Level 5 Leadership - Assignment Example

 “Level 5” refers to the highest level in a hierarchy of executive capabilities. A level 5 Leader is a term used to refer to a person who is remarkably modest on a personal level. However, he possesses a pleasant ambition and desire to succeed (Charles, 2005). In this case, “success” is not critical, but defined as a commitment that directs the administrator towards propelling his company to greater heights. These are people with an unwavering dedication and commitment to do what is required to manage their organization to the top. Level 5 leaders, are in any case, people who do not point to themselves as the cause for an organization’s success. It is meant to determine exquisite successors. In short, a level 5 leader can be defined as someone who blends genuine personal humility with intense professional will. This leadership approach is different from other styles, in that the leaders are fair. They do not talk about themselves (Murray, 2010). They would talk about the company in terms of the contribution of others, and instinctively deflect talk about their own place. They are characterized by focusing on the success of the organization in the long run, rather than the period for which they are in control. Other leaders often work for a time, but seem to be damaged in the long run, because they do not promote sustainable results. Other leaders are those whose companies go into decline when they arise. This is because during their era, unlike the level 5 leaders, they focus on short term goals that make the company look like its performing exceptionally well. It is extremely pertinent to keep this direction at the top; for it is through this that an organization can end up being successful. The characteristic nature of this style of leadership is what drives an organization to greater heights of success. According to the findings, on different organizations by Collins (1 January 2001), organizations with outstanding performance had leaders that were striking, and indicated virtues like modesty, motivation for continuous results, responsibility, and organization focus. They set up goals for success. This is exactly what organizations need to look into, as far as power is concerned. Companies that do not use this leadership style experience different challenges. The challenges range from poor management to lack of will power among the organizational leaders. As characterized by the level 5 leaders, such companies end up collapsing or registering poor results, especially when there is a change in the progression of its leaders. “Level 5 leadership” surpasses other leadership styles, which have leaders that are motivated by the notion “service first”, preceded by popularity, fortune, power and adulation (Charles, 2005). The presence of level 5 leadership in an organization The presence of a “level 5 leader” in a company has positive results towards the profitability of that organization. An example of a company that benefited immensely as a result of “Level 5 Leadership” is Kimberly-Clark (Murray, 2010). This is a stodgy old paper company whose reputation had fallen 36% behind the general business during its previous 20 years before 1971, when Darwin E. Smith was named chief executive of Kimberly-Clark. Smith's reconstruction of Kimberly-Clark is one the best examples. He is a superb example of a “level 5 leader” with his enormous personal humility and energetic professional capacity. Before Smith’s involvement, Kimberly-Clark Company had performed poorly in the market, in relation to its competitors like Procter and Gamble. This had forced the company to make a decision on either to remain or faced out of business by its competitors. Luckily, with Smith’s arrival, and momentous decisions saw the company succeed, and even end up beating its main opposition, Procter and Gamble. The unexpected decision made by Smith required the company to sell its mills and all proceeds thrown into the consumer business, with investments in brands like Huggies diapers. Even with the agency media naming the action as downright stupid, Smith was not shaken but soldiered on with humility and patience. Twenty five years later, Kimberly-Clark owned Scott Paper and roll Procter & Gamble in six of eight product categories. With a strong willpower to develop Kimberly-Clark, even after being diagnosed with throat and nose cancer, Smith still showed neither signs of giving up nor being selfish by sitting at home to nurse him. He continued working every day and lived for twenty five more years, twenty of which he remained as the CEO (Murray, 2010). From the example of Kimberly-Clark Company, it is obvious that, at the beginning, this form of governance is faced by a number of discriminations by the public. This is because of the long time before results started becoming apparent. As noted, many companies are characterized by short-term goals and achievements, which are aimed at making a successful impression (Charles, 2005). This makes the leadership style appropriate for most organizational structure and operation, so that the manager’s decisions are highly influenced by the position of his colleagues or subordinates. However, this does not mean that the leaders fail to consider the opinions of their juniors. In fact, they should be acutely aware of other people’s suggestions. Nevertheless, for them to make decisions, they have to figure out of the box. Darwin E. Smith is the best example of a “level 5 leader” during his time. However, there is little known about Smith. His leadership style did not win him any popularity. Instead, people have paid more attention to the success of Kimberly-Clark, which is a typical characteristic of a “level-5-leadership”. How level 5 leadership styles would apply to my today’s life and tedious tasks Leadership is a natural touch that one ought to have. Without leadership qualities in an individual, it is exceedingly difficult to control or operate a sizeable organization (Charles, 2005). This is particularly difficult when it comes to making decisions that impact significantly on the overall performance of the organization. Level 5 leadership ability is an added advantage. As a head after reading this article, I would involve such a leadership system in my line of duty. This is in an effort to take my company combining a culture of discipline, with a value of entrepreneurship results in a great performance. The lesson learned by Collins and his team is the study of various companies, which drove them to designate a number of organizations into those that succeeded through level 5 leadership. Some companies came up from poor performance and rose to extraordinarily high levels of success after taking over the level 5 leadership. They saw others crumbled entirely from lack of the level 5 leadership. As a leader, it is my duty to have humility and the desire to see my company achieve considerable heights. I should not have a notion of considering myself gaining neither financially nor socially, but rather focusing on the organization’s goals and objectives. In various occasions, I would have to assign responsibilities. This will be done by selecting exceptional candidates that exhibit unique characteristics of level 5 leaderships (Murray, 2010). As a level 5 leader, all is driven by the purpose of making a difference, not for my own selfish needs but the company. I believe that this would have a significant impact and a positive change towards my company. I would ensure that the right people are selected, before any strategies are formulated. With that in action, I will take the company heading towards a trend that is encouraging, right to yield greater achievements in the future with or without my presence. References: Collins, J. (2011). Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't. New York: Publisher HarperCollins. Charles, J. (2005). Good to great and the social sectors: why business thinking is not the answer: a monograph to accompany Good to great: why some companies make the leap--and others don’t. New York: HarperCollins. Murray, A. (2010). The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Management. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 11 Read More