leader, and Budd suggests focusing on […]

[…] Search For MeaningThe John Maxwell Leadership ScaleThe Motive by Patrick LencioniThe Serenity PrayerMichael’s Free Ebook: Stop Thinking Like an […]

[…] his book, The 5 Levels of Leadership – John Maxwell  talks about this anxiety, the concept is, when a leader gets to an important position she […]

[…] talked and written at lengths on John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership as (one of my favourites) the foundation for all leadership development. It can serve both as an […]

[…] all about relationship, relationship, relationship. (I’ve heard this for so many years in the Christian leadership context from John Maxwell. I’ve also explored the concept of trust in other posts, here and […]

[…] John Maxwell […]

I’d be excited to follow updates on this blog or related posts. Thank you very much, sir.

[…] facet of seniority and something to be achieved (and enjoyed) – what John Maxwell referred to as ‘Level 1 leadership’ – resulting in organisations that primarily ‘looked upwards’. The dominant leadership […]

[…] jednej ze swoich najsłynniejszych, a jednocześnie najbardziej praktycznych książek „5 levels of leadership” John Maxwell przybliża model przywództwa opracowany na bazie swoich doświadczeń oraz […]

I will go for the second (2) level because without the permission of the people you want to lead you can’t lead them, and even if you force them, if they have any chance to kill you they will because they did not give you the permission to do so. THANK YOU.

[…] that truly listen to the people they lead before making decisions. I would suggest checking the The 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell as inspirational material for improving your leadership […]

[…] C. Maxwell has described in his book “The 5 Levels of Leadership” the different phases that occur in the path of becoming an inspiring […]

[…] The 5 Levels of Leadership […]

[…] C. Maxwell’s fourth Level of Leadership focuses on people’s development. This is a crucial point that separates leaders from […]

[…] When you show your people that you care for them, support their growth and trust them, they will eventually work for you because they want to, not just because they have to. They will work for you because of what you have done for the organization and for them and ultimately because of who you are and what you represent (John Maxwell: The 5 levels of leadership). […]

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Earn credentials for skills learned on the job through NCCER’s National Craft Assessment and Certification Program (NCACP). This program was designed by industry professionals to help bridge gaps in workforce competence. The program provides evaluation of journey-level knowledge and skills of craft professionals based on industry-recognized standards for each craft through knowledge assessments and performance evaluations.

Employers can use the NCACP to evaluate the skills of a prospective employee, a current craft professional, or their entire workforce. Assessments confirm a person’s knowledge and understanding of their craft and identify opportunities for improvement–including a custom training prescription detailing what is needed in an individual’s skill development.

Craft professionals can prove their skills by taking NCCER’s standardized assessments. At NCCER Accredited Organizations, craft professionals can take journey-level knowledge assessments and performance evaluations to earn certifications. NCCER’s journey-level assessments provide experienced craft professionals who lack documented training the chance to earn formal recognition of the hard-earned knowledge and skills they have acquired on-the-job. Many industry employers also offer higher pay rates to NCCER certified craft professionals.

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How do we manage the change journey?

In Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change (John Wiley & Sons, 2019), McKinsey’s Scott Keller and Bill Schaninger draw on their long experience, and the most comprehensive research effort of its kind, to provide a practical, proven guide for executives managing corporate transformations. “ A better way to lead large-scale change ,” the first article in the series, explains how and why the authors’ approach works. The second, “ Getting personal about change ,”  provides an in-depth look into the mind-set shifts required for generating meaningful change.  The third, “ The forgotten step in leading large-scale change ,” examines the most often neglected stage of the change process. This fourth article discusses how to generate ownership and energy for success.

Change is a journey, and few journeys go according to plan. Leaders who follow the transformation methodology explained in our new book, Beyond Performance 2.0, take companies through what we call the five stages of performance and health. 1 The five stages, and the questions that must be answered in each of them, are aspire: Where do we want to go?; assess: How ready are we to go there?; architect: What must we do to get there?; act: How do we manage the journey?; and advance: How do we continue to improve? This article focuses on the fourth: act. To ensure that plans developed in the previous stage ( architect ) stay on track and evolve when necessary, leaders must give employees a sense of ownership in the process, as well as the energy needed to change. This article shows how.

Instilling ownership

The previous stages of our five-stage program will give employees a significant degree of ownership. But don’t assume it will continue throughout the act stage. To see that it does, establish strong governance, scale up initiatives appropriately, and monitor and adjust them as needed.

Establish strong governance

Research shows that change programs with governance structures clearly identifying roles and responsibilities are 6.4 times more likely to succeed. The vast majority of successful programs include four such elements: an executive steering committee (ESC), a change-management office (CMO), executive sponsors (ESs), and initiative owners (IOs) and their teams.

An executive steering committee typically includes the most senior leader and a senior executive team. It owns the change program’s overall direction; makes critical ongoing decisions, such as approving changes in execution plans, reallocating resources, resolving issues, and reshaping initiatives; and holds people accountable for results. When the ESC communicates the progress of change programs frequently during the act stage, they are a whopping eight times more likely to succeed.

The change-management office coordinates the overall program, tracking its progress, resolving issues, and facilitating transparent, effective interactions between the ESC and the initiatives. It seldom leads them but sometimes helps share best practices and acts as a thought partner for initiative teams. Typically, a full-time senior leader responsible for the overall change program runs the CMO. Its size depends on the transformation’s nature, but it typically includes resources for monitoring and reviewing activities, metrics, budgets, and impact, as well as for communications and change management.

Executive sponsors provide guidance, judgment, and leadership for initiative teams by reviewing their progress, helping periodically to solve problems, suggesting and validating changes to execution plans, and focusing on the business impact. They may be either members of the ESC or senior leaders, one level down, who directly own particular initiatives. The ES strives to optimize particular initiatives; the ESC, the full portfolio.

Initiatives are executed by initiative owners and their teams, who typically work for line organizations but may also come from staff functions. IOs generally help formulate the initiative charter; identify resources, operating expenses, and capital requirements; determine the scale-up approach; and develop timelines and milestones. Their responsibilities include both problem solving and people solving.

The CMO provides support and oversight. But accountability for the impact of initiatives should be placed, so far as possible, with line management and built into relevant budgets—no aspect of a change program is complete until they fully reflect it. Programs with clear roles and responsibilities are six times more likely to succeed than programs that don’t; those with effective CMOs, twice as likely.

To understand this governance model, consider the case of a retailer restructuring its global operations after quarterly losses. When an organizational-health survey identified many health issues, the CEO created an ESC comprising senior leaders from the retailer and its parent company. The retailer then created a CMO led by the respected senior manager of its most profitable business line. He enlisted one of his top performers and two respected middle managers from other departments and hired an external change expert and a retail-turnaround specialist. Each of the 25 health initiatives identified in the architect stage had an IO and ES who helped ensure that teams remained committed to targets and had the necessary resources. The teams also included part-time “project amplifiers,” who publicized initiatives to the organization and communicated its concerns back to the teams.

This clear ownership model helped the retailer to reorganize its 75,000-strong workforce and to cut costs by 12 percent within six months. The whole company’s health improved significantly. The program’s light yet robust structure was easily dismantled, and the business then took responsibility for the ongoing effort.

Choose scale-up methods

Companies implement the vast majority of initiatives by testing ideas, learning from failures, and scaling up successes quickly—an approach that limits damage, provides valuable lessons, and builds an appetite for change. But impatient organizations often implement pilots too quickly.

