GOOD TO GREAT/COLLINS 31-35

32 Ten out of eleven gtg CEO's came from inside the company, three of them by family inheritance. The comparison companies turned to outsiders with six times greater frequency--yet failed to produce sustained great results.

35 Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly.

SUMMARY: THE TWO SIDES OF LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP

PROFESSIONAL WILL
Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the transition from gtg.
Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult.
Sets the standard of building an enduring great company; will settle for nothing less.
Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to apportion responsibility for poor results, never blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck.
PERSONAL HUMILITY
Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation; never boastful.
Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate.
Channels ambition into the company, not the self; sets up successors for even greater success in the next generation.
Looks out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company--to other people, external factors, and good luck.

The first category consists of people who could never in a million years bring themselves to subjugate their egoistic needs to the greater ambition of building something larger and more lasting than themselves.

The great irony is that the animus and personal ambition that often drive people to positions of power stand at odds with the humility required for Level 5 leadership. When you combine that irony with the fact that boards of directors frequently operate under the false belief that they need to hire a larger-than-life, egocentric leader to make an organization great, you can quickly see why Level 5 leaders rarely appear at the top of our institutions.