Steve Jobs and Jim Collins' Level 5 Leadership Framework

What Is Level 5 Leadership?

According to Jim Collins, Level 5 leadership is a transformational, selfless style of leadership that few CEOs possess. It is not synonymous with charisma — although some Level 5 leaders are charismatic, some are not. Level 5 leaders "build enduring greatness" rather than merely demonstrating competency and drive, and they blend willfulness and fearlessness in their approach to leading people (Collins 2005:4). They can be unbending in their objectives, but those objectives always place the interests of the company first, not the flattery of their own egos.

Level 5 leaders are humble enough to acknowledge the contributions of others to their success. This ability to focus on what needs to be done — rather than on satisfying personal wants — ensures success in their endeavors. Their lack of egoism also means they are unafraid of taking unpopular actions when they believe such actions are necessary for the greater good of the organization. Finally, Level 5 leaders ensure that their successors are equally competent to carry on the best practices they established, rather than setting successors up for failure or jealously guarding their past achievements (Collins 2005:7).

Steve Jobs as a Corporate Leader

Steve Jobs is perhaps the most famous corporate leader of our current age. He is often called a "genius" — a rare appellation for a CEO. Jobs was uncompromising in his pursuit of excellence and had many characteristics of a Level 5 leader. For example, Jobs always prioritized quality above market research. He gave the public what he thought it wanted, not what it said it wanted, which were often two very different things. Jobs said, with a blend of confidence and arrogance: "customers don't know what they want until we've shown them" (Kazenbach 2012:1).

He was also a perfectionist who would willingly spend extra money on development if he felt a product did not meet his standards. "Over the course of a year he threw out two prototypes of the iPhone before accepting the third" (McInerney 2011). He has been described as a "willful" leader — one of the traits that Collins identifies as necessary for Level 5 success (Kazenbach 2012:1).

Where Jobs Fell Short of Level 5

However, Jobs was lacking in many of the Level 5 characteristics that Collins considers essential for a true "good to great" transition. Jobs never groomed a successor to fill his shoes (or his famous black turtleneck and jeans). He dictated to even the most brilliant engineers how his products would operate, rather than listening to input that might contradict his convictions. Jobs' primary focus was on realizing his personal vision — he viewed himself and the Apple brand as synonymous. Everyone he relied upon to achieve that vision was treated not as an equal but as a means to an end.

He was known as a "control freak," dictating everything from the shape of the company's buses to the food served in the Apple cafeteria. He maintained a "culture of strict accountability at all levels of the organization by meeting each Monday with executives to set the tone for the week. Run by a strict agenda, these meetings reviewed every single product under development" (McInerney 2011). These meetings reinforced the message that workers were under constant scrutiny.

Jobs was also not above favoritism, although his preferences were based on his assessment of job performance rather than on sycophantic flattery. "Jobs had a fickle commitment construct — he fell in and out of love with people much too easily" (Kazenbach 2012:2). He was unwilling to listen to others and "missed the potential contribution of many people who were not yet (and perhaps never would be) so-called A players" (Kazenbach 2012:2).