Level-Six Leader Are You a

¶ … Level-Six Leader Are you a level six leader Based on the work of Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohberg, and Robert Kegan there are six levels of leadership. These levels are Sociopath, Opportunist, Chameleon, Achiever, Builder, and Transcendent. The goal of this paper is to explore each of these levels as they may relate to business and management, and answer the question "Are You a Level-Six Leader?" Level One Sociopath In a business situation dealing with a sociopath can be very difficult.

It is said to take whatever a sociopath says with a grain of salt due to the fact they can be chronic liars. If the sociopath is in management it could prove to be disastrous for any co-workers as well as the whole company. Merriam Webster defines a sociopath as someone who behaves in a dangerous or violent way towards other people and does not feel guilty about such behavior.(Webster). When one thinks of a sociopath generally a serial killer comes to mind.

However, a sociopath possesses many traits which can range from charismatic and charming to anti-social and deadly, the end result always is destructive. (Wallace) There have been many well-known sociopaths in recent history. Saddam Hussein who was notably the most notorious ruler of Iraq was a sociopath. Having no regard for the harm and devastation his regime caused his only goal was to fulfill his need to acquire more wealth and power no matter the cost, eventually causing destruction to his country and bringing death to himself.

Adolph Hitler also was a noted sociopath, as well as Stalin who was said to have ruled Russia with an "iron fist." Essentially even though a sociopath may appear to be self serving the reality is that a true sociopath serves no one, and in the end is destructive to everything and everyone they come in contact with including themselves.

(Maidique) Level Two Opportunist "Opportunist is defined by Webster as one who makes the most of an advantage, often undermining others.(Webster) What's in it for me?" is the primary thought and action process of an opportunist. One should beware in a business or management setting when dealing with an opportunist. This level of leader is known to take unfair advantages of any giving situation or circumstance. The main driving force is to accumulate more wealth and power by whatever means.

Mitch Maidique of the Harvard Law School states Bernie Madoff and Jeffery Skilling are among the best known opportunists. Each of these men took advantage of their power and position to steal millions from coworkers and constituents with no regard to the damage done in their wake. (Maidique) Level Three Chameleon A chameleon leader changes their opinion or views on any given situation much the same as their animal counterpart changes its color with the surrounding environment. It can be very difficult to work with such a leader.

While with co-workers this type of leader will express the same views as the workers, however when higher management comes around their view will change to mimic them. It can be very distressing for all. There are very few noted chameleons in management due to this. Most noted would be politicians such as Senator John Kerry (D-MA) who became known as the flip-flopper, due to his ever changing views. (Maidigue) Level Four Achiever A level four- achiever is typically a senior executive.

This type of leader rarely fails to accomplish whatever goals are set forth. They generally are the top sellers, and producers in any company often far exceeding expectations. Maidique states "The Achiever, to use Peter Drucker's felicitous phrase, is often a "monomaniac with a mission" and is focused, energetic, results-oriented, and highly prized by top management." (Maidique) a level four leader would be ideal in a management position because they motivate their employees enabling them to achieve more than what one would expect in oneself.

Their charm and energy makes others desire to be associated with them. The downside of being a level four leader would be the inability to see the "broader picture" and only concentrating on the task at hand. (Paraphrased from article Are you a Level six leader by Maidique) Level Five Builder, To quote Maidigue "The level-five leader, the Builder, strives not to reach a goal but to build an institution. Builders are legendary leaders such as IBM's Tom Watson Jr., GM's Alfred P. Sloan, and Harpo's Oprah Winfrey.

These people serve their institutions by managing for the long-term and not allowing themselves to be seduced by the twin mirages of short-term profit or stock market valuations. They have a grand vision for the future of their organizations, and they infect others with their energy, enthusiasm, and integrity. These are the leaders we write books about, study, try to understand, and lionize."(Maidique) Level Six Transcendent The Level Six Leader is something everyone should strive to be, but in reality it is the rarest leader of all.

