An observation

Reading a book called Good to Great by a guy named Jim Collins. I highly recommend it.

When discussing leadership qualities that set great companies apart from merely good companies, Collins notes the common factor of "Level 5 leaders." The name is generic because his research team had trouble coming up with a name that encompassed the "paradoxical duality" of these types of leaders.

Level 5 leaders demonstrate a blend of strong professional will and personal humility. This is called "the two sides of Level 5 leadership."

Here is a quote from the book:

Professional will:

Creates superb results, demonstrates unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult, sets the standard of building an enduring great company, will settle for nothing less.

Personal Humility:

Demonstrates compelling modesty, shunning public adulation, acts with quiet, calm determination, relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate, channels ambition into the company, not the self.

These two traits were particularly noticeable when compared side-by-side with companies who demonstrated similar growth, but no enduring greatness. The CEOs of these did not demonstrate personal modesty, and their professional will was strong as long as it was self-protective.

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The researchers found the blend of strong will and personal humility "paradoxical," but they were mistaken. In fact, humility takes courage, boldness, and is far harder than pride. There is a weakness in pride in that it is generally the easiest decision. Pride is what we naturally pursue, and thus it takes a strong will to act against it.

Think of Christ...humility and strength are full in him...his strength was found in submitting. Submitting to God is hard.

Anyways, I had profundity in my brain tonight, but my writing is muddled, imperfectly expressed. This is ground I've tread before.