Jim Collins Talks Greatness At Ingram Micro ONE
By The Business Solutions Network
Jim Collins’ books are pretty much required reading for the business world. The man’s works, including Good to Great, are highly regarded as some of the best continuing ed for aspiring business leaders. Last week I was lucky to be among the 2,000 Ingram Micro ONE attendees to be able to hear Collins speak for almost two hours. During that time, his presentation covered 12 questions to ask yourself, your team, and business that can help the business reach “greatness.”
For those not familiar with Collins, consider the following notes from just his first question: Are we going to strive for level 5 leadership?
Collins says that while researching successful and failed companies for Good to Great, he discovered that the x factor of top leadership isn’t personality. “Leadership and personality are two different things,” he says. “Most often, the best leaders are shy, reserved, soft-spoken, and have low charisma.”
He then shared a quote from James MacGregor Burns, saying that true leadership only exists if people follow when they otherwise have the freedom to not follow. Otherwise, it’s just power.
In his Good to Great research of organizations that were turned around and became great, Collins says he always found what he calls level 5 leaders. “The primary characteristic of those people able to transform from good to great, was not personality, charisma, or force, but humility.
He says they also display an unquenchable desire to learn and a dedication to service. “They don’t sell to customers,” he says, “they serve them.” These leaders have a deep will and ambition, but they’re channeled into something more important than the leaders themselves.
At West Point, Collins says he came across a single “best” sentence definition of what it means to lead. General Eisenhower said that leadership is the art of getting people to want to do what must be done.
Collins took this statement and looked at it in three parts. First, you have figure out what must be done. Part of leading is that, on the really big things, you have to be right. One way or the other, historical data validates that you make good decisions. Second, it’s not about getting people to do what must be done, but getting them to want to do what must be done. Three, it’s an art. What is your art? Every artist is different. Maybe your artistic ability is to get the right people around a table and to know the one question to ask them.
Collins explains that you can’t really copy art from other leaders. You have to find your own.
He concluded this point by saying that it’s a lot easier to get people to want to do what must be done if it’s not about you. “Why should the best people, give their best efforts, to serve you?” he asked rhetorically. “They need to serve the cause.”
That’s level 5 leadership.
Collins touched on many of the principles presented in Good to Great during his presentation, but he also included a lot of anecdotes and lessons new to even his greatest followers. Even if his core lessons were the same, getting a reminder from the guru himself was the highlight of the conference for many people.