Beyond Performance 2.0: A Proven Approach to Leading Large-Scale Change

Consider the experience of the Netherlands-based insurance group Achmea. Spurred by the government’s radical healthcare reforms, the company launched a change program in one of its divisions. The initiatives included a plan to raise the call center’s efficiency by 25 percent and to improve the customer experience. Achmea’s initial pilot was a huge success, but the company soon found that the approach of the manager who led the effort was hard to replicate because he had relied on personal influence, not new systems . As this example shows, the pilot phase should include two tests: proof of concept (to establish that an idea creates value) and proof of feasibility (to ensure replicability). Often, this second test also trains leaders for later waves of implementation. Once Achmea adopted the double-pilot approach, the change program proceeded successfully.

Companies can choose among three broad “flavors” for scaling initiatives: linear, geometric, and “big bang” (Exhibit 1). In the first, the proof-of-feasibility pilot is replicated across the organization, but no area starts until the previous one finishes. This works best if a company rolls out an initiative in only a few areas and isn’t in crisis, the stakes are high, deep dives by experts are needed, resistance to change is strong, and the tool kit and solutions require extensive customization.

In geometric scale-ups, implementation occurs in progressively bigger waves. This makes sense if multiple areas share a few common features, many areas must be transformed, a linear approach would take too long, capable implementers are readily available (or can be trained ahead of demand), and the organization can absorb the changes. In big-bang scale-ups, implementation occurs across all relevant areas at once. That takes many resources, but for a relatively short time, and makes sense if multiple areas share many features, the transformation is urgently needed, little resistance is expected, and the company can deploy a standard tool kit.

A multinational energy company, for example, used the linear approach to roll out unified HR software that replaced freestanding national systems. Senior management understood that if the company switched in one go, or even region by region, technical issues might overload the project. The new software represented a major shift, so the company also wanted to ensure that all country organizations embraced it and that concerns at any one location could be addressed before the rollout continued.

But this company chose a geometric approach to implement its new global procurement strategy. An analysis of vendor relationships uncovered similarities among markets in buying patterns and levels of procurement sophistication and vendor choice. Grouping similar markets into clusters enabled the company to increase its leverage with vendors. It then used the geometric approach to roll out the project in increasingly large groups of regions and countries. Procurement teams got up to speed quickly, approaches were progressively refined, and cost savings escalated rapidly.

Another initiative revamped public-relations processes. The company had recently experienced a crisis it hadn’t handled well, because of a decentralized approach to managing its public image. One initiative therefore centralized stakeholder management and PR, installed new policies and guidelines, and aimed to make the general public and key stakeholders aware of the company’s efforts to improve transparency and accountability. A big-bang effort fully implemented the program in two months.

Monitor progress and adjust the program dynamically

To work effectively and scale up multiple initiatives during the act stage, the CMO must provide both an initiative- and program-level view of progress and impact through relevant metrics and milestones. When it does, change programs are 7.3 times more likely to succeed. This mandate requires good data. As N. R. Narayana Murthy, former chairman of Infosys, put it, “ In God we trust; everybody else brings data to the table .”

To have a robust view of how much progress you’re making, regularly measure your change program on at least four dimensions:

• Initiative level. Track initiatives not just by time (milestones) and budget (money spent versus planned) but also by operational performance (cycle times, waste, wait times, quality).
• Health. Are management practices and their underlying mindsets and behavior shifting appropriately? Targeted analytics, surveys, focus groups, and direct observation of work sites offer a good read.
• Performance. Measure key business outcomes (revenues, costs, risks) to confirm that improvements happen where you expect and don’t cause problems elsewhere.
• Value creation. Constantly focus on the ultimate goal: shareholder (and other relevant stakeholder) value.

The particular metrics to monitor in each dimension will be specific to individual programs, but less is more: metrics often cascade into unwieldy, complex permutations. A McKinsey analysis shows that organizations use only 29 percent of the metrics they claim to follow in change efforts .

Next, decide how often to measure and review the metrics. In large-scale change programs, initiatives should be reviewed weekly by their teams; health and performance, monthly or quarterly by sponsors and steering committees; and enterprise value, once or twice a year by everyone in the program. Reviews enforce accountability, identify issues and best practices, determine remedies, spotlight successes, and instill a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Don’t confine the monitoring and review to the past. As Telefónica de España’s former managing director and COO Julio Linares warns, “The market is going to change constantly, and because of that you need to make a constant effort to adapt to the market. Of course, some parts of the program will end, but new ones will come up.” Change programs led by CMOs that adjust them as needed are 4.6 times more likely to succeed. 2 McKinsey global transformational-change survey of 2,314 executives, conducted in January 2010.

No matter how well you plan initiatives during the architect stage, some will probably flounder when you get to act: 28 percent of well-planned initiatives don’t deliver the results forecast , so the CMO should expect to redirect or stop some initiatives, launch new ones, and reallocate resources quickly. Our data show that, on average, the execution end dates of 31 percent of initiatives change once , 28 percent twice, and 19 percent three times. The CMO’s role is to ensure that this happens for the right reasons, with rigorous problem solving and no last-minute delays or surprises—a reason to monitor metrics weekly.

Health: Generating energy

During change programs, employees must conduct everyday business while changing the way it’s done. That additional work requires additional energy, so change leaders must ensure that programs generate more of it during the act stage than they consume. Change leaders can create energy by mobilizing influencers, making change programs personal for a critical mass of leaders, and engaging the workforce with two-way communications.

Mobilize influencers

Senior leaders aren’t the only people who guide employees; influencers deep in organizations can disproportionately affect their colleagues’ energy levels  if a change program excites them. Regardless of their official title or status, they draw power from the many personal contacts who respect and emulate them. Malcolm Gladwell’s best seller The Tipping Point 3 Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, 2000. describes three types: “mavens” accumulate knowledge and share advice, “connectors” know many people, and “salespeople” can naturally persuade others. Our research indicates that engaging influencers in change programs makes them 3.8 times more likely to succeed.

Consider the example of a change program for maternal healthcare in Africa. No traditional form of intervention (such as pamphlets) worked. Eventually, the leaders realized that hairdressers were extremely influential—hair salons were among the few places where young women could talk about the health of mothers. When the campaign refocused on hairdressers, the message got through.

You can find these sometimes-hidden influencers through social-network analysis (Exhibit 2). One application—“snowball sampling”—uses techniques social scientists developed to study hidden populations: two- to three-question surveys ask employees to nominate (anonymously) three to five people whose advice they respect. These five are also surveyed, and the survey ends when names are repeated—often, after only three to four rounds. Leaders frequently find the results surprising because influence patterns rarely reflect organizational charts.

Companies can mobilize influence leaders effectively in many ways–for example, enrolling them in pilots. At the very least, create a two-way pipeline giving influencers early access to information, so that you gather important feedback on the program’s implementation. By using this group to refine new ideas, you can also increase the effectiveness and acceptance of the ideas you implement.

Make change personal for a critical mass of leaders

Mindsets created by an old stimulus last far longer than the stimulus itself, so if you rely solely on changes in the work environment (a new stimulus) to shift mindsets, you’ll wait a long time. What’s more, changes to the work environment won’t affect everyone similarly. Finally, and perhaps most vexingly, to change the work environment, programs must rely partly on leaders to role model the new behavior, even in the absence of any significant external stimulus. Companies must therefore recognize that the biggest barrier to personal change is overcoming the propensity to see other people as the problem.

At one company, for example, we asked leaders to estimate how much time they spent tiptoeing around other people’s egos. Most said 20 to 30 percent. Then we asked these leaders how much time an employee might spend tiptoeing around their egos. Most were silent. Our research shows that 86 percent of leaders claim to role model behavioral changes, but only 53 percent of the people who report to them agree.

