Jim Collins, a former Stanford Business School professor, and his research staff spent four years studying the secrets behind the greatest companies and the leaders who helped them get that way. His findings on leadership are particularly valuable for anyone in charge, from the president of a university to a high school English dept. chairperson to a sophomore running the Latin club.
Collins and his team coined the term “Level 5 leader.” Here’s what sets Level 5’s apart, as Collins described in his best-seller Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don't:
"Level five leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. It’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious—but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves."