Lots of time is spent critiquing political leaders these days. I was on the phone this morning with a development client who believes he has President Trump’s tactics nailed. “He’s a developer! I get developers! He negotiates hard, scares everyone, backs off a bit so that everyone is relieved, and then wins the lion’s share of the pot.”
Let’s take a minute to turn our eyes from others and review our own leadership capabilities.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins describes his version of the leadership ladder, starting at the simplest, entry level (level 1) and moving to the top (level 5). The lowest levels are prerequisites for the more advanced levels (i.e. level 3 leaders also have level 1 and 2 skills). Here are the five levels with descriptions:
And now for the big reveal: The top level of leadership…
Level 5 leader: Builds greatness through a combination of personal humility and professional will.
Collins is saying that the best leaders are driven and focused, but focused on a goal much bigger than themselves. While they’re very strong people, they also show humility in the sense that they’re not working to puff up their egos, but to make things better for everyone.
So which level are you at? Are you great at what you do, but not really a team person? Are you a team person, but not a strong manager?
If you’re a star player, you’re on one of the rungs of the leadership ladder. Which rung are you at? What do you have to get better at in order to contribute at a higher level?
Nothing is more important than having the right person in charge of the team, and in charge of the company. All other decisions pale beside these ones.