Our journey to find ways of kick-starting change among leaders has led to the development of what we call personal-insight workshops (PIWs), which mostly take place offsite, in groups of 20 to 30, over a couple of days. During PIWs, facilitators who understand the principles of adult learning and human-potential techniques take participants through the “U-process,” which involves three phases.

The first, sensing, typically takes 30 percent of the workshop’s time. Participants explore the company’s change story  in the context of their own. During the second phase, presencing, which typically accounts for some 40 percent of the workshop’s time, the session turns further inward.

Participants examine their beliefs about what’s possible in the workplace, reflecting on questions such as “when do I feel in the ‘flow’ and what takes me out of it, into fight-, flight-, or freeze-type responses?” “What has conditioned me to respond in this way?” “Can I respond in a different way if I frame situations differently?” “What are the benefits and risks if I do?” “How would these different ways of thinking and acting create a more powerful personal legacy?” “How does all this link to the bigger organizational change discussed in the sensing phase?” These techniques help participants to understand their attitudes toward (and more fully embrace) the change program’s organizational mindset and behavior shifts and therefore increase their impact as role models.

Now the U-process enters its third phase: realizing, which typically accounts for 30 percent of the workshop’s time. Here participants decide how they will apply the insights from the previous phase in their day-to-day work, how to use their personal networks to mobilize support, and what the group will do collectively.

Companies will see material shifts in the leadership’s role-modeling impact once a critical mass of 25 to 30 percent of their people leaders attend such programs. At this point, many leaders are replacing the “if only they would change” mentality with the ethos of “if it’s to be, it’s up to me,” so that it becomes contagious and spreads to the whole population. 4 For example, see Andrea Baronchelli, Joshua Becker, Devon Brackbill, and Damon Centola, “Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention,” Science, June 2018, Volume 360, Number 6393: pp. 1116–19, science.sciencemag.org. Not every successful change program uses PIW techniques, but in our experience every change program that did succeeded. In particular, we’ve seen PIWs thaw the change-resistant “frozen middle” of managers more quickly and effectively than any other approach.

Use high-impact two-way communications

The final element of the act stage—high-impact two-way communications that energize the organization—makes change programs four times more likely to succeed. Consider an experiment involving two groups of people: “tappers” and “listeners.” 5 Chip Heath and Dan Heath, “The curse of knowledge,” Harvard Business Review, December 2006, hbr.org. In a preparatory session, the tappers were told they would drum out the rhythm of famous tunes, such as “Happy Birthday to You,” with their fingers. The listeners would have to guess what it was. Then the experimenters asked the tappers to predict what proportion of the songs the listeners would identify correctly. They guessed half. The actual result was 2.5 percent. As the tappers tapped, they became visibly frustrated with the bewildered listeners. The lesson: if you know something, you find it hard to imagine not knowing it—“the curse of knowledge.”

We constantly see it at work in change programs. Leaders who have been deeply involved in creating the change story assume that others will absorb it quickly. But when anyone first hears the story, what leaders consider carefully crafted messages come across as disconnected ideas. To break the curse, use a combination of four approaches.

First, leaders who retell a story should understand what it’s like to hear it for the first time by testing it on others. Second, make the message stick by relentlessly repeating simple, memorable language; Walmart’s “ten-foot rule,” for example, supports customer service by reminding frontline employees that whenever they are within ten feet of a customer, they should look him or her in the eye, smile, and ask how they can help. As Willie Walsh, who has been chief executive of several airline companies, puts it, “The simpler the message, the easier it is to deliver. The simpler the message, the more likely it is to be consistent. The simpler the message, the easier it is to control and manage the communication.” 6 Personal interview.

A third way is to move from “telling” to “asking,” which uses even chance encounters effectively. Emerson Electric’s CEO David Farr asks virtually all employees he meets four questions: “How do you make a difference?,” “What improvement ideas are you working on?,” “When did you last get coaching from your boss?,” and “Who is the enemy?” 7 The right answer is competitors, not some other department. This way of engaging employees has far more impact than simply exhorting them about the company’s health themes: alignment, continuous improvement, coaching, and collaboration.

The fourth way of overcoming the curse is to ensure that many channels—speech, print, online, symbols, rituals—reinforce your messages. In fact, the best two-way communications programs not only tell the same story through multiple channels but also tell different aspects of it through different channels. Companies should use channels creatively—particularly social media. We’ve seen successful two-way communications strategies involving blogs, tweets, videos, podcasts, “jams,” 8 Online, topical, time-bound problem-solving sessions often involving thousands of employees. and online Wiki-like resource centers tailored to employee segments. These become even more powerful when interwoven with in-person formats, such as large group offsites and unannounced visits.

Equally important, create bottom-up channels. When Lisa Hook was Neustar’s CEO, she sponsored a video competition to communicate the company’s performance-and-health strategy. Employees submitted videos and voted for them online; the executive committee chose the winner and the CEO presented an award. Likewise, during a change program in the early 2000s, employees of the Australian telecommunications company Telstra created a “rogue” comic strip to challenge cynicism about a change program. The corporate center can seed such bottom-up efforts, but they must spread autonomously. Infrastructure and funding may be needed, and some companies give influence leaders a small budget and a mandate to “start a fire” (create energy for change).

Some powerful channels for changing mindsets and generating energy are often underutilized—for instance, new rituals. When a mining company made safety a theme of its change program, it started meetings with announcements about emergency exits and safety hazards. Another underutilized channel is the outside world. As Banca Intesa’s former CEO Corrado Passera reflects, internal results matter little “if everyone keeps reading in the newspapers that the business is still a poor performer, is not contributing to society, or is letting down the country as a whole.” Change leaders should look for ways of leveraging customers, users, and other stakeholders to generate energy for change.

Organizations can maximize a multichannel strategy’s power by starting with an employee segment and mapping its change-experience journey. Employees may, for example, learn about the change program in an offsite interactive story-cascade session, read about it on the company’s home page, and see posters about it on walls at work. At home, they may learn about it in the press. Next, they could take part in a skill-building “field and forum” journey to improve as change leaders. Eventually, they will notice how changing structures, processes, systems, and incentives are realizing the change story’s vision and plan. Employees experience a coherent, reinforcing journey taking them from their previous mindsets and behavior toward those needed to make change programs succeed.

Masterstroke: Motivate through social contracts

In each of our five stages of performance and health, we emphasize a masterstroke: counterintuitive lessons from the field of predictable irrationality. Discounting them causes frustration and delay; leveraging them can greatly accelerate a change program’s impact. In this, the act stage, the masterstroke involves incentives.

Conventional wisdom is clear: if compensation isn’t linked to the objectives of a change program, employees believe that it isn’t important. Unfortunately, however, the upside to linking change objectives to financial compensation is generally limited, practically and psychologically. In practice, compensation can rise only within limits and reflects many metrics: overall company performance, the P&L of individual areas, and so forth. No one metric affects overall results significantly. Changing a company’s approach to compensation is also hard—typically requiring board approval—and unintended consequences may ensue.

From a psychological standpoint, the benefit of increased income on happiness greatly decreases beyond $75,000 a year. Besides, financial incentives become less effective the more organizations use them. 9 Angus Deaton and Daniel Dahneman, “High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 107, Number 38, September 2010, pp. 16,489–93. Fortunately, leaders needn’t rely heavily on compensation to drive change; they can stimulate motivation by using what the field of predictable irrationality calls a social—not a market—exchange. Say you go to someone’s house for dinner and afterward ask your host how much money you owe her. The offer of money changes a social interaction into a cringeworthy market transaction. Yet if you had brought your host a bottle of good wine, she would have accepted it gladly. A gift is a symbol of long-term, reciprocal social norms rather than short-term, transactional market norms. 10 Dan Ariely, Predictable Irrationality: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions, New York: HarperCollins, 2008.

