“Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. It’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious – but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.” – Jim Collins. Good to Great. 2001.

Yesterday I wrote about “Good to Great” in general. Today I am going to focus on an idea called level 5 leadership. It is on chapter 2 of the book. You will probably never hear of a leader who is at level 5. By definition, they are humble and do not need to be in the spotlight. The point is that level 5 leaders don’t need the flashy things in life and yet they can build a organization that is truly great.

Collin’s research shows that Level 5 Leadership focuses the individual’s ego needs away from themselves, and into the enduring greatness of the company or team.  Too often, Collin’s says, the general thinking about leadership is that success or failure is always a reflection of the team leader.  “A leader is too often credited or blamed for a team’s success or failure.”  

True Level 5 Leadership manifests itself through the individual’s drive and dedication to do whatever it takes to allow the team to become the best it can be. . . regardless of their own personal gain from the team’s success.

According to Collins, humility is a key ingredient of Level 5 leadership. His simple formula is Humility + Will = Level 5. “Level 5 leaders are a study in duality”, notes Collins, “modest and wilful, shy and fearless.”

There are five attributes that typify the Level 5 Leader:

The reason these leaders are humble is that they see clearly their own limitations in a complex environment. So, instead of promoting their own visions, they get their best people together and grill them with penetrating questions to draw new strategies out of them. Hence the related Collins slogan: “first who, then what.” Because Chief Executives can’t decide what to do alone, they need the input of a team of smart associates. They get the best “who” into a room and together decide the best “what.” This makes them participative leaders.

The essential difference, therefore, is that the level 4 leader provides direction while the level 5 leader is a facilitator who draws ideas for new directions out of others. Level 5 leadership is really a modern version of the participative leadership style that has been around for decades

There is a saying, “fake it until you make it.” Another way of saying that is if you want to be a Level 5 leader act like a Level 5 leader. You’ll get more comfortable with it as you become more competent and more successful. So, rein in your impulses to give “the answer” to your subordinates’ problems. Hire top people and delegate. Then, always give credit to your team for any successes. Be wary when you are approached by reporters who flatter you for your company’s (teams’) success. And… above all else, be accountable. Accept blame for failures but, give credit to others for successes.