I very recently learnt the concept of "The Level Five Leader". It has been picked up from Jim Collins' book, From Good To Great. It is a very simple concept and its explained very clearly in the picture given below.
The most important characteristics of a level five leaders are personal humility and professional will. I personally feel humility is more important. You will find this in most of the great leaders you can think off (there aren't too many Steve Jobs' types who get away with being arrogant)
This principle not only applies at an organizational level, but at any and every leadership position a person holds. A leader here is a person who influences another person for certain reasons. (Mostly to get some work done).
If a leader does not have humility, it is very difficult for his team to connect with him. All the necessary information will be hidden behind his big fat ego and this helps no one.
If he does not have humility, he will not appreciate the work his team is putting in. Appreciation, genuine appreciation, and if not appreciation, even acknowledgement of the work that a team puts in is very valued.
The leader generally takes all the credit happily, but when something goes wrong, a leader with humility will stand up for his team. When a leader airs his dirty laundry in public, it indicates towards the leader being a coward. Someone who cannot sit and review the work of his team, but go around saying he has the suckiest team ever.
Sarcasm and leadership is a deadly combination, one must know where to draw a line.
Most of the times, leaders themselves do not know what they want, but they know exactly what they don't want, these are the worst people to work with. They will never like what you give them, and they will never tell you what they want. The most confused people every.
The most important characteristics of a level five leaders are personal humility and professional will. I personally feel humility is more important. You will find this in most of the great leaders you can think off (there aren't too many Steve Jobs' types who get away with being arrogant)
This principle not only applies at an organizational level, but at any and every leadership position a person holds. A leader here is a person who influences another person for certain reasons. (Mostly to get some work done).
If a leader does not have humility, it is very difficult for his team to connect with him. All the necessary information will be hidden behind his big fat ego and this helps no one.
If he does not have humility, he will not appreciate the work his team is putting in. Appreciation, genuine appreciation, and if not appreciation, even acknowledgement of the work that a team puts in is very valued.
The leader generally takes all the credit happily, but when something goes wrong, a leader with humility will stand up for his team. When a leader airs his dirty laundry in public, it indicates towards the leader being a coward. Someone who cannot sit and review the work of his team, but go around saying he has the suckiest team ever.
Sarcasm and leadership is a deadly combination, one must know where to draw a line.
Most of the times, leaders themselves do not know what they want, but they know exactly what they don't want, these are the worst people to work with. They will never like what you give them, and they will never tell you what they want. The most confused people every.
There will always be times when you will have to work with the worst of people, but you need to identify these morons and act accordingly. You need to find a way to work around them, if you can't work with them.
People will annoy you, irritate you, make you want to throw things at them, swear at them, throw up on them and a lot of other things. But this is the time you must remember, humility and will. They will take you places.