This social approach to shaping behavior is cheaper and often more effective. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), for example, once asked lawyers to give discounted prices to retirees. The lawyers declined. Then the AARP, understanding the lesson we have described, went to other lawyers and asked them to work free of charge. Most agreed. 11 Michael J. Sandel, What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2012. Compensation invoked market norms; pro-bono work, social ones.

The best change leaders use small, unexpected nonfinancial rewards and recognition to great effect. When John McFarlane was CEO of ANZ bank, he gave every employee a bottle of champagne for Christmas, and that had far more impact than a bonus equaling the champagne’s cost. As CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi sent thoughtful, hand-written letters praising her top team not only to its members but also to their spouses, creating enormous additional motivation for change. You can take people to lunch, leave laudatory Post-it Notes for them, or give them public recognition among their peers. As Walmart founder Sam Walton said, “Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free—and worth a fortune.” 12 Sam Walton, Sam Walton: Made in America, New York: Bantam, 1993.

The first three stages of the change journey ( aspire, assess, and architect ) typically take months; the act stage, years. Don’t count on the initial excitement to last; instead, generate energy and create ownership methodically to keep your change program on the right path throughout its twists and turns. We often liken the act stage to sports. When a team takes the field, it has a game plan, but once the whistle blows, points rarely come from well-rehearsed plays. The ability to improvise within the game plan usually makes the difference between winning and losing, in sports and business alike.

Scott Keller is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Southern California office, and Bill Schaninger is a senior partner in the Philadelphia office.

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By Hannah L. Miller Leaders Staff

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Updated Aug 25, 2023

5 Levels of Leadership: Which Stage Have You Reached?

What are the 5 levels of leadership, why becoming a level 5 leader matters, navigating each of john maxwell’s 5 levels of leadership , take the 5 levels of leadership assessment.

What’s the difference between a good leader and a great leader? According to John Maxwell , leadership expert, best-selling author, and founder of the world-famous John Maxwell Group, the answer depends on what level of leadership ability a person reaches. In 5 Levels of Leadership , Maxwell outlines the various stages of leadership from least evolved to most evolved. Throughout the chapters, he describes leadership as a journey that has a pinnacle: Level 5 leadership. 

Level 5 leaders spend their lives mastering various leadership styles , leadership qualities , and leadership skills . In doing so, they create highly successful, profitable companies where team members feel as though their work is engaging, fulfilling, and impactful. Organizations with Level 5 leaders also have thriving team cultures . This type of executive creates the conditions for a safe, trusting workplace environment where other leaders are developed. By multiplying leaders at every level throughout the organization, those who reach Level 5 produce an infinite cycle of strong leaders who contribute to their legacy. 

In this article, learn more about what the five levels of leadership are, why you should strive to become a Level 5 leader, what the characteristics of each level are, tips for navigating this journey, and how to reach the true pinnacle of leadership. 

John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership are Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle. Each level corresponds with a particular action that results in followers. The best-selling author developed these various stages of leadership using the knowledge and information he’s gathered during the course of 40 years as a successful leader. Get a brief overview of the 5 levels of leadership below.

Leadership Level 1 – Position

A leader grants a particular person the right to lead. As a result, people follow them because they are directed to, not because they are influential. 

Leadership Level 2 – Permission

The leader focuses on building and growing relationships with their employees. As a result, their team members give them free permission to lead. 

Leadership Level 3 – Production

When a leader reaches Level Three, they focus on the increase of results. In turn, people follow them because they trust the person knows what they’re doing and will lead them in the right direction.

Leadership Level 4 – People Development

Those who reach Level Four are servant leaders who teach, mentor, build, and multiply other leaders. They obtain and maintain followers because people know they positively influence the lives of everyone around them. 

Leadership Level 5 – Pinnacle

Level Five leaders—the rarest type of leader—are well-known for their accomplishments, how they’ve enriched the lives of others, and led their organizations to change the world for the better. These leaders have followers because of who they are, what they’ve done, and what they represent to people. 

In Maxwell’s own words, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Yet, those who don’t develop their leadership abilities aren’t fully equipped to guide their teams or businesses in the right direction now or in the future. It’s like attempting to lead a group of people up Mount Everest because you’re good at hiking. People who only rely on their natural talents simply don’t have the supplies or tools they need to reach the peak of the mountain. However, those who increase their growth mindset do. They understand they don’t know it all, but want to learn as much as they can. This insatiable hunger for growth and development prepares them for success as a leader.

A person also can’t mentor employees on how to be leaders if they aren’t working through the 5 levels of leadership themselves. This is because they don’t fully understand what skills and qualities leaders need. This knowledge doesn’t just suddenly appear—people must seek it out and dedicated themselves to learning and implementing it. When those in a leadership position show they are actively growing their leadership abilities, it’s a sign they are positioning themselves to grow into Level 5 leaders. 

Those in leadership positions must identify which leadership level they’re currently at. This helps them figure out how to master their current stage, which allows them to begin practicing the skills necessary for the next level. Find out more on overcoming leadership level roadblocks, learn about the characteristics of the 5 levels of leadership, and get tips for moving closer to the pinnacle.  

1. Level One Leader: The Person Assigned to Lead

Level One is where people show leadership ability. Usually, a person receives a performance-based promotion that makes them a part of team leadership . Yet, without the development of their leadership skills, a person is only a leader by name. As Maxwell writes, “When people follow a leader because they have to, they will do only what they have to . . . They give reluctant compliance, not commitment. They may give their hands but certainly not their heads or hearts.” 

People who stay in Level One lean on their title to make people follow them. Because of this, they lack the influence needed to motivate, inspire, and direct their team. However, this does not mean Level One leaders cannot grow into great leaders. As they begin to foster strong, trusting relationships with employees, they will quickly find themselves growing into Level Two leaders.  

To transform into a Level Two leader:

• Focus on developing emotional intelligence . 
• Learn how to practice Situational Leadership® and adapt to individual employees’ needs.
• Have weekly one-on-one meetings with team members. 
• Regularly communicate employee recognition and appreciation. 
• Practice being a coach who gives constructive feedback . Additionally, ask for feedback about your leadership style, as well. 

2. Level Two Leader: The Leader with Employee Approval 

Unlike Level One leaders, Level Two leaders have employee buy-in. This is because they’ve worked to develop strong relationships with those they’re responsible for throughout their career. Maxwell explains, “When you like people and treat them like individuals who have value, you begin to develop influence with them. You develop trust.” Leaders who do this are accepted by their direct reports. They respect them, and as a result, give them free permission to guide them. 

Shifting from Level One to Level Two is an important milestone because it demonstrates a person has the drive and capacity to become a Level Five leader. Yet, it isn’t enough to remain a well-liked Level Two leader. Positive results and outcomes are also necessary, which is what makes a person increase to a Level Three leader. 

To move into the third level of the five levels of leadership:

• Focus on creating and communicating a clear vision and mission . 
• Discuss key performance indicators ( KPIs ) with employees so they feel included in developing their goals. 
• Set realistic deadlines and track progress on individual and collective objectives with project management apps . 
• Practice strong time management skills and focus on doing the work that only you can do. Delegate out all tasks, duties, and responsibilities other people are better suited to handle. 
• Establish planning days and strategy days. This gives leaders time to work through organizational problems and outline the direction the business and its employees will move in. 

