- What's the highest level of leadership,
the greatest impact you can have?
Let's explore the answer to that question here.
For several years, I facilitated workshops
for a financial services company.
The training occurred annually over the course of a week
for new managers they were bringing in
and this gave me a view into the organization
that was like time-lapse photography.
The vice president of customer service, in the early years,
was charismatic, with a big personality.
The organization produced great results
and he was highly regarded as an effective leader.
But when he left for another opportunity,
the organization struggled.
Eventually, a new VP of customer service found her footing.
She had a quiet, very understated leadership style,
but I could see strength in the organization
begin to return.
She, too, eventually moved to a different position,
but the organization's successes continued.
The first VP was an effective leader.
He set clear goals, created an engaged environment,
and enabled the team to achieve high levels of performance.
But, when he left, the organization began to decline.
It felt rudderless.
Professor Jim Collins and his team of researchers
for the book, Good to Great, identified
what they call level five leadership.
The greatest leaders are those who build an organization
or team, or department that continues to thrive
after they're gone.
Collins' framework provides insight
into progression of leaders.
Level one's a capable individual who contributes talent,
knowledge, skills, and good work habits.
Level two's a contributing team member
who works well with others to produce results.
Level three's a competent manager
who can organize employees and resources to attain results.
And level four's an effective leader
who inspires commitment to a vision,
and rallies support to achieve high levels of performance.
Level five is the leader who possesses the combination
of humility and a ferocious will for the organization
to be remarkable.
Their focus is on leaving the organization stronger
and ensuring that it can sustain success.
So, how can you help build an organization or team
that continues to thrive?
One is to hire capable people.
As Collins and his team put it,
great vision without great people is irrelevant.
Another is to practice humility.
Collins and his team refer to the mirror and the window
to differentiate behavior between level four
and level five leaders.
Level five leaders look out of the window
to credit others for success
and they look in the mirror to take responsibility
when things don't quite go as planned.
Charismatic leaders who haven't reached level five
tend to do the opposite,
they look through the window to find factors
for lack of success
and look in the mirror to take credit when things go well.
Strive to see things as your customers do.
A consultant I know tells of a recent domestic flight
where he was sitting in one of 12 seats in first class.
Another passenger was getting a lot of attention
and great service, and he learned it was the airline's CEO
who wanted to personally check in
on how the airline's service was going.
My friend, never shy, leaned over and introduced himself
and suggested to the CEO
he might want to move to the cabin
where most of his customers were sitting.
Seeing things as your customers do enables you
to make changes to processes and policies
and services that have staying power.
Build strong systems and processes.
The enduring successes of companies such as Amazon,
Apple, and Disney are due, in no small part,
to the systems and processes they put in place.
Technology changes rapidly,
but an intense focus on keeping things simple for customers
has helped guide investments that these organizations make
in systems and processes.
Collins observed greatness is not a matter of circumstance,
it's a matter of choice and discipline.
I agree and I find that encouraging and inspiring.
What's the strength you're building in your organization?
What's the legacy you want to leave behind?