Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph Of Humility And Fierce Resolve Essay Example

A great leader is behind every great company. This was the case in point made by the author of this article. However, the author’s leader needed to have something very specific to be considered a great leader. That leader needed to be a level 5 leader, one that has the combined traits of being humble and at the same time being fierce at what he does. With this kind of leader at the helm, a good company will soon be considered a great company, considering that this leader hires the right people for the job and develops a culture of discipline within the organization.
Level 5 leader do not take credit for their company’s success but rather attribute that success to the cooperation and hard work of the company’s executives and its employees. Humility is a key attribute that a level 5 leader exudes. Contrastingly, a leader’s ego is a common denominator for companies who have remained small eventually leading to the company’s end. Leaders with big egos focus on themselves so much that they lose sight of the company’s direction and goals. His actions reflect attainment of personal goals rather than pushing for initiatives directed toward the company’s advancement. They have set ambitions and dreams for the company and not for themselves.
A level 5 leaders does not settle for anything less than the best. He exemplifies this trait in anything he does, even at the littlest of things. He has an unwavering determination to do his best the first time around and does accept anything mediocre in nature. The leadership style of a level 5 leader can be considered iron-willed. When he puts his mind and actions into achieving something, he is determined to achieve it with greatness. He has unwavering resolve when it comes to making decisions he knows would benefit the company’s welfare. He does not get persuaded by people around him despite them being the majority. He makes the difficult decisions and is not afraid to stand by them.
Another common denominator these level 5 leaders have is their cunning sense for recognizing the right people for the job. They choose the best successors, who they know will do an even better job than they did. Since they have the company’s interest in mind at all times, they see to it that the company maintains success well into the next generation. This particular description of a level 5 leader is what differentiates them from a level 4 leaders. Both types of leaders achieve greatness in their time. However, with the level 5 leader choosing the next great leader, he ensures his company’s success even after he leaves. On the other hand, a level 4 leader chooses his successor poorly. Some might consider this intentional for his reign to be considered great since after they leave, the company falls apart. Level 4 leaders lack the humility to push aside their own gain to be able to properly transition the company into the hands of a great successor. Since his chosen successor is not fit for the job, most often than not, the company suffers and is led to its demise.
Aside from the people propping the company up, level 5 leaders attribute success to luck. Contrastingly, when things go south, level 5 leaders do not attribute failures to bad luck nor do they look to blame others.
The question now is, are level 5 leaders born or bred? Can the traits of a level 5 leader be learned and developed by leaders who are not? The answer to this is simple, it is either you have it or you don’t. Remember, the important factor in becoming a level 5 leader is humility. Humility is something innate in a humble person and can never be present in a person who aims to be at the top of the management hierarchy. However, all is not lost. For a leader to become a level 5 leader, his transformation requires a lot of factors working together for the leader to achieve this goal. The greatness of a leader is born out of the collective efforts of people who have influenced him all throughout his life. The attributes of a level 5 leader usually result from life-changing experiences that mold that person into permanently becoming that kind of leader who aims for success of his company and not his own. Because of these life-changing experiences, level 5 leaders have learned not to take things for granted. He treats every minute of his existence as his last chance to produce something good out of his actions.
Level 5 leadership is both something innate in a person or something that can be developed over time with the help and influence of people surrounding the leader and life-changing moments that mold him into becoming the leader aspired by many.