The main characteristic of a Transcendent is never thinking of one's self but always putting the good of others first and foremost. The Dalai Lama, perhaps the most noted Transcendent ever, has been quoted as saying "the first thing he does in the morning after his morning prayers is to ask himself " How can I help to make the world better today?." Despite the prejudices, hatred, political injustices, and rampant racism South African President Nelson Mandela built a South Africa for all South Africans.

Much like another famous Transcendent Martin Luther King Jr. he felt a man's character should not be judged by the color of his skin. In an article posted by the administration department of the Metropolitan Business Alliance " the Transcendent, Level Six Leaders transcend their political party, their ethnic or racial group, and even their institutions." The article went on to state their main focus in life is on how to better benefit society.

(Metropolitan Business Alliance) Statement of the Problem Are you a Level-six Leader? The general consensus of the psychologists researched agree to discover what level a leader may be could be determined by the answer one gives to the question "whom do you serve.

Modesto Maidigue (FIU president 1986-2009) states in an article published at Florida International University the answer to this question "often reveals more about leaders than knowing their personality traits, level of achievement, or whether they were "transformational" or "transactional" leaders."(Maidigue, 2011) Hypothesis There are six levels of leaders. These levels are Sociopath, Opportunists, Achiever, Builder, and Transcendent. Level six leaders require one to never think of themselves and to always put others needs first and foremost. Few can actually attain that feat.

For this reason level six leaders are the rarest leaders of all. Review of the Literature Jean Piaget's primary focus was on child development. D.Greenberg stated in an article for Sage Journals Assessment "Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence first developed by Jean Piaget. It is primarily known as a developmental stage theory, but in fact, it deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come gradually to acquire it, construct it, and use it.

Moreover, Piaget claims the idea that cognitive development is at the centre of human organism and language is contingent on cognitive development. (Greenberg) Piaget believed that there were two stages to moral development. Kohlberg expanded and modified Piaget's work to form a theory that explained moral reasoning. Instead of just two stages Kohlberg proposed there were six stages with three different levels Robert Kegan described a theory of how people become progressively more socially mature across their lifespan. Kegan's theory though completely original is much like Paiget's theory.

The core idea's of Kegan's theory of social maturity were Piaget's ideas that were reworked broadened, and applied to the social realm. (Dombeck) Based on the works of these men came the theory that there are six levels of leadership. The six levels of leaders are sociopath, opportunists, achiever, builder, and transcendent.(Maidigue).

The metaphor of transcendent leadership, deeply aligned with the central criteria of shared governance, offers us a language to help us transcend current governance crises' the United States, and our home planet." (Greenberg) Method Paiget's method of research was critical exploration. Both in his work based on observations of infants and particularly in the clinical interviews with children and adolescents Piaget's research can be seen as a striking demonstration of the power of the systematic use of qualitative methods.

Piaget's work in fact offers a paradigmatic example of an interpretive methodology in developmental psychology, not only for the intimate relations between interview and theory evident in all his research, but also for the argument through which the research is presented to the reader.

As well as reviewing the clinical interview itself, this article also considers the different logics of research evident in this method and in that used by Piaget's critics.(Duveen) Kohlberg's methodology facilitates the measurement of the structural component of a person's judgment behavior in three interrelated ways. Firstly, in Piagetian manner, the subject is confronted with a moral dilemma, that is, a short story in which two or more moral principles oppose each other. He or she is asked to make a choice.

Secondly, the interviewer uses intensive probing, that is, why-questions, and questions which stimulate the respondent to consider varying situational contexts.

Thirdly, stage scoring of interview is based on well conceived and meaningful measurement units.Through the confrontation with moral dilemmas, the subject is stimulated to consider moral norms rather than merely technical knowledge of solving a problem (most people suggest a technical solution first, which seems an appropriate strategy in most every-day decision making).(Kolhberg) Summery/Conclusion There are six levels of leaders, according to the combined works of Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohberg, and Robert Kegan. Research shows the majority of leaders are level four leaders or level five leaders.

Level four leader 'Achiever' is categorized as exceeding whatever goals are set forth, always reaching for the next level up, never.