Level 5 leaders

Level 5 leaders drive successful transformations from good to great.

All good-to-great companies enjoyed level 5 leadership during their transition.

Level 5 leaders are not only excellent individuals, team members, managers and leaders, but also single-mindedly ambitious on behalf of the company. At the same time they remain humble. They are fanatically driven toward results, and want their company to continue performing even after they leave.

Far from being ego-driven, level 5 leaders are modest and understated. Level 5 leaders share the credit for their company’s achievements, downplaying their own role in them, but are quick to shoulder blame and responsibility for any shortcomings.

Take for example Darwin Smith, who transformed Kimberly-Clark into one of the leading paper consumer goods companies in the world. He refused to cultivate an image of himself as a hero or celebrity. He dressed like a farm boy, spent his holidays working on his Wisconsin farm and often found his favorite companions among plumbers and electricians.

By contrast, two out of three comparison company CEOs had gargantuan egos that were counterproductive for the long-term success of the company. This was most evident in the lack of succession planning.

For example Stanley Gault, the legendarily tyrannical and successful CEO of Rubbermaid, left behind a management team so shallow that under his successor, Rubbermaid went from Fortune Magazine’s most admired company to being acquired by a competitor in just five years.