10 Seconds to Take Your Leadership From Good to Great
Are You A Good Leader, Or Can Your Take It Further?? These were among the key questions pondered by researcher, author and speaker Jim Collins during his five-year research that culminated in the global bestseller Good To Great.
He observed that leaders of successful companies began not by considering where they wanted to head but by recruiting the appropriate personnel for each team.
1. Be humble.
Augustine placed great value in humility as an essential virtue for leaders today, and all leaders should seek to emulate it. Humble people recognize their own shortcomings and seek ways to address them through constructive feedback and self-reflection. Furthermore, humble individuals admit when mistakes have been made–something Augustine often did as evidence that he prioritized company success over personal pride.
Humility doesn’t equate to lack of confidence; rather, it requires being open-minded enough to let other team members take credit for your successes. At work, humble people usually show kindness toward those they supervise who may be less senior while making time to listen and understand all opinions on a daily basis.
Good-to-great leaders exude humility as they recognize that who’s on their bus is far more important than where it goes (Good to Great, Collins 2001).
2. Be disciplined.
Disciplined leaders possess high levels of personal responsibility, making the right choices when under pressure. They deliver on commitments and meet promises made. Disciplined leaders thrive when there is structure and routine within their teams – creating an environment of accountability.
Collins notes that good-to-great companies typically begin their transitions by hiring and firing the appropriate personnel – even before forming their new strategies – understanding that people always come first in any transformation process. They understood that people were always more important than what strategies would look like.
Jim Collins has written several leadership books, such as the #1 bestseller Good to Great; Built to Last (which examines what makes lasting greatness possible); How the Mighty Fall (which examines why once great companies sometimes collapse); and Turning the Flywheel. Additionally, he leads a research laboratory dedicated to studying leadership.
3. Be open.
As an open leader, they can recognize opportunities from varying sources and accept opinions of others fairly. This strength enables leaders to break out of their normal thinking patterns and generate innovative solutions.
Jim Collins discovered through his ‘Good to Great’ study that great companies prioritized people over strategy. This meant recruiting the appropriate employees onto their bus while disassociating themselves from those not necessary, then moving those they considered indispensable off. Once these processes had taken place, they focused on finding out where best to drive it before figuring out a route plan for driving it.
Good-to-great companies were also rigorous in firing bad employees while showing commitment towards those needing support, showing an unwavering commitment towards company success.
4. Be honest.
Most people desire honest leadership. An honest leader’s honesty is the cornerstone of relationship-building and followship, often appearing as the driving factor behind success stories of good-to-great companies. Honesty also builds trust, which is vital in productive work environments; trust starts at the top and is demonstrated through personal behavior, quality decisions made and open communications among its followers.
Honesty can be difficult for leaders, requiring an emotional vulnerability that may be difficult to show. Sometimes it can be easier to tell white lies or avoid discussions altogether – however this short-sighted thinking could cause larger problems down the road; honesty provides a means of preventing this and leading to ethical behaviors within an organization.
5. Be courageous.
Courage may be most often associated with heroic, life-or-death situations, but it’s essential to recognize that courage also takes different forms in business settings. A calculated risk taken with the intention to do good for oneself, your colleagues or the planet can be considered courageous behavior.
A division vice president speaks out against corruption at the highest levels of his company, while a young manager refuses to work on her boss’s pet project for fear it would discredit the organization.
Both actions require courage that may cost you your job, yet are essential parts of being a Level 5 leader. Workplace environments offer similar bravery-building opportunities – for instance calling up prospective clients or asking your boss for promotions – BetterUp coaches can assist with building up the courage necessary for taking these risks.
6. Be flexible.
Being flexible helps you adapt to new circumstances and adjust to change more effectively, and is essential in finding work-life balance. Being adaptable also enables you to see alternate solutions to problems, which is essential in becoming an effective leader.
Good to Great finds that companies that manage to transition from good to great are those able to face harsh realities while remaining true to their core vision. They know what factors they can control and are unafraid to trust their instincts.
Level 5 Leadership is a paradoxical combination of personal humility and professional will. Studies have revealed that successful leaders at good-to-great companies tend to be self-effacing, reserved, even shy; yet they possess an overwhelming drive to succeed and inspire their teams with inspiring standards rather than big names as motivators.
7. Be creative.
Jim Collins has an unparalleled talent for breaking complex ideas down into easily digestible bites. His bestselling Good to Great explores why some companies achieve greatness while others don’t; Built to Last explores why some organizations remain visionary throughout generations; while Great by Choice delves deeper into leadership behaviors for thriving under chaos and uncertainty.
Good to Great is an essential reminder that great leaders prioritize people over strategy. They work tirelessly to get the right people on board (while getting rid of those they should not), before considering where it goes next.
He likens Hedgehog Concept leadership to pushing a massive, heavy flywheel with each turn – eventually it gains enough momentum to start spinning on its own. This is at the core of what the Hedgehog Concept stands for.
8. Be authentic.
Being authentic means staying true to yourself and staying true to your values, principles and core beliefs. Being willing to distinguish yourself can sometimes be challenging – early experiences may have taught some that it is safer and simpler for them to conform.
Authenticity is an integral component of leadership that allows leaders to inspire followers. If leaders appear untrustworthy or are inauthentic in any way, their followers quickly lose trust in them and stop trusting what they say.
Jim Collins believes that successful companies begin by hiring the right people, then setting an overall direction. Leaders with great character follow their inner nudges and make decisions that match with their values; Brene Brown provides helpful strategies on becoming more authentic through daily self-reflection and bravery practices such as this download from her.
9. Be humble.
Humility is an underrated virtue. While it may sound biblical in nature, every leader needs humility in their character.
Humble people recognize their limitations and seek to learn from others, sharing what they know with the organization in order to facilitate its success. Furthermore, these individuals recognize everyone should be treated equally and strive to minimize biases and inequities within their company.
An humble person does not feel compelled to brag about their accomplishments and will only reveal this information if specifically asked for. When they make mistakes, they recognize them quickly and take steps to rectify it rather than self-pitying about them; instead they use each misstep as an opportunity for personal growth. Companies that aim for greatness typically feature leaders with this characteristic at the helm, as well as unit leaders.
10. Be courageous.
Courageous leaders demonstrate conviction in all they do, adhering to core beliefs and values that shape their actions even when those actions may have adverse repercussions. They demonstrate integrity by adhering to both letter and spirit of law.
One effective strategy to build courage is imagining both what might go wrong if you take an unknown risk and the outcome if nothing were done at all. Doing this can help overcome fear and allow you to consider risks you wouldn’t otherwise.
To build courage within yourself and your clients, identify an area in your life where courage will be required and break it down into smaller steps – for instance reaching out to an old colleague whose work you admire, or reaching out to your boss about salary matters are both worthy goals.
