I’ve been re-reading Jim Collins’ great book Good to Great. The book seeks to describe what distinguishes “good” companies from “great” ones. Collins performed extensive research and compared companies in the same industry. From this research he was able to draw certain conclusions.
One of the main concepts of Collins book was that of “Level 5 leadership”. As he compared the leadership of good companies with that of great ones, he made some interesting conclusions. He labeled the “great” leaders as “Level 5 Leaders”. The characteristics of these leaders destroyed the myth of the charismatic, larger-than-life, egotistic leader. In contrast, the “great” leaders were:
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Humble
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Concerned for the company’s good rather than their own
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Quiet and reserved
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Clock builders* rather than time tellers
*Clock builders seek to build systems that will endure long after they are gone.
What type of leader are you?