Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…What makes the Level 5 leader the greatest of them all?
What is the secret sauce that enables some leaders of organisations, at pivotal moments, able to make the leap toward sustained greatness? It’s called Level 5 Leadership.
An organisation’s success is directly related to its leadership. It is their values, culture, and tolerance for change that determines the organisation’s nature. They shape an organisation’s strategy and drive the execution.
Boards of Directors typically believe that transforming a company from good to great requires an extreme personality, and an egocentric ‘chief’ to lead the corporate charge. This assumption can be damaging and can lead to many organisations overlooking or disregarding the qualities they really should be looking for in their future leader. That is if they truly want to go from good to great!
Good to Great
Jim Collins in his highly-acclaimed book, ‘Good to Great’ examines Level 5 Leadership. His book explores what it takes for ordinary companies to become great and outperform their competitors. It analyses 28 companies over 30 years, who either made the transition…or fell prey to their bad habits.
His research study found that those executives at companies that went from good to great and most importantly sustained that performance for 15 years or more, were all cut from the same cloth – one that is remarkably different from that which produced executives at the comparison companies in the study.
It didn’t matter whether the company was stable or in crisis, what sector the organisation was operating in, when the transition took place or how substantial the company was. Successful organisations all had a Level 5 leader at the helm at the transition point.
The Level 5 Hierarchy
Level 5 Leadership refers to a five-level hierarchy of executive capabilities with Level 5 being right up there at the top in terms of best practise. Individuals do not need to proceed sequentially through each level of the hierarchy to reach the top. But to be a fully-fledged Level 5 requires the capabilities of all the lower levels, plus the unique characteristics of Level 5.
The book goes on to argue that Level 5 Leaders are essential to achieving sustained success, as they create a culture of discipline and accountability and inspire others to become their best selves. Leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege, and true greatness comes from putting the needs of others before your own personal ambition.
It is a powerful lesson that I myself will try to keep in mind in my own work and one that I believe can help anyone become a better leader.
The Level 5 Leader possesses the following qualities and characteristics:
Vision. They have a vision of what they want to excel at and a laser focus on delivering against it
Consistency. They stick to the strategic roadmap no matter what.
Data. They focus on the numbers because they don’t lie.
Process. They follow a structured process consistently.
Succession. They prepare future leaders for even greater success.
Results. They are driven to deliver sustained results.
Self-Awareness. They can put others’ needs above their own.
Ambitious. Putting the organisation first, not the individual.
Modest. They are modest, self-effacing and understated.
Work Horse. They possess workmanlike diligence.
Most of all, Level 5 leaders are inherently humble. They “look out the window to apportion credit”. At the same time, they look in the mirror to assign responsibility, never citing bad luck or external factors when things go wrong.
Conversely, the comparison executives frequently looked out the window for factors to blame but preened in the mirror to credit themselves when things turned out well.”
I admire the idea that true leadership is not about charisma or ego, but rather a quiet and persistent determination to do what is best for the business and its people.
Something all leaders should aspire to do.
By Patrick Maloney, MD, Lead Talent Management Consultancy