Last week I went to a most enjoyable lunch in London with some colleagues. But these were not from my current in house work, or even from all my time in private practice. These were colleagues from my earlier in house career many years ago. And we still meet up once a year, enjoy each other’s company and put the world to rights. However, this does not happen by chance. It is a tradition organised by one of my earlier bosses. Even back when I worked for him, he would go the extra mile and took great interest in and promoted the careers of all the lawyers who reported to him. Over my career I have been privileged to work for many different leaders in professional law firms and global businesses. I have learnt from all of these, but a few like this manager have been exceptional and recognised and fostered not just my career and abilities but those of all who had the privilege to work for them. And I believe they did this not just to improve their particular reputation or professional practice, but out of a real and genuine interest in improving us as lawyers and indeed as people and members of society.
AI suggests “A professional leader "going the extra mile" means actively exceeding expectations in their role by taking initiative, putting in extra effort beyond what's strictly required, and consistently demonstrating dedication to their team and organization's success, often by proactively solving problems, supporting colleagues, and actively seeking opportunities to improve outcomes, even if it means going above and beyond their normal duties.”
I very much agree with this and firmly believe that such an approach which involves this personal investment in the development of colleagues not only benefits the individuals involved, but enhances the ability of their professional function and ultimately the business or organisation as a whole. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t identified the five levels of leadership shown in the diagram above, culminating in “Level 5 Leaders - the Executive”. This rare brand are “leaders who are humble, ambitious and focused on the success of their team”. These are “Executives who have the unique capability to develop a company’s greatness through what Collins identifies as “a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.” See this article from Lesley University The Fundamentals of Level 5 Leadership which also observes “Level 4 and Level 5 leaders are distinguished by what they choose to do with their ambitions and talent. While Level 4 leaders may run successful companies, they tend to do so in an egotistical, self-fulfilling manner. On the other hand, Level 5 leaders run their companies in the spirit of service.”
And this is one of the key characteristics of these inspirational leaders - they are compassionate and understanding and do not seek to promote and prioritise their own interests. They are humble enough to welcome criticism and potential for improvement. I once met the CEO of an organisation I worked for at a law firm in London. I knew him well enough to approach, albeit rather nervously, to say hello and also tell him how much I appreciated an employee engagement event he had just run. He not only calmed my fears by welcoming me by name (great leaders like Bill Clinton have an amazing capacity to remember names) but also asked me to tell him if I thought there were things he could do better! As Jim Collins said:
“The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results.”
See this article Good To Great: The Key Traits Of Jim Collins Level 5 Leadership which suggests “The Jim Collins Level 5 leadership concept is unique because it is backed by sound empirical evidence from a 5-year research project, which debunked the conventional wisdom that only a larger-than-life charismatic leader could lead a company to greatness.” The approach is echoed in this article 12 Characteristics of a Good Leaderwhich says “A good leader should have integrity, self-awareness, courage, respect, compassion, and resilience. They should be learning agile and flex their influence while communicating the vision, showing gratitude, and collaborating effectively.”
While this article from the UK health industry perspective What is compassionate leadership? proposes that compassionate leaders “empathise with their colleagues and seek to understand the challenges they face; they are committed to supporting others to cope with and respond successfully to work challenges; and they are focused on enabling those they lead to be effective and thrive in their work”. It observes that “Compassionate leadership increases staff engagement and satisfaction, resulting in better outcomes for organisations including improved financial performance”.
Returning to the business world a Forbes article What Is Compassionate Leadership? suggests this is “the practice of using your head and heart to inspire and influence people so they can, in turn, inspire and influence others”. This “positively impacts productivity, employee and customer retention, profitability, and financial performance”. The leadership skills which contribute to this approach include being:
Understanding - Leadership isn’t only rational influencing. We lead human beings, and at the core of the human brain is the heart. Feelings need to be factored into leadership.
Empathising - feeling how it is for the other person without getting overwhelmed by all their feelings.