3. Level Three Leader: The Results Generator

Maxwell writes, “There are two types of people in the business community: those who produce results and those who give you reasons why they didn’t.” Level Three leaders produce results. They’re heavily focused on mapping out and achieving positive outcomes using their accepted leadership title. To do this, they study and practice the characteristics of the transformational leadership, charismatic leadership , and democratic leadership styles. As a result, these leaders inspire, encourage, and motivate people to pursue and achieve challenging goals. In addition to this, Level Three leaders are excellent communicators. They share a clear vision with their employees, outline action plans, recognize greatness in others, and make team members feel valued and heard. Yet, at this stage, they aren’t focused on developing other leaders, which is what will take them to the next phase of leadership.

To begin developing Level Four leadership skills:

• Study servant leadership and start incorporating it into your leadership style. 
• Develop a free mentorship program where employees learn how to lead before being put into leadership roles. 
• Invest in the lives of team members. Outline plans for promotions, discuss employees’ dreams and goals, help them achieve these objectives, and act as a support system. 
• Make instigating career growth and development in others a personal goal. 
• Practice delegation . Assign “busy work” and managerial duties to upcoming leaders so you can spend more time being a coach, developing people, and multiplying leaders. 

4. Level 4 Leader: The Creator of Leaders

In 5 Levels of Leadership , Maxwell states: “Leaders are measured by the caliber of leaders they develop, not the caliber of their own leadership.” Yet, not all people are meant to be grown into leaders. This is why Level 4 leaders consider the qualities and values they’re looking for in employees before they start the hiring process . Before bringing someone on, they ask themselves: “Do I want to spend the time, energy, and money developing this person into a leader?” and “Does this candidate show a natural knack for leading others?” If the answer is “no,” they avoid making hires that negatively impact the business and existing team members.

After extending a job offer, they begin leadership training as soon as the person starts work. For example, this might look like meeting with employees once a week to discuss how to add different leadership skills to their arsenal, giving them a challenge that builds leadership qualities , or delegating out more responsibility to them as they get more comfortable with their role. Staying consistent with this type of work takes a lot of time and can often seem inconvenient to busy entrepreneurs and executives. Because of this, most people slip up and occupy themselves with other pressing company matters. In doing so, they never reach their full potential as a Level 5 leader.  

How to work toward becoming a Level 5 leader:

• Make the development of other leaders a daily action. To do this, use time management skills to plan out time blocks for mentoring team members.
• Understand the commitment you’re making. Answer the question, “ What does it mean to be a leader ?” Becoming a Level 5 leader is a long process that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes decades of building others up to develop a legacy as a great leader. 
• Develop a reason that fuels your pursuit of Level 5 leadership. For example, what drives you to multiply leaders? What effect does it have on your business, your life, your customers’ lives, and the world? Why does developing other leaders matter? 
• Keep track of the changes you see in employees. Conducting regular assessments shows the difference regular leadership development makes. This encourages leaders to push forward when it comes to investing in others.

5. Level 5 Leader: The Leader with a Lasting Legacy

Level 5 leaders are rare. In truth, a person needs to dedicate their lives to growing themselves, serving others, and guiding a new generation of leaders in order to reach what Maxwell calls the Pinnacle. He writes in the 5 Laws of Leadership , “What you do daily, over time, becomes your legacy.” Leaders must be intentional about reaching this peak which takes years to climb. While this is an arduous journey, every second is worth it. Once a person finally reaches the peak of leadership, they’re able to see what’s on the other side of the mountain. From this elevated position, a leader is able to see their legacy—the visible positive impact they’ve made on the world through their leadership. 

There are several signs a person has reached the Pinnacle. For instance, companies with this type of CEO and founder are highly productive, profitable, and rank at the top of their industries. In addition to this, the leader is well-known, admired, and respected inside and outside of their market. They also have a great reputation for being a guiding force, servant leader, and mentor to many. At this point in their careers, their mission is now spreading an infinite amount of positive influence and developing as many strong leaders as possible. This next generation will carry their mission forward, ensuring their legacy lives on long after they’re gone. 

How to Maintain the Status of a Level 5 Leader

• View reaching Level 5 leadership not as an achievement, but a lifestyle and way of living. 
• Keep your vision and focus facing forward. This means not getting comfortable with your past accomplishments—don’t stop striving to innovate, improve, and excel. 
• Expand your audience. Teaching others how to lead is not industry-specific. Begin speaking at events and conferences. Other options include starting a YouTube channel, releasing educational content on social media, writing a book, or being interviewed for various podcast series. 
• Guide your leaders on how to train and grow other leaders, too.  

After reading this article, leaders can determine which leadership level they’re currently at. From here, they can outline a step-by-step plan for becoming a Level 5 leader. However, it should be noted that achieving a certain stage does not mean it’s been conquered. As Maxwell explains, “At any level, a leader doesn’t automatically stay at that level. You must earn your level of leadership with each person, and that level can go up or down at any time.” This means a person is never “finished” with any of the leadership levels. Additionally, it might surprise seasoned leaders to see the different leadership qualities and leadership traits that need to be revisited. For more information on this, take John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership Assessment, which he provides in the book. 

Get a Copy of 5 Levels of Leadership

Interested in more leadership book recommendations? Check out the next article below for more options. 

Leadership Books: Our List of 15 Top Must-Reads

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Player with level 345

Each level contains one Hidden Object Scene that has to be played repeatedly to uncover clues . Five Levels, plus an Adventure Scene , make up one Chapter and each Volume contains a different amount of levels. In order to level up the player has to gain a certain amount of flowers.

Level Card of Level 1, Vol. 1

• 1 Level card
• 2.1 Volume 1
• 2.2 Volume 2

Level card [ ]

The level card shows a picture of the Hidden Object Scene in the middle with the level number in the center. Underneath the image there is the title of the level and then the clue(s) . While playing the Scene the player can gain up to five stars per level. When the fifth star is completed the level will be marked as mastered at the top of the level card. At the very bottom there is the Play button through which the player accesses the Scene .

List of Levels [ ]

The following list includes all levels plus the Adventure Scenes to make it a complete listing of story elements akin to the in-game display. The adventure scenes are recognizable by an '.5' added to the level number.

Volume 1 [ ]

Volume 2 [ ].

• 2 Orchid Archipelago

Here's how much money I made as a software engineer at Meta, Apple, and Oracle

• Sandeep Rao is a software engineer who has worked at Meta, Apple, and Oracle. 
• When he first started his career as a new graduate, his compensation was only $15,000.
• He explains how, thanks to high performance and negotiation skills, he now makes nearly $700,000. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sandeep Rao, a 32-year-old software engineer based in San Jose, California. Business Insider has verified his income with documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

My salary journey in Big Tech has seen my total compensation — which includes base salary, bonuses, and stocks — increase from $15,000 in 2012 to $685,000 in 2024.

I'm a staff software engineer and have worked at three different tech companies, moving from Oracle to Apple to Meta. Over my career, I've led the development of successful software apps and features from scratch that are used every day by millions of people across the world.

While I have made my career moves primarily based on which areas of software engineering I'd get to work on, compensation is also important to me, so I've been strategic and negotiated for higher salaries with each move.

Tech companies use tools like additional equity to retain high-performing employees. In my experience, if you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

I took a low-paying job to get my foot in the door

While I got my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering , I realized midway through college that software engineering was my passion and pivoted to pursue a career in software instead.

My first job was as a software developer at Oracle in India. While Oracle isn't generally low-paying in the tech industry, my salary of 850,000 rupees, or $15,000, was low compared to what new grads were making at that time in competing Big Tech companies like Microsoft or Amazon because it was a "take it or leave it" new grad offer.

The work was unappealing to me because it didn't align with my career interests — I didn't want to continue building expertise in that specific area of software engineering — but I took it to get my foot in the door of a Big Tech company and build credibility.

