In another thread [url="http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15462"] "Struggling With the Transition" (read it if you want all the gory details) my slave posted, with My permission, some difficulties that We have recently experienced, and mostly blamed herself for not being able to submit to Me. I've had an epiphany though, and I thank you all for your advice, opinions, and insight--you have been quite helpful, and things are only going to get better from here on out.

I recently attended an occupational leadership training meeting in which we watched a video presentation by renowned author and motivational speaker Stephen Covey about his book "The Five Levels of Leadership". And I realized that this could, and should apply, to the BDSM lifestyle. The book could easily be entitled "The Five Levels of BDSM Leadership" or "How to be a Dom". I don't know if Mr. Covey would appreciate this or not, but I want a portion of the royalties if this concept takes off!

According to Mr. Covey, the five levels of (BDSM) leadership are:

Level 1
People (slaves/subs) follow you because they have to. Your influence will not extend beyond your job description. The longer you stay here, the higher the turnover, the lower the morale.

Level 2
People (slaves/subs) follow you because they want to. People will follow you beyond your stated authority. This allows work to be fun.

Level 3
People (slaves/subs) follow you because of what you have done for the organization (BDSM relationship). Problems are fixed with little effort because of momentum.

Level 4
People (slaves/subs) follow you because of what you have done for them. Long range growth occurs. You're developing leaders. Do what you can to achieve and stay on this level.

Level 5
People (slaves/subs) follow you because of who you are and what you represent. This is reserved for leaders who've spent years growing people (slaves/subs) ...Few make it; those who do are larger than life.

At work, with some of my subordinates I am a level three, with others a level 4, and with a select few I am a level 5 leader. The problem is that as a vanilla I was a level 5 husband. As a newly promoted (to put it into occupational terms) Top, I started out all over at level one. Before I could move on to level 2, I was promoted to Dom (also at level one). And just as I have always been promoted quickly in my professional life, I was quickly promoted to a level one Master.

Herein lays the problem: I assumed that because I had been a level five vanilla husband, I surely must automatically be a level five Top, Dom and Master, Right? Guess what I figured out--It don't work that way! When you are promoted, you start out all over at level one--or maybe level two?! So what I have learned with this interesting connection between professional leadership and the BDSM lifestyle is that I NOW HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO!!!!! But I think that this personal epiphany should probably rate me as a level two Master.

To really emphasize my point: Stephen Covey could have called his book "The Five Levels of Parenting". Dammit, I am really interested in the royalties from this one!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would it be plagiarism if I just added and changed a few words? There's no such thing as plagiarism police, right???!!! If there is such a thing as plagiarism police, surely they don't read this forum, right???