In Jim Collins’ landmark book, Good to Great, one of the most surprising results of the research of good-to-great companies was in the discovery of the type of leadership required to turn a good company into a great one. One might think that such companies are led by high-profile leaders with big personalities, those who make headlines and become celebrities. Yet, those leaders who seek and thrive in the spotlight do not exude what can be termed “Level 5 Leadership”. Leaders of this type — those who combine extreme personal humility with intense professional will — shun the attention of celebrity, channeling their ambition toward the goal of building a great company. Those leaders might run different companies in different markets, but they exemplify the same basic set of qualities.

Good to Great studied 1,435 companies and discovered six leadership behaviors that produce extraordinary results. TalentSmart® created the first and only test of the six leadership skills from Good to Great two years ago. Researched and validated with leaders worldwide, this Good or Great test lets leaders know where they stand on the road to greatness, and where they should invest energy in improving.

I don’t know anything about this specific assessment but somehow I feel that it slightly misses the intent of the book. Collins originally did not want to address leadership as a criterion for what makes a great company. Interestingly, his researchers could not avoid this as a key component – but not the only factor. Secondly, very few leaders reach the Level 5 and an instrument that measures only this level and which is self reporting seems to me rather questionable. I think that it would have been more prudent to identify different behaviors at each of the five levels and then report how an individual shows up on each of the separate levels.

Level 5 Hierarchy

Level 5 Executive

• Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

Effective Leader

• Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance standards.

Competent Manager

• Organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

Contributing Team Member

• Contributes individual capabilities to the achievement of group objectives and works effectively with others in a group setting.

Highly Capable Individual

• Makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits.

I think that the five levels represent a relatively good flow of typical and traditional hierarchies found in organizations. Unfortunately, they do not reflect the current reality and movement towards both personal leadership – with or without “formal” authority and the need for collaborative leadership in our complex world.

At 1-Focus we have taken the time to research the literature and identify the leadership competencies that we think are needed in the future that focus on the collaborative nature of leadership as well as address the fundamental skills.

Click on the Assessments page to find out more.

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