During a recent chat with Gini Dietrich, we were talking about how the majority of leadership resources and articles are geared toward CEOs and other upper level executives and managers. What about Generation Y? Are we supposed to sit back and wait to see if our career leads us to CEO level in order to be a leader? I don’t think so. Level 5 leaders need level 5 employees, and there is a lot that Gen Y employees can do to help lead their organizations forward.

Last year, Gini wrote an article on CEO Leadership Skills: What Does It Take To Be Level 5? Level 5 leadership, coined by business consultant Jim Collins, refers to the peak of a hierarchy of leadership characteristics. I read a couple of Collins’ books in graduate school (“Built to Last” and “Good to Great”) and learned all about how CEOs can achieve “tip top” leadership status. Fabulous, but I am not a CEO. Most of us are not. I challenge each of you to rephrase Collins and ask yourself what it takes to be a level 5 employee. (more…)