Chapter 2: Level 5 Leadership

The 5 Levels of Leadership:

  • Just as there are good and great companies, there are also good and great leaders
  • This chapter breaks down the differences between the two
  • There is a 5 tier pyramid that defines a leader from barely competent, all the way to revolutionary
"Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well."

The Hierarchy

  • The first tier is the highly capable individual who can accomplish large amounts of work, but doesn't work with teams
  • The second tier is the contributing team member who takes the first tier further by incorporating others into their work
  • The third level is the competent manager who can get the job done but doesn't engage the people behind the process
  • The fourth tier is the effective leader who catalyzes the team towards goals instead of just telling them what to do
  • The fifth and final tier is the level 5 leader

What Constitutes a Level 5 Leader?

  • The basic formula for level 5 leaders is Humility + Will = Level 5
  • Ambition for the company, not themselves
  • Humility that gives credit away instead of amassing it for themselves
  • The resolve to do the hard things, the things that need to be done
"You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit." -Harry S. Truman

The Window and the Mirror

  • This is the underlying concept of giving credit away
  • Level 5 leaders look out the window to see who they can give credit to for a success
  • If a leader cannot find someone to credit, they often credit luck instead of themselves
  • However, they look in the mirror when something goes wrong and take responsibility for the issue

Becoming a Level 5 Leader

  • No specific step by step process was found to create Level 5 leaders
  • This does not mean you cannot become one
  • To become a level 5, start cultivating the concepts in the book and give away the credit when things start going right

Credits:

Created with images by 3dman_eu - "refugees economic migrants financial equalization" • stux - "fog outlines pine" • jpeter2 - "sunset twilight abendstimmung" • Matthew Murdoch - "Landscape" • Iqbal Osman1 - "landscape"

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