How to Become a Level 5 Leader

Recently I heard an audio clip from Jim Collins discussing Level 5 leadership from his book Good to Great.  (If you recall, Level 5 leaders are unique as they possess the two seemingly contrasting traits of personal humility and a strong professional will.)  In the discussion, Collins talks about how one can develop and become a Level 5 leader which so many seem to be unable to do.  Anyway, I really liked what he said and thought I should share it because I think it is powerful for us as we strive to become great leaders and great people. 

To become Level 5 leaders Collins said is like walking down a road and you come to a fork.  Your head and often your heart are telling you to go right because it is the most attractive path for you personally.  You can see that going right will be the less painful, the most self-aggrandizing, the most beneficial for your personal interest, etc. but instead you step left.  Left is more beneficial for others and for the “greater good”.  The more leaders can choose left when they are being pulled right, the more they become Level 5 leaders. 

Level 5 leaders and Level 5 people are unique because it is very hard to “step left” and put our own personal interest and ambitions behind us and sacrifice our personal gains for the good of the whole.  Though difficult in the moment, I think “stepping left” leads to great success and happiness in life.  And in fact, Collins proves this in his book. 

As you can imagine, the first few times stepping left will be very difficult but after a while, for true Level 5 leaders, “stepping left” becomes an easy decision and almost habitual in nature.  When the entire world turns right, Level 5 leaders step left. 

As we are faced with forks in the road, let’s not automatically go right.  Let’s analyze the whole picture, look further down the road, and more often “step left” even when everything else is pulling us right. When we do this, we start our path on becoming Level 5.