Megan Palmer
Centenary College
Academic Essay – Level 5 Leadership
“The 5 is ambitious first and foremost for the cause, for the company, for the work, not him or herself. And they have the will to do whatever is necessary to make good of the ambition for that cause. That is the essence of a Level 5,” Collins stated in a television interview to Charlie Rose in 2002 while promoting his then newly published book, Good to Great.
About Jim Collins
According to Jim Collins’ website,
Jim began his research and teaching career on the faculty at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he now conducts research and consults with executives from the corporate and social sectors. He holds degrees in business administration and mathematical sciences from Stanford University, and honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Jim has worked with senior executives and CEOs at over a hundred corporations. He has also worked with social sector organizations across the spectrum, from education and the arts to religious organizations, local and federal government, healthcare, and cause-driven nonprofits.
This essay focuses on Level 5 Leadership, which was first introduced in Collins 2001 book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't. This was a New York Times bestseller. Jim's work has been featured in Fortune, Fast Company, Business Week, and Harvard Business Review.
Origins of Level 5 Leadership Model
The theory of Level 5 Leadership began when Jim and his research team began looking for commonalities of companies that became extraordinarily successfully and sustained that successful performance for years after initially reaching that point. The