I knew I eventually wanted to end up where all the action is — Silicon Valley . I worked at Oracle from 2012 to 2014, and during this time, I applied to graduate schools in the US because I felt a formal computer science degree would help me compete with the talented people in the Valley.

I got accepted into a graduate program in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I left behind my family and friends in India and moved to the US with nothing but a suitcase and $65,000 in student debt.

Grad school was hard, but the doors it opened for me made the struggle worth it.

I was ecstatic to get a job at Apple

I finished grad school and got a job as a software engineer at Apple in Cupertino, California, where my base salary was $115,000.

I was ecstatic to work at one of the best companies in the world and felt my dreams were coming true. But I realized I wanted to work on more direct user-facing applications rather than on technology that ran under the hood.

Initially, I considered looking for new opportunities within Apple, but between high taxes, the high cost of living, and my student loans, I felt more compelled to switch companies, given that I'd likely receive a significant salary bump .

I had gotten a very small cost-of-living raise on my base salary at Apple, but it wasn't significant; not getting a bigger raise wasn't a big motivator in my decision to change companies, but it certainly made my choice easier.

My negotiation skills helped me get a 10% salary increase

At the end of 2017, I moved to Meta (then Facebook) in Menlo Park, California. I wanted to experience the culture of younger internet-based companies whose products are used by billions of people.

When I received my offer, I did my research to get a clear understanding of what my market value was and what salary I wanted to land on. I also learned what parts of my total compensation are negotiable, such as stocks and the sign-on bonus, and what is non-negotiable, like base salary and annual bonuses.

I was prepared to negotiate and walked away with an offer of $140,000, which was 10% more than their original offer.

In 2021, I landed a large-scale project at Meta that added a lot of value to the Messenger app and worked with several cross-functional teams across engineering, design, data science, and legal.

My accomplishments, such as this one, and high performance at work got me the promotions, visibility, and leverage to negotiate for higher pay and a successful salary journey.

Every year between 2018 to 2023, my base salary increased — as did my total compensation — through a combination of performance-based yearly stock refreshers, additional boosts from promotions, and stock market appreciation.

Related stories

Compensation in a tech career usually gets more and more equity-heavy than salary-heavy, so base salaries don't increase as quickly as equity, but my salary and total annual compensation steadily rose:

2012-2014: $15,000 total compensation

Grad School

2014-2016: $0 total compensation

Student loan debt: $65,000

2016: $130,000 total compensation

2017: $165,000 total compensation

2018: $230,000 total compensation

2019: $240,000 total compensation

2020: $350,000 total compensation (promotion)

2021: $510,000 total compensation

2022: $375,000 total compensation (promotion, but total compensation dropped due to stock price drop)

2023: $545,000 total compensation

In 2024, I'm projected to make $685,000 through a combination of base salary, bonuses, and stock.

Five strategies for increasing my compensation package

Over the years, I learned five salary strategies that helped me grow my salary and overall compensation:

1. Always do your homework about market rates for your role, level, and location — especially when you switch jobs.

Switching jobs is a good way to increase your income.

Even if money may not be the primary motivator for a job switch, I always make sure to be conscious and strategic about my compensation by doing salary research to avoid leaving any money on the table.

When I started doing salary research during my switch to Meta, I found out my market value was much higher than what I was making at Apple at that time. This helped me start my negotiations with Meta at the market rate rather than the salary I was making.

I used Levels.fyi , Blind , and Glassdoor to find salary information and clearly understand my market value. Keep yourself updated on these benchmarks even if you don't plan on a job change anytime soon, so you know you're on par with the market, and any salary difference is offset by other factors such as better work-life balance.

2. Never let your bad salary "baggage" carry over to your new job.

If your salary isn't up to market standards right now, don't let it affect your pay at the next job. Otherwise, it'll lead to a cycle where you'll be underpaid for the rest of your career.

Employers and recruiters could use your salary history to give you only a modest raise, while your actual market value could easily be double or triple your most recent salary.

In California, labor laws make it illegal for employers to ask you about your current salary and salary history. You're also allowed to ask potential employers for the pay range for the position you're applying for.

If your state has similar protections, just being aware of this law can help you make any corrections to your pay during negotiations. This helped me start offer negotiations from my market value instead of my current pay.

3. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith to make that 10x impact on your career.

That could involve switching from a non-tech job to a tech job or taking a short-term hit for long-term gain. For example, I picked Oracle for my first job despite the low pay and unappealing work so I could build credibility to get into a Tier 1 grad school.

I also took a loan of about $65,000 to pay for Carnegie Mellon, even though I could have chosen to go to a cheaper public university.

Deciding to work at Oracle and attend Carnegie Mellon cost me a few years and a lot of debt, but doing so opened doors unlike anything else, and I haven't looked back ever since.

4. Negotiate to keep your base salary from falling behind

It's inevitable for your salary to fall behind as you stay longer at a company, especially in tech due to restricted stock unit (RSU) "cliffs."

Most RSU packages offered to new employees in the tech industry have a two- to four-year vesting period. Unless the employer offers a significant pay bump along the way, total compensation usually takes a drop after this vesting period. Many companies also offer annual performance-based stock refreshers to lower this salary gap, but they're usually not as large as the initial grant. 

If you love working at your company and feel forced to move just to get a raise, you can ask your senior leadership to make a "correction." After all, it's much more expensive and time-consuming for employers to hire new people than to retain good employees.

Most Big Tech companies have employee retention programs like additional or discretionary equity. Additional equity programs are mainly used to retain high-performing employees, so they're usually highly selective.

This is how I was able to keep my compensation at or above market level despite spending six years at Meta. When I was reaching the end of my vesting period in my fourth year, I had a conversation with my senior leadership to see if there was any room for a pay correction so I could go back to focusing on my work 100% without worrying about salary.

Being prepared with my predicted compensation drop and market data greatly helped me build a cogent narrative going in. If you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

5. Don't assume people will reward your work or anticipate your needs — ask.

Always ask for what you want , whether it's a raise or that interesting project that just came in. The worst that will happen is you'll get a "no." If you don't ask, nobody will know, or even worse, people may assume that you're happy with what you have and move on. 

I used this strategy when I heard of a new company initiative and asked to be a founding engineer because I was looking to create more impact in my role. Despite the high risk and ambiguity involved, I successfully delivered on the projects, which eventually led to a promotion. None of this would've been possible if I hadn't asked. 

At the end of the day, you're your biggest advocate when it comes to your salary and career journey. There's no substitute for hard work, but being strategic about how you achieve your goals can go a long way. Sometimes, you have to take big risks and step out of your comfort zone to get that high-paying dream job.

If you want to share your career progression and salary journey, email Jane Zhang at [email protected] .

Watch: Nearly 50,000 tech workers have been laid off — but there's a hack to avoid layoffs

• Main content

AFK Journey: How to Get Soulstones (& How to Use Them)

You need Soulstones to collect more Dupes and Ascend your AFK Journey team faster; here’s how to get and use them.

Soulstones serve as powerful Ascension boosters in AFK Journey , facilitating the rapid leveling up of your Heroes. However, acquiring Soulstones can be challenging, and many players are unsure of how to effectively utilize them. This guide aims to clarify the process of obtaining and using both A-Level and S-Level Soulstones and offers tips on maximizing their utility.

AFK Journey: Honor Duel Guide

Soulstones explained.

Soulstones are summoner items for Soul Sigils . Each time you use 60 of them, you summon a Hero Dupe. The Dupes can be either A-Level or S-Level , depending on the type of Soulstone used. If you use A-Level stones, you’ll receive a Hero of A Rarity, while S-Level Soulstones will yield a Hero of S Rarity.

How to Get Soulstone

There are four ways to obtain Soulstones: Nobel Path prizes, Corrupt Creature event rewards, Growth Path missions, and Daily Quests .

