These days, ‘leadership’ seems to be under the microscope more than ever before – be it in sports, business, or politics, it feels like the stakes have never been higher. Yet, many of the secrets to great leadership have been with us for decades – such as the ‘Level 5 Leadership’ concepts, created by one of the greatest leadership gurus Jim Collins, back in the 90s.
This advisor to the commercial and social sectors has sold over 10 million copies of his books. For his game-changing business bible, ‘Good to Great,’ Jim and his team analysed over 6000 articles and generated more than 2000 pages of interview transcripts in order to decode what it takes to become a ‘level five leader’ – one who can sustain success, over a long period. And the key is channelling your motivation outward - into a cause, company, culture, or quest bigger than yourself.
Level 5’s lead in the spirit of service, and here are five key ways to frame your thinking so that you can do the same:
Realise that no single leader can make a company great. Everyone must be a leader – so everyone should have sole responsibility for something.
There is no one personality type that can lead – know what you’re good at. Study yourself like a bug – and encourage your team members to do the same.
All great leaders, though, have both personal humility and ferocity of will – lead for others, and demonstrate that self-discipline breeds self-improvement.
Be in love with what you do and be interested in your people - take care of them, and they’ll take care of your customers.
And finally, let this sink in: leadership is “the art of getting people to want to do what must be done.”
So, make a mental note of these mantras - start living them today for a ‘level five’ tomorrow.
And remember - life’s good.
Cheers
Clint