Level 5 Leadership. Based on

1. Level 5 Leadership
“You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you
do not mind who gets the credit.”
– Harry S. Truman

2. ∗ Faculty member at Stanford Graduate School of
Business
∗ Served as senior executive at CNN International
∗ Founded a management laboratory in Boulder,
Colorado – conducts multi year research projects
∗ Student and teacher of lasting great companies
∗ Business consultant, author, lecturer – on business
growth and sustainability
Jim Collins

3. ∗ Books:
∗ How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never
Give In
∗ Good to Great
∗ Built to Last
∗ Good to Great and the Social Sectors
∗ Beyond Entrepreneurship
Jim Collins

4. ∗ LEVEL 5 - Level 5 Executive
∗ LEVEL 4 - Effective Leader
∗ LEVEL 3 - Competent Manager
∗ LEVEL 2 - Contributing Team Member
∗ LEVEL 1 - Highly capable individual
Level 5 Hierarchy

5. Humility + Will = Level 5 leadership

6. ∗ Abraham Lincoln
∗ Darwin Smith – Kimberly Clark
∗ Colman Mockler - Gillette
Examples of Level 5 Executives

7. ∗ CEO of Kimberly Clark
∗ KC before Darwin Smith was a mediocre player –
Middling Paper industry
∗ Return fell 36% below General stock market
Darwin E Smith

8. ∗ Level 5 leaders have ambition for the company and its
success
∗ Level 5 leaders set up company for success in the
future
∗ Comparison leaders have ambition for themselves
∗ Comparison leaders set up company for failure in the
future
Ambition- Level 5 VS. Comparison

9. ∗ Level 5 leaders do not promote themselves
∗ Level 5 leaders are not interested in credit/recognition
∗ Comparison leaders are very I-centric
∗ Comparison leaders want credit/recognition in
magazines, interviews, photographs
Modesty – Level 5 VS. Comparison

10. ∗ Level 5 is not only about humility and
self-less ness
∗ Level 5 always does whatever it takes to make the
company great
∗ Fire Relatives
∗ End Lasting Traditions
∗ Fight off corporate raiders
Level 5 Unwavering Resolve

11. ∗ Window- Credit outside themselves – in good
situations
∗ Mirror- To take responsibility – in bad situations
∗ Level 5 leaders tend to attribute luck for success rather
than their own efforts
The Window and Mirror Effect

12. ∗ Select over-the-top dazzling celebrity leaders and
over look quiet modest Level 5 leaders
∗ Thinking a high-profile outside leader can come in and
shake up the place
∗ 10 of 11 Level 5 CEOs came from inside the company
Common Mistakes Companies Make

13. ∗ Two types of people: those who do not have the seed
of Level 5 and those who do
∗ Without Seed: Work will always be about what they get
– fame, money, power
∗ With Seed: These can evolve under the right
circumstances to be Level 5 – self-reflection, personal
development, a mentor
Can You Learn to be a Level 5 Leader?