Jim Collins Level 5 Leadership:

¶ … Jim Collins

Level 5 Leadership: Which is harder to cultivate within yourself: humility or will?

Personal humility and professional will are both excellent characters in a leader. In fact Jim Collins (2001) in his book Good to Great reported that these qualities are paramount in becoming a level 5 leader. Many would argue that these are characteristics that one is born with or that some life event or environmental exposure has instilled these qualities in them (Collins, 2001). Yet there are many leaders who do not have all of the qualities of a level 5 leader yet are on the journey towards attainment. When looking at the two characteristics it would seem that professional will is an attribute that is more often seen in leaders whereas humility appears to be a bit harder to cultivate.

One may anticipate that professional will, an unwavering ability to do whatever it takes to ensure the success of the company, is a characteristic that many leaders exhibit (Collins, 2001). In many cases it is what brings them into management and leadership positions to begin with. They are driven and goal oriented; many of them have worked quite hard to get to the positions that they hold within their companies. Oftentimes what has gotten this person to a leadership position has been their ability to make decisions and to get others to follow these decisions. Many leaders can be categorized as fearless and willing to make difficult decisions that they believe will lead to the success of their company.

However, truly having humility is a very different concept. Humility has been defined as the act of being humble, lacking pretense, and lack of self-assertion (Merriam Webster). Lack of self-assertion comes into play when a leader is able to put aside their needs and ego in order to achieve success on behalf of the company (Collins, 2001). These leaders do not come in with a personal agenda, the company's success is their only driving force and they will do whatever it takes to achieve greatness on behalf of the company.

When we look at many of our leaders, the characteristics that drew them to leadership positions are their charismatic nature and, at times, their ego. In addition being recognized for their skill and accomplishments has led to advancement in rank and responsibility. Persons who emerge into management positions are often personable, persuasive, outgoing, and comfortable as the center of attention. Collins (2001) explains that in level 5 leadership the ambition that often drives a leader is still an important aspect but that it should be directed toward the success of the company rather than personal gains. In order to be an effective level 5 leader one must be able to put the ego a side and the company first, displaying a humbleness that is often not present in leaders.

Yet humility is a more difficult attribute to cultivate in ourselves and others. To truly put the company above oneself is outside of what is commonly observable in human nature. Many people engage in the work they do for the rewards they reap from it whether it is fame, fortune, or power (Collins, 2001). Leaders who are used to directly impacting the success of the company through their decision making and power often find it difficult to let go of the recognition that they receive for it (Collins, 2001). This struggle to do so can result in negative outcomes for a company particularly after the leader is gone. Even for leaders who start out with the intention of trying to be humble, the overwhelming force of not taking credit for successes and wanting to be in the limelight may be hard to resist.

For leaders who do not possess humility, it may be no small task for them to adopt this mindset. To be humble one must be able to truly reflect on who they are as a person and a leader and be able to accept those qualities even if they bring to light imperfections (Collins, 2001). Accepting these limitations in oneself will allow them to utilize the strengths of their employees to fill those gaps. In order to be effective a level 5 leader must be able to recognize that they alone cannot solve all of the problems of the company or be responsible for all of the leadership that occurs in that environment. Having humility allows one to share leadership responsibilities with persons of all levels of the company as well as instilling systems and purposeful action that can easily be carried onto into future generations of leadership. An environment where responsibility is shared at all levels of the company creates systems and frameworks that exist separate from the leaders themselves. Shared productive leadership can ensure the long-term success of a company. According to Collins (2001), a level 5 leader will be concerned that the company will be able to continue just as successfully after they leave. They will be less concerned with being credited for the company's present success and more concerned with preparing successors to continue the company's work.

Who First?

Level 5 leaders as explained by Collins (2001) made a priority of hiring highly qualified driven individuals who could come together and make the company a success. Yet he found that there was no significant correlation between compensation with retention (Collins, 2001). Employees who were found to be solid, driven leaders were those who worked for the company due to the satisfaction of being a part of a strong team as well as having the desire to do everything they could to see the company succeed (Collins, 2001). Therefore the role that compensation plays in selecting the right employees to be a part of the team may simply be that of acquisition. According to Collins (2001), in order to get the right people on the bus you may have to provide them with good benefits packages yet once they are committed to the company, their teammates, and the hedgehog concept, compensation becomes less important. The right people will do whatever it takes to get the job done with little regard for the compensation that comes along with it.

