Good To Great Level 1 Leadership

In Jim Collins book, Good to Great, Collins discusses the difference between the different stages of leadership. A level 1 leader is a highly capable individual who makes positive contributions and has talent, knowledge, and skills. A level 2 leader builds off of a level 1 leader by bringing these positive traits into a team setting. Next, a level 3 leader is a competent manage that can organize people towards a positive outcome. Fourth, a level 4 leader is a leader that has an insatiable drive and commitment to a vision or goal and strives for professional success. However, in order to be a level 5 leader, one must have all these traits, plus the most important trait of all, personal humility. A level 5 leader is one that blends their professional will for success with an

overarching sense of personal humility. What does this mean? This means they are heavily committed to the success of a vision or goal of an organization and will do everything in their power for success.

However, humans are not perfect creatures, we all make mistakes and have character flaws. This is where personal humility comes into place. A level 5 leader admits when they make a mistake or have a problem and by doing so, they are able to fix their problems more effective than a level 4 leader. You may have the most professional drive for success, but if you are unable to recognize what you may not be perfect in, you can not improve. Level 5 leaders do not focus around their own ego and instead focus on the larger goal of building a better company. Level 5 leaders take on the burden of blame when things go awry, while level 4 leader divert the blame to external processes. This is what makes a level 5 leader special. Personally, I do not believe I am a level 5 leader. Currently, I sit at around a level 2 leader, a competent team member. This is because I do not see myself having the ability to manage others in a way that a competent manager is able to do. Simply put, I do not have enough confidence in myself or my abilities enough to manage

others. Although I am highly motivated for success and have personal humility, I believe that I do not have enough confidence to be a leader. However, this leaves plentiful room for improvement. In order to achieve level 5 status, all ill need to do is gain more confidence in my ability to lead others in a productive way. Personally, how I accomplish this is through time, experience, and trial and error. Right now, I am quite young and feel that I do not have the necessary amount of experience in order to lead others just yet. I feel like if I had more opportunities and experience, I can improve in my confidence to lead. This year, with the consulting cup, I have gained a tremendous amount of experience refining my abilities to work in teams, lead teams, and be a more effective leader. With more experiences like the IP Consulting Cup, I am on my way to having the traits to become a level 5 leader.