Level 5 Leadership

Written by: Jim Collins

Presented by: Laura Cooper

You can accomplish anything in

life, provided that you do not mind
who gets the credit.
Harry S. Truman

Key Points
What
What

is Level 5 leadership?

are the Characteristics of Level 5

leaders?

Faculty member at Stanford Graduate School of

Business
Served as senior executive at CNN International
Founded a management laboratory in Boulder,
Colorado conducts multi year research projects
Student and teacher of lasting great companies
Business consultant, author, lecturer on business
growth and sustainability

 Books:

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies

Never Give In
Good to Great
Built to Last
Good to Great and the Social Sectors
Beyond Entrepreneurship

Level 5 Hierarchy

Examples of Level 5 Executives

Abraham
Darwin

Lincoln

Smith Kimberly Clark

Colman

Mockler - Gillette

Examples of Level 4 Effective Leader

Stanley Gault (CEO Rubbermaid)

Bob Nardelli (CEO The Home Depot)

Ambition- Level 5 VS. Comparison

Level 5 leaders have ambition for the company and

its success
Level 5 leaders set up company for success in the
future
Comparison leaders have ambition for themselves
Comparison leaders set up company for failure in the
future

Modesty Level 5 VS. Comparison

Level

5 leaders do not promote themselves

Level 5 leaders are not interested in
credit/recognition
Comparison

leaders are very I-centric

Comparison leaders want credit/recognition
in magazines, interviews, photographs

Level 5 Unwavering Resolve

Level

5 is not only about humility and

self-less ness
Level 5 always does whatever it takes to
make the company great

Fire Relatives
End Lasting Traditions
Fight off corporate raiders

The Window and Mirror Effect

Level

5 leaders look out the window to give

credit outside themselves in good situations

Level

5 leaders look in the mirror to take

responsibility in bad situations

Level 5 leaders tend to attribute luck for success

rather than their own efforts

Common Mistakes Companies Make

Select

over-the-top dazzling celebrity leaders

and over look quiet modest Level 5 leaders

Thinking

a high-profile outside leader can

come in and shake up the place

10 of 11 Level 5 CEOs came from inside the

company

Can You Learn to be a Level 5 Leader?

Two

types of people: those who do not have

the seed of Level 5 and those who do

Without Seed: Work will always be about what

they get fame, money, power

With Seed: These can evolve under the right

circumstances to be Level 5 self-reflection,
personal development, a mentor

Related Articles

Leadership Style Orientations of Senior Executives

in Australia

Leadership: Hubbard, Gattung and Tindall

Autocratic, democratic, Inspirational, and laissez-faire

Mix of warm-hearted, cool-headed and hard-nosed

The impact of Leadership Styles on Four Variables of

Executives Workforce

Commitment, satisfaction, communication, and

effectiveness

Personal Experience
Personally

I do not know any level 5 leaders,

nor do I work for any level 5 leaders

In

my experience most executives/managers

are just looking for the next big thing or
check

Resources

Collins, Jim. "Level 5 Leadership." The Organizational Behavior Reader. 8th ed.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. 474-92. Print.
Jim Collins - About Jim. (n.d.). Jim Collins - Home. Retrieved March 22, 2011,
from http://www.jimcollins.com/about-jim.html
Ekaterini, G. (2010). The impact of leadership styles on four variables of
executives workforce. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(6),
3. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/821544514?accountid=4886
Frykberg, K. (2004). LeadershipHubbard, gattung and tindall on warm-hearted,
cool-headed and hard-nosed leadership; New Zealand Management, , 37.
Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/201649686?accountid=4886
Hunt, J. B. (2010). Leadership style orientations of senior executives in
australia: Senior executive leadership profiles: An analysis of 54 australian top
managers. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 16(1), 207.
Retrieved from http://ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/324732182?accountid=4886

QUESTIONS?