Reflection Activity
Week 5
James McCarty
After reading the articles, address the following with a comment, 500 words or greater:


What is the most likely pitfall of a Level 5 leader trying to develop a strong
relationship with a CEO?
How would the skills of a Level 5 leader help a CDO develop a strong relationship
with a CEO?
You are welcome to reply to other students' comments, but only your original comment will
be graded.
After reading the articles, the most likely pitfall of a Level 5 Leader (L5L) whom is
trying to develop a strong relationship with a CEO would be the probable disagreement in
leadership styles. As Jim Collins states in his book, most CEO’s are hired for their “celebrity”
personas. This is what he describes as a level 4 leader. These types of leaders are generally very
egocentric. This would be the exact opposite of a L5L. The comparison that he states fits
perfectly for this example that a L5L would be categorized as a work horse, where a L4L (CEO
in this instance) would be the show pony.
The L5L is a selfless individual who takes no credit for accomplishments, but puts all the
blame on themself during problematic times. This would most likely not correlate with the
CEO’s egocentric mindset. As an example, let say that there is a problem the company is trying
to solve. A CEO would pursue problems from a personal outlook. They would be trying to
understand what they personally could do to alleviate the issues at hand, whereas the L5L would
view things from a much more holistic approach. The L5L would decide what is best for the
company overall. I believe that the perfect “real world” example of this is the difference of
culture between that of Japan, as being compared to the United States. Japan would be the L5L
and the US would be the CEO. Japan has a very holistic approach; what is best for the
community. Whereas, the US has a much more individualized approach; what is best for me.
Neither of these different approaches is better, they are just different. In regards to the scenario at
hand, it is very difficult for both Japanese and American Citizen to assimilate within the opposite
culture, just as it would be for a CEO and L5L to develop a strong relationship. Neither one is
better, they are just different from one another.
The skills of a L5L would greatly help a CDO develop a strong relationship with a CEO.
Some of the most important qualities that a CDO can have are being a motivator, a dedicated
professional, a leader, and a manager. A L5L believes in their company and its pursuit. This is
vital as the role of a CDO, because if you (the CDO) don’t believe you can accomplish you goal,
why would anyone else in the organization. Another important quality is being a dedicated
professional. This entails being completely committed to the occupation. The benefit of the
occupation is far more important than one’s personal benefit. This is an extremely important trait
for CDO’s in large organizations. When there are many people working underneath them, and
everyone is all pursuing the same goal, there is a much greater appreciation to hear “We did it!”
as opposed to “I (the CDO) did it!”. The roles of being a leader and a manager go hand in hand
with being a successful L5L. My personal motto for being a good leader is that to be a good
Reflection Activity
Week 5
James McCarty
leader, you need to be a good follower. When I say this, I mean that goods leaders follow what
will be best suited for the group that they are leading. I believe that my definition of a leader is
paralleled with that of a L5L. This would correlate perfectly to the position of being a CDO.
All the skills listed suggest why a L5L would be a good CDO. This individual would help
develop a strong relationship with a CEO for the opposite reasoning I explained above. In a
sense, the CDO is the work horse, Japan, holistic; whereas the CEO is the show pony, America,
egocentric. As I stated above neither one is bad, they are just different. In the previous example
the two different styles of leadership would clash, however in these different roles, they would
be able to assimilate beautifully. The job duties, outlooks, and mindsets differ, which can be used
as a benefit. The perfect example of this would be two magnets, if they are positioned the same
way, their forces repel one another, but if one is flipped they attract one another. There are
different styles of leadership, and in the right instances they can work together to amply each
other’s qualities.