Building Excellent Leadership

Jim Collins holds a business administration and mathematical sciences degree from Stanford University, and a PhD in management from the Claremont Graduate University. In 1995, he founded a management laboratory and began conducting research in corporate and social business atmospheres. He has authored several books, including ‘Built to Last’ and ‘Good to Great.’ 

In his speech, Collins reflects on what it means to be a Level V leader. Collins makes a convincing argument that leadership is not about personality. He says charisma should never be confused with leadership, and that it can only go so far before fizzling out. The key to effective leadership is humility. Not humility in the sense of weakness, but in the context of selflessness. Truly admirable leaders have an absolutely obsessed compulsive ambition that is not about personal gain. Those leaders have a focused ambition for a cause or a company, but not for themselves. This desire to succeed translates into a series of decisions which allow for efficient and excellent leadership.