Enduring leadership is a characteristic of a great leader. Truly great leaders, what leadership gurus would call a Pinnacle Level or Level Five leader leave behind their leadership when they are done leading.
They leave it behind in the form of leaders they have helped build. That’s why you can’t truly declare someone a Pinnacle Level leader until they are at or near the end of their leadership career.
You see, good leaders are judged by what they do; great leaders are judged by what gets done when they are not leading anymore. A truly great leader’s leadership outlasts them.
If you lead any kind of organization and nothing of you or your leadership remains when you leave the building for the last time then your leadership was of the common variety. Pinnacle or Level Five leaders are not at all common, in fact they are the most uncommon leaders of all.
They have not only built a solid follower-ship, they have built outstanding leaders who will carry forth their legacy and very likely build more leaders of their own. It is not a coincidence that Pinnacle Level leaders have almost all been led at some point in their career by another Pinnacle Level leader.
If your ultimate leadership goal is to become a Pinnacle Level leader then you’re likely to fall short of your goal. Achieving recognition as a top level leader is seldom the goal of a Pinnacle Level leader, their goal is to make a difference in the life of their organization and the lives of the people they lead within it.
Achieving Pinnacle or Level Five Leadership Status is merely a byproduct of their commitment to their people.
Motives matter when it comes to leadership. You don’t build more leaders to reach the Pinnacle Level of leadership, you reach the Pinnacle Level of leadership by building more leaders.
Thank you for these timely and insightful points. I shared this, in its entirety, with the staff and on my personal social media page today , in honor of women that lead on this – National WOmen’s Day.
Thanks for sharing my post, I’m glad you found it useful!
This article is very validating having just left an organization. My message has always been to take care of people and the rest will take care of itself! This was a timely message for me! Thank you!
Thanks Bryan, I agree 100%, putting people first always works!
Couldn’t agree with you more ! Very true. If only politicians could understand this !
I think you have a great message for leaders everywhere. I always believed that my team members, and their career development, were one of my most important responsibilities as a leader.