The myth of the “great man” is alive and well as a romantic concept inside the corporate world. These individuals, the mythology asserts, are hard chargers with big egos that know how to get results and do not suffer fools. They are “larger than life” change agents who leave a big wake as they achieve big things in bold ways. Too bad it is not really true.
There was a time where business leaders, especially high profile CEOs were celebrated for their near rock star status. Jack Welch is the most notable of the group. And while Jack’s results while at the helm of GE were undoubtedly superb, his style was atypical when compared to a peer group of most successful business leaders.
Jim Collins, as part of the extensive research for his best seller Good To Great, refutes the myth of the “larger than life” CEO. Collins researched 1,435 Fortune 500 companies and identified 11 that achieved greatness over a long period of time. He defined greatness as achieving stock returns that exceeded the market average by three times over a fifteen year period. He determined that there was only one attribute that the 11 companies had in common, the presence of a “Level 5″ leader. Here is where it gets really interesting.
These leaders were not what anyone would have expected. They were not famous. They were not high profile. They did not do commercials. They sought no celebrity. They did not publish memoirs in the hopes of political office one day. They were not egomaniacs. As a matter of fact, you probably never heard of any of them.
Oddly enough, they were humble. Collins discussed the simple concept of “windows and mirrors” as relates to these leaders. That is, they look out the window to give credit and into the mirror for blame. They did not like to speak of themselves or their accomplishments. But they were also fiercely resolved to get results. They stayed focused on long-term objectives and did whatever was necessary to attain them. They were interested in something bigger than themselves.
So if you are interested in becoming a truly great leader in your business, do yourself a favor and park your ego at the door. Take a lesson from the Level 5 leaders and focus on the things that matter most, none of which outgrow your ego. Yes, there are plenty of egomaniacs in leadership positions. But that does not make them leaders, at least not the most successful ones.