Level 5 Leaders: Jim Collins

In Collins written piece Good to Great, Collins discusses different levels of leadership. It is worth highlighting the significance of Level 5 leaders, in which Collins describes noteworthy individuals as leaders who "embodies a paradoxical mix" or both "personal humility and professional will". They are ambitious, but for the company, not themselves.

Collins explicates that Level 5 leaders display "set up their successors for even greater success in the next generation". This demonstrates that Level 5 leaders should play a huge role in the growth and development of their "followers", in efforts to create more leaders. This demand for attention towards "followers" is mandatory in situational leadership. Ultimately, leaders must assess anyone situation in the work environment in order to establish the most appropriate leadership style to fully develop their associates based on their individual levels of maturity (in task development and psychological development).

This also demands that leaders be flexible in adjusting their leadership style on a case-by-case scenario, which can be defined as a reflective trait of another Level 5 leader quality that Collin provides; workmanship. The extent to which a Level 5 leader works is comparable to that of a "workhorse", not a "showhorse", elucidating once again that Level 5 Leaders are not their to polish themselves, but rather get down to the raw hard work required for success.