Claim Nobel Path Rewards

The most common method of acquiring Soulstones is by increasing your Nobel Path level . Through completing quests, shopping for items, or logging in, you earn Milestone Points, which unlock Fun Travelogue or Secret Travelogue prizes. Every five ascensions on this path grant 20 A-Level Soulstones to regular players and 60 A-Level Soulstones to premium players.

The Secret Travelogue is AFK Journey’s season pass, which requires microtransactions to unlock.

Participate or Start Corrupt Creature Events

A lucrative source of Soulstones is Corrupt Creature. In this limited PvE event , up to three players face formidable opponents. By becoming a captain (event starter) or an assistant, you can earn up to 60 A-Level and S-Level Soulstones from Corrupt Creature matches. However, keep in mind that the number of these events is limited on your map. Be sure to monitor the Team-Up menu in the chats section to join other players’ games when your Corrupt Creature events conclude.

Complete Daily and Growth Path Objectives

Navigate to the Quests menu to find Daily and Growth Path objectives that require in-game actions, such as reaching a specific Resonance Level or completing story missions. By fulfilling these requests, you can collect up to 200 Soulstones , mostly A-Level. The benefit is that many of these requests are naturally fulfilled as you progress through the main story or AFK Stages.

How to Use Soulstones

Whenever you accumulate 60 Soulstones, visit the Inventory to utilize them . (You can access the Inventory from the main menu under the Event , Trolley, and Quest sections.) When you have enough Soulstones, a small circle will appear next to the Inventory icon. By tapping the stone, you can summon one random Soul Sigil (Hero Dupe) corresponding to the type of stone you’re using: A-Level or S-Level.

If you’re unable to farm Soulstones, consider purchasing Soul Sigils directly from the Emporium stores . The Guild Store and Arena Store sell S-Level Sigils, while the Recruitment Store and Dream Store offer A-Level equivalents.

AFK Journey

Under Development: WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria

Relive epic adventures with an all-new event arriving in the 10.2.7 content update— WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria. Experience the wonders of Pandaria anew, but with fresh new loot— and (almost) unlimited power.  

What is WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria?

World of Warcraft Remix is a time-limited event which allows players to re-experience the entirety of the Mists of Pandaria expansion at an accelerated rate from level 10 through 70. All loot has been completely overhauled and has powerful new effects allowing players to shape their experience, power up, and power on. Features include:

• Accelerated Leveling and Content allowing you to take on nearly every quest, scenario, dungeon and raid.
• Create a new WoW Remix character starting at level 10 to adventure through the event up to level 70.
• A mountain of loot: Get powerful items from everywhere— quests, chests, creatures, bosses.
• Customizable items allowing you to power up as far as you can go to take on tougher content.
• Convert unwanted items into Bronze which can be used to upgrade items or purchase cosmetics.
• Keep what you collect: Take your collection of transmogs with you into The War Within .

Available to Everyone

No expansion purchase is needed, but a  World of Warcraft  Subscription or Game Time is required to begin this fast-paced adventure through Pandaria. This means that Classic players can also participate in a plethora of pandamonium by simply installing the modern (live) World of Warcraft client.

WoW Trial Accounts will also be able to experience this WoW Remix without a subscription or Game Time through level 20. Purchase a subscription or Game Time to continue beyond level 20.

Accelerated Leveling and Content

With WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria there will be no slowing you down and you’ll be able to take on nearly every quest, scenario, dungeon, and raid right out of the gate with accelerated leveling from 10-70. View the chart below for the availability of each type of content.

Creating Your New Identity

Create a new modern World of Warcraft character to undertake your adventures in Pandaria, collect a variety of powerful new items and transmogs, then take your transmogs with you when you continue your adventures in World of Warcraft®:The War Within ™ . All Remix characters created during the event will convert to a standard character to play within modern World of Warcraft at the end of the event.

From the realm Character Selection screen, players will be given the option to create a new WoW Remix character, beginning at level 10, which will only be able to play with characters taking part in the event.

Characters in the selection screen which are only available to play in the World of Warcraft Remix event will have an icon next to the character name so they can easily be identified when choosing which mode of World of Warcraft you intend to play through.

Once you’ve created your character, you’ll begin your new journey in the Timeless Isle and meet up with the infinite dragonflight and Eternus who will set you on your path.

New Loot, New You

In WoW Remix, players have the opportunity to collect a variety of items from just about anywhere: quests, chests, creatures, bosses, and more. New customizable items will be yours for the taking and each item slot has their own unique identity with spell gem sockets. These sockets come with exciting turbo-charged new effects similar to trinkets.

Each time you loot new items, you’ll have the chance for powerful new upgrades allowing you to push the limits further and faster than ever before with uncapped progression. As you progress, you’ll gradually become more and more powerful as items also grant increased permanent stats.

Here are just some examples of the types of gems you might find:

Equip: Summon a storm. Call down 5 bolts of lightning every 1 second. Each bolt inflicts 25,885 Nature damage to an enemy within 30 yards. During the storm, 3 flowers grow around the caster. After 5 seconds, the flowers bloom, restoring 388,471 health and granting 1,720 Haste to allies for 10 seconds. "Fits in a Meta socket."

Thundering Orb

Transform into a Thundering Orb inflicting Nature damage to enemies within 30 yards over 4 seconds. While you are a Thundering Orb, damage taken is reduced by 50%, movement speed is reduced by 70%, and you are immune to loss of control effects. "Fits in a Meta socket."

Oblivion Sphere

Coalesce an orb of pure void that increases Critical Strike damage taken by enemies within 15 yards by 50% for 10 seconds. After 4 seconds, the orb explodes, inflicting Shadow damage. "Fits in a Meta socket."

Tinker Gems

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Hailstorm (1) Hailstorm

Equip: Every 3 seconds build a charge of Hailstorm. Upon reaching 10 stacks, unleash hail on enemies within 50 yards. Each impact influicts Frost damage and applies Numbing Cold.

Numbing Cold Reduces movement speed by 30% and reduces damage dealt by 10%. Attacking removes a stack of Numbing Cold. "Fits in a Tinker socket."

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Cold Front (1) Cold Front

Equip: Your abilities have a chance to grant all allies a shield absorbing damage and applying Numbing Cold to all enemies within 50 yards.

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Wildfire (1)

Equip: Your abilities have a chance to inflict additional Fire damage and spread Wildfire to a nearby enemy inflicting Fire damage every 1 second for 10 seconds.

Wildfire stacks and spreads to nearby enemies, stacking up to 10 times. "Fits in a Tinker socket."

Tinkmaster's Shield

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Tinkmaster's Shield (1) Tinkmaster's Shield

Equip: Grants a shield absorbing damage equal to 20% of your total health. This shield will regenerate after not suffering any damage for 10 seconds. "Fits in a Tinker socket."

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Fervor (1) Fervor

Equip: While you are above 80% health, your attacks consume 2% of your maximum health to inflict Holy damage equal to the amount consumed. "Fits in a Tinker socket."

Sunstrider's Flourish

Binds when picked up Unique-Equipped: Sunstrider's Flourish (1) Sunstrider's Flourish

Equip: Your critical strikes erupt in a fiery explosion inflicting Fire damage to enemies within 15 yards of your target. "Fits in a Tinker socket."

Cogwheel Gems

Teleports you forward 10 yards or until reaching an obstacle and frees you from all stuns and bonds. "Fits in a Cogwheel socket."

Increases your movement speed by 70% for 8 seconds. "Fits in a Cogwheel socket."

Roll a short distance. "Fits in a Cogwheel socket."

