oyees and stockholders. Another issue or problem is that celebrity CEOs tend to be self-centered to the extent that thex take all the credit when things go well but will usually accept none of the blame when they do not. This tends to leave other employees of the company wondering whether anyone appreciates the work they have done and the efforts they have made to help the CEO directly, as well as their individual efforts in helping their employer achieve success.
Jim Collins' primary area of study involves an analysis of what makes "good companies" become great, and conversely what prevents some good company from breaking through to become great companies. Collins surprises readers with some of his findings based on an extensive, five year long research project. According to Collins, every company he studied identified as transitioning from a good to a great company had at the helm a Level 5 Leader. In Collins book, the term Level 5 leader is self-defined. It refers to someone with specific skills in these five areas:
Level 1 relates to individual capabilities;
Level 2 concerns team building skills;
Level 3 relates to managerial competence;
Level 4 refers or relates to leadership as traditionally defined and conceived.
By Collins' definition, a Level 5 leader possesses the skills described in Levels 1 to 4 as well as an extra dimension of leadership. That extra dimension incorporates a paradoxical blend of personal humility combined with professional resolve. That professional resolve manifests itself in a calm, steadfast and unwavering determination to help the organization the Level 5 leader works in to become successful.
As an example, one might consider Sam Walton. Walton became one of the wealthiest men in the world, but chose to live in Arkansas and eschewed the outward manifestations of wealth and power such as chauffeur driven limousines. Sam Walton drove himself around town in an old pickup...