For me this sort of outstanding leadership is a core contributor to business success and the continuing evolution of professional practices.
As the Dalai Lama said: “When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience.”
While Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe the German polymath from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries observed that "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together."
For a concluding but enduring thought from ancient times "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." – Lao Tzu.
AI suggests “A professional leader "going the extra mile" means actively exceeding expectations in their role by taking initiative, putting in extra effort beyond what's strictly required, and consistently demonstrating dedication to their team and organization's success, often by proactively solving problems, supporting colleagues, and actively seeking opportunities to improve outcomes, even if it means going above and beyond their normal duties.”
I very much agree with this and firmly believe that such an approach which involves this personal investment in the development of colleagues not only benefits the individuals involved, but enhances the ability of their professional function and ultimately the business or organisation as a whole. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t identified the five levels of leadership shown in the diagram above, culminating in “Level 5 Leaders - the Executive”. This rare brand are “leaders who are humble, ambitious and focused on the success of their team”. These are “Executives who have the unique capability to develop a company’s greatness through what Collins identifies as “a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.” See this article from Lesley University The Fundamentals of Level 5 Leadership which also observes “Level 4 and Level 5 leaders are distinguished by what they choose to do with their ambitions and talent. While Level 4 leaders may run successful companies, they tend to do so in an egotistical, self-fulfilling manner. On the other hand, Level 5 leaders run their companies in the spirit of service.”
And this is one of the key characteristics of these inspirational leaders - they are compassionate and understanding and do not seek to promote and prioritise their own interests. They are humble enough to welcome criticism and potential for improvement. I once met the CEO of an organisation I worked for at a law firm in London. I knew him well enough to approach, albeit rather nervously, to say hello and also tell him how much I appreciated an employee engagement event he had just run. He not only calmed my fears by welcoming me by name (great leaders like Bill Clinton have an amazing capacity to remember names) but also asked me to tell him if I thought there were things he could do better! As Jim Collins said:
“The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results.”
See this article Good To Great: The Key Traits Of Jim Collins Level 5 Leadership which suggests “The Jim Collins Level 5 leadership concept is unique because it is backed by sound empirical evidence from a 5-year research project, which debunked the conventional wisdom that only a larger-than-life charismatic leader could lead a company to greatness.” The approach is echoed in this article 12 Characteristics of a Good Leaderwhich says “A good leader should have integrity, self-awareness, courage, respect, compassion, and resilience. They should be learning agile and flex their influence while communicating the vision, showing gratitude, and collaborating effectively.”
While this article from the UK health industry perspective What is compassionate leadership? proposes that compassionate leaders “empathise with their colleagues and seek to understand the challenges they face; they are committed to supporting others to cope with and respond successfully to work challenges; and they are focused on enabling those they lead to be effective and thrive in their work”. It observes that “Compassionate leadership increases staff engagement and satisfaction, resulting in better outcomes for organisations including improved financial performance”.
Returning to the business world a Forbes article What Is Compassionate Leadership? suggests this is “the practice of using your head and heart to inspire and influence people so they can, in turn, inspire and influence others”. This “positively impacts productivity, employee and customer retention, profitability, and financial performance”. The leadership skills which contribute to this approach include being:
- Contemplative. Take time to pause and deeply reflect, emerging wiser and more self-compassionate.
- Curious. Learn and listen proactively.
- Civil. Demonstrate respect when confronted with differing points of view and other challenges.
Understanding - Leadership isn’t only rational influencing. We lead human beings, and at the core of the human brain is the heart. Feelings need to be factored into leadership.
Empathising - feeling how it is for the other person without getting overwhelmed by all their feelings.
For me this sort of outstanding leadership is a core contributor to business success and the continuing evolution of professional practices.
As the Dalai Lama said: “When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience.”
While Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe the German polymath from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries observed that "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together."
For a concluding but enduring thought from ancient times "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." – Lao Tzu.
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