Cloak of Infinite Potential

You’ll also be able to earn an Artifact cloak that gains permanent power increases as you play. Power you earn on your strongest character is shared with alternate characters created for the event to make leveling even faster.

Item Level 346 Soulbound Unique Back 147 Armor Equip: Grants the following aura. Timerunner's Advantage The threads of time you find will be woven into this cloak, permanently increasing its power.

Timerunner's Advantage

Your cloak grants you the following stats: +324 Strength +1620 Stamina +324 Critical Strike +324 Leech +324 Mastery +324 Versatility +324% Experience Gain

Earn titles, a variety of transmogs, previously unreleased color variants of older mounts, and more simply by completing WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria specific achievements during the Remix event. These achievements will become Feats of Strength when the event ends.

Welcome to a New Bronze Age

There’s no such thing as a bad drop and any drop you get can be converted into a new currency— Bronze. You’ll be able to use this currency to purchase upgrades and World of Warcraft account-bound cosmetics.

Head to a bazaar in any zone to purchase everything from class transmogs, to Mists of Pandaria mounts, toys, and more. This allows players to purchase items that were previously unable to obtain or difficult to obtain as random drops by simply spending this new currency to add them to their account’s collection.

Players won’t be able to use the Auction House in World of Warcraft Remix: Mists of Pandaria.

Continue the story in Dragonflight as the Dark Heart content update (10.2.7) ushers in the final chapter of the expansion and sets the stage for The War Within .

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PricingService.ai Democratizes Dynamic Pricing in the Hospitality Industry

You are here.

His academic and professional journey is rooted in the study and application of pricing optimization, a field he has contributed to since his doctoral studies. Starting with revenue management for airlines and the hotel industry, he expanded his expertise into consulting for various sectors, including e-commerce and ridesharing, showing the versatility and applicability of pricing optimization across industries.

A pivotal moment in his career came with his work for DiDi, a leading ride-hailing company in China, which illuminated the broader potential applications of pricing optimization. He observed that while industries like airlines had been pioneers in pricing optimization since the 1970s, sectors such as the hotel industry lagged behind, adhering to outdated practices despite the critical role of pricing optimization in their operations.

How Pricingservice.ai Levels the Playing Field with AI-Driven Pricing Optimization

Identifying a significant gap in the market, Dan saw an opportunity to bring advanced, AI-driven pricing optimization to independent hotels, which represent about two-thirds of the market yet lack the sophisticated pricing strategies of their franchised counterparts. Many of these hotels, he noted, rely on rudimentary pricing due to the prohibitive costs of acquiring and maintaining advanced pricing systems.

To address this challenge, he envisioned a subscription-based service offering cutting-edge, AI-powered pricing optimization delivered via the cloud. This innovative approach led to the creation of pricingservice.ai, which democratizes access to advanced pricing strategies, making them accessible and affordable even for smaller, independent hotels. By leveraging cloud technology, the service eliminates the need for hotels to hire dedicated personnel or manage complex software systems, significantly reducing costs and leveling the playing field in the hospitality industry.

In 2021, Dan co-founded Pricingservice.ai and secured its first customer in December of the same year, with the company officially forming in 2023. The co-founder's background as an Associate Dean of Research and Academics at Leeds, specializing in advanced data analysis and holding a keen interest in addressing substantive business problems through research, played an important role in the venture's creation. The motivation to create a real-world impact led to collaboration with two other co-founders: Professor David Li at the City University of Hong Kong and Matt Schwartz, the Chief Technology Officer at SageHospitality. Their collective expertise and the recognition of an opportunity in the hotel industry were instrumental in launching this innovative pricing service.

Historically, setting the right prices for hotel rooms was a grueling task, burdened by the need to consider countless variables ranging from event schedules to weather patterns. The use of AI in this domain has revolutionized the process, enabling automated systems to make pricing decisions with minimal human intervention. PricingService.ai's system exemplifies this shift by integrating with leading property management systems, such as those provided by Oracle, to offer dynamic pricing updates. This integration allows the system to adjust hotel room prices every few hours based on a comprehensive analysis of data, including historic booking patterns, upcoming events, competitor pricing, and even weather forecasts. This level of responsiveness was previously unimaginable, as manual adjustments in response to rapid market changes, like a surge in demand due to a Taylor Swift concert, would be too slow and impractical.

The system was developed from scratch, and incorporates custom algorithms designed to optimize hotel pricing effectively. This AI-driven tool not only enhances the efficiency of pricing strategies but also ensures that hotels can respond to market dynamics swiftly, maximizing revenue and staying competitive in a fast-paced industry. PricingService.ai is not just about leveraging AI for better pricing decisions; it's also a symbol of redefining the future of hotel revenue management by making it more adaptive, intelligent, and efficient. Through their innovative use of AI, the founders envision a new paradigm for the hotel industry, where data-driven insights lead to smarter business decisions and ultimately, greater success in a highly competitive marketplace.

A hot topic in today’s daily conversations, Dan stresses the importance of Artificial Intelligence in our day-to-day lives, and viewing it as a tool rather than the enemy, or something that may “replace” jobs in the future: 

“We use what we have for the people, not against the people. The idea is to get that idea back, man working seamlessly with machines.” 

Transforming Research into a Revenue Boost

Starting a business can happen by chance, not just by planning. Dan’s story is one of a researcher who didn't set out to be a business owner, but ended up becoming one because of his desire to make his research useful to others. His work led to creating a tool that helps small hotels set their prices using advanced technology, a task usually too expensive for them to manage on their own.

The idea came to life after noticing a lot of interest from tech companies in his research. These companies saw value in his work and even offered him jobs, but he chose to focus on helping smaller hotels instead. He wanted to use his skills to make a real difference, allowing these smaller players to compete by offering them a low-cost, high-tech solution for setting their room prices.

Dan notes that one of the best parts of this adventure has been seeing how much his tool has helped. For example, a small hotel in Yorktown, Virginia, managed to increase its revenue by 25% thanks to the tool. This hotel used to charge $199 for rooms in July, but now they can charge up to $450, all because the tool helps them set the best prices without needing to hire extra staff.

His story shows that starting a business isn't just about wanting to be an entrepreneur. It's also about wanting to do something meaningful with what you know and can do. Helping others succeed and making a positive impact can be the most rewarding parts of being in business.

The business was recognized with a EX20 People’s Choice Award at HITEC Toronto in June 2023, the largest hospitality technology conference in the world. More recently, PricingService.ai participated in both NVC Deep Tech Competition and NVC General Competition at CU Boulder and is the only team that is a finalist in both competitions. The final showcase for NVC General Competition will be on April 17 at the Boulder Theater.  

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Cozy classic Journey is just $2.24 right now on Steam

The deal is lasting through April 17

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Celebrated indie studio thatgamecompany’s most recent title, Sky: Children of the Light , has debuted in early access on Steam. To mark the occasion of its chill, free-to-play MMO coming to PC, it’s knocking 85% off the cost of its masterpiece, Journey . It’s normally $14.99, but this Steam Deck verified game costs just $2.24 through April 17.

• $2 at Steam

Despite launching first on the PS3 back in 2012, Journey is absolutely worth playing if you haven’t tried it out, or just want to experience it again. Like all of the games that have come out of thatgamecompany, it’s absolutely stunning to look at, and its story and music pack an emotional punch.

Its multiplayer component is understated, yet surprisingly impactful, allowing players to support each other without voice chat (much like in its successor Sky: Children of the Light ) as they attempt to overcome environmental obstacles and scale a mountain. Words simply don’t do the experience justice, and at $2.25, I highly recommend trying it out. If you like the vibes, then check out Sky: Children of the Light .

The next level of puzzles.

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