One problem that many engineers likely have with the idea of leadership is that it can seem ambiguous. What is leadership anyway? How can you tell someone is a leader? Engineers like me tend to do best with the quantifiable. We like facts, figures, and equations. Qualitative information, in comparison, seems pretty weak. Since leadership is a pretty squishy, qualitative idea, it’s tough to nail down what exactly a leader is made up of. Lucky for us, there are people out there who spend every waking hour trying to figure this out for us.

Enter Jim Collins

Jim Collins is one of the world’s foremost thinkers on what makes great companies and great leaders tick. He’s taught and conducted research at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, written several best-selling books (including a personal favourite: Good to Great), and founded his own management laboratory. Currently, he currently holds an appointment as the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at the US Military Academy at West Point.

Jim knows his shit.

One of my favourite ideas that Jim has promoted is the idea of Level 5 Leadership. In his study of some of the greatest companies of all time, he discovered that each of them were led by what he called Level5 leaders – people who define the epitome of corporate leadership.

What Makes Level 5 Leader?

A Level 5 Leader is a strange duck. What’s most surprising about Level 5 leaders is what they are not. They are not necessarily charismatic. They are not loud and boisterous. They’re not attention-seekers. They’re not the people you would expect them to be. Rather, they are typically shy and tend to credit others for successes. They are people who are able to balance a “deep personal humility with intense professional will”. These leaders, as Collins points out, are able to “build enduring greatness” by employing these character traits. (1) Level 5 leaders have laser-sharp focus on building excellent and enduring companies.

But Doesn’t This Just Apply to Executives?

This is where levels 1 through 4 come in. Collins associates Level 5 with executives, it’s true. You might be the best leader on earth, but if you’re still just a few years out of school, you’re likely not going to be in a position to “build an enduring company”. But – not to despair, dear reader. You have to start somewhere. And if you start your journey pointed in the right direction (i.e. Level 5 leadership), you’ll get there a lot faster.

Where you start is what Collins calls Level 1 (Highly Capable Individual) or maybe even Level 2 (Contributing Team Member). It’s important to remember the whole premise of this blog; you can be a leader at any level of experience. Collins backs this up by building levels 1 and 2 into his hierarchy. You need to take steps in the first years of your career to develop your leadership skills if you ever hope to develop into a Level 5 leader. Being  a Level 1 or 2 leader still makes you a leader in your own right.

Levels 1 and 2

So what constitutes Levels 1 and 2?

Level 1 – Highly Capable Individuals are exactly what you might expect. Level 1 leaders make “contributions through talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits” (1). This is something any engineer can do. By virtue of the fact that you’ve got a degree in engineering, you have skills and knowledge that’s worth contributing. Where most young engineers go off the rails is in assuming that they don’t have anything to contribute, and in poor work habits.

Level 2 – Contributing Team Members step their contributions up a notch such that their work is an important part of the success of their teams. This isn’t materially different from Level 1, I don’t think. This is more a matter of increasing the scope of your contributions.

Next steps

My challenge to you is to think about what contributions you’re making to your team versus what you could be contributing. Think about your work ethic and the kids of habits you have at the office. Make a plan for improving both and you’ll be sure to be on your way towards Levels 1 and 2 leadership.

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