According to Collins (2001), employees must remain on the team out of loyalty to the other teammates and a genuine desire to be a part of a something that is larger than them. These employees are excited to be a part of a company where they can collectively create something great. The right employees will be motivated by the possibility to work with others who are equally as driven as they are and will thrive in an environment where there is the ongoing challenge of creating greatness. They will blossom in settings where they can engage in constructive abrasion with one another in order to cultivate organizational change (Collins, 2001).

The key elements to getting and keeping the right people on the team involve identifying what characteristics and skills are required for each seat. If there are people already employed by the company they must also be evaluated for their ability to productively contribute to the success of the company and whether or not they have the right skill set for the job that they are in. If they are better suited for another role then they will need to be transferred to a seat where they can excel. The right people must share the same core values as the company therefore being able to easily fit into the culture of the company. A level 5 leader must identify employees who are not just skilled but who have the right skills for the job they are in. This requires being able to identify in which roles the right people will perform best (Collins, 2001). Once the right people are identified, their ability to share in the direction and goals of the company keep them invested in the outcome therefore leading to retention and motivation.

Culture of Discipline

There is a significant difference between employees who see their job as just a job and those for which the job is a responsibility that they take very seriously. A person who views their employment as just a job often lacks the dedication to find creative, more effective ways to accomplish their tasks. They are often content with coming to work and completing the same task in the same manner day after day never questioning whether there may be a more efficient way to come to the same end result. This person may work well within systems but will not exercise the creative flexibility that they possess in order to achieve greatness. They may not respond well to being held responsible for the outcomes of their department or staff as they may want to blame external factors outside of themselves for shortcomings.

These employees will work 8 to 5 always taking their entire 60 minute lunch break during which little work will ever get done. They may become frustrated by being expected to work over their 40-hour work week and not understand why the work cannot wait until they return the following day. They may be quite good at meeting deadlines and have solid attention to detail yet they will not put their strengths to good use in order to truly invest in themselves or the company. These employees will understand the company's purpose and hedgehog concept but may not truly grasp how to apply it to the work that they do each day (i.e. How does making this copy contribute to the overall purpose of the company?). They may not be able to see how the job that they do ties into the big picture of what the company is striving to achieve.

Persons who treat the job as if it is just a job will often be undisciplined in their personal lives. They will not have a solid purpose or direction and may respond to life's stressors in a frantic and haphazard manner. They may also be rigid and inflexible when confronted with change and prefer consistency to spontaneity. These individuals may be unclear as to who they are and as a result may change paths several times with hobbies, interests, and employment. They may often appear as if they are in search of a missing link.

In their daily job the person who takes responsibility for their job is able to respond reasonably to whatever situation may occur whether crisis or opportunity. They will stay in line with their own personal values as well as the company's values and will be true to the hedgehog concept. These individuals will not need to be micromanaged because they will have the self-discipline to achieve results. Collins (2001) reports having self-disciplined people on the bus gives the company the freedom to manage the system rather than creating systems to manage the people. These individuals are passionate about their work, the purpose of the company, and those that they work with (Collins, 2001). This true attunement with the purpose and plans of the company allows this individual to be responsive and creative when implementing strategies for success.

These individuals will enjoy the constructive abrasion that happens in highly functioning teams and will challenge teammates to think in innovative ways. They will understand the benefits of group process but will not fall into dysfunctional patterns such as groupthink. They will also be a strong representation of the agency and their team. Even if they do not agree with the direction that the group has chosen to go or a decision that has been handed down by the company, they will actively embrace it and promote it to others.

In their daily lives the person who understands their responsibilities will live each day in accordance with their values and personal purpose rather than making knee jerk reactions to situations as they arise. These people are clear on who they are and what their goals in life are. They will behave in a manner that is consistent with these values and will expect others to do the same. In all settings they are willing to help others achieve their goals and stay true to themselves (Collins, 2001). They will emerge and be thought of as strong role models.

When looking to recruit those who understand the responsibility of their job, a leader should be looking for persons who exhibit self-determination, a passion for the work that is to be done, and a strong desire to be a part of the success of the company. Collins (2001) describes these individuals as needing to have the discipline to work within the existing systems yet the flexibility and responsibility to take action within those frameworks in an innovative manner. These individuals will respect and understand the structure that is in place and at the same time will exercise their ability to use creativity coupled with disciplined thought to take responsibility for how they implement the organizational systems (Collins, 2001).

Technology Accelerators

There is much hype regarding new technologies as they emerge onto the market which creates a fear of being left behind or missing out on something (Collins, 2001). Companies that fall into the hype of new technology will often purchase new technology for the sake of having better technology without looking at the role that it will play in the overall organization and where it fits into their purpose.