Level 5 leaders most definitely use the situational leadership theory to effectively address different situations and people. The three components of situational leadership: the leader, the follower, and the situation, must all be taken into consideration to successfully follow the model. Level 5 leaders are able to approach the follower with the appropriate behaviors based on their analysis of the situation. As Colins states in his book, Good to Great, “level 5 leaders set up their successors for even greater success in the next generations.” With a focus on others rather than oneself, level 5 leaders pay attention to their follower’s development and do not ever stop developing the business and its employees.

 

Level 5 Leaders build companies from good to great through a mix of personal humility and profession will. They look at factors outside themselves when things go well and look internally when things go poorly. How are level five leaders consistent with the notion that leadership is about the leader, the follower, and the situation?

 

An example to show how level 5 leaders use situational leadership theory is shown in chapter 2 of Good to Great when Darwin Smith chose to sell the mills of Kimberly-Clark. Smith stated, "I never stopped trying to become qualified for the job." This quote reveals Smith's ability to tolerate humility, an identifiable trait of a level 5 leader. He was self-aware, and even as a CEO, he knew that he did not know all there was to know. His work ethic was unimaginable. Even when losing a finger one day on the job or while battling with cancer, Smith truly never stopped leading. He is an inspiring level 5 leader who channeled his ego away and spent his life building a great company, eventually retiring and leaving the company at its best for the next successor. What differentiates a level 4 leader from a level 5 leader or a good company from a great one, is that level 5 leaders set their successors (followers) up for success. They have a true want to see the company succeed far beyond their reign.

 

Also, in chapter 4, Collins discusses motivation. He writes, "Not because vision is unimportant, but because expending energy trying to motivate people is largely a waste of time." If you implement findings and facts into your behavior, then you will spend much less time motivating people. Collins then states, "If you have the right people on the bus, they will be self-motivated." Using the situational leadership theory, a leader must be able to transition from one leadership style to another based on their followers and the situation. The model goes from a telling or directive approach to a delegating approach as a follower develops within the company. A great leader develops the competence and commitment of their followers so they’re eventually self-motivated and can be delegated a task without the need for direction and guidance. A key point discussed in the book is the idea of getting the right people on the bus, the wrong ones off the bus, and then making sure the right people are in the right seats in order to drive the bus.  This idea shows a leader developing and investing in their employees as assets. The level 5 leaders do not just lead on way. They get to know their employees, where they are within the company, their strengths, and their weaknesses, to develop them into a motivated and competent follower.