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Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and it has been the key to everything I’ve done from the outset. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin’s success. - Richard Branson

I live outside of Chicago.  In these parts it's been 1985 for over 20 years and Mike Ditka is the patron saint of football.  The deification of Ditka is so complete that when asked to pick between Mike Ditka, who last coached the Bears in 1992 and won one Super Bowl in 1985, and Lovie Smith, the current coach who guided the Bears to a Division Championship last season and has the team off to a 6-0 start this year, my 11 year old son couldn't believe anyone wouldn't pick Ditka.

There is no arguing Mike Ditka's love for the Bears.  He had a Hall of Fame playing career for the team and was hand picked by George Halas to coach the team shortly before Halas died.  In short, Ditka wouldn't be Ditka without the Bears - and the Bears would be something less without him.

But what was Mike Ditka's legacy?  Did he create anything enduring, besides his own legend?  The numbers say no, but I'm sure he would disagree.  No doubt he would point to the countless hours he spent preparing his team.  But the leaders Jim Collins identifies in "Good To Great" as Level 5 leaders aren't measured by time spent in the film room.  Rather they show themselves through what Collins describes as a "paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will".

Regular readers will recognize this as the spot for my obligatory John Wooden homage.  Coach Wooden was a prototypical Level 5 leader, humble and willful, but I'm more interested in exploring the contrasting leaders Collins describes, the ego-centric leader.

Collins labels those leaders Level 4.  This implies they are less successful than a Level 5 leader, but that doesn't fully capture the difference.  The difference isn't their immediate success, but rather the way they lead and the type of organization they create and ultimately leave behind.  Mike Ditka was certainly successful, but he didn't leave the Bears with an enduring legacy and he didn't leave his imprint on the NFL with dozens of former assistants running teams.  Collins profiles some wildly successful Level 4 CEOs, such as Lee Iacocca.  They were all very successful, but the success didn't endure because they put the needs of their own egos in front of the enduring success of the organization.

Collins wrote an article about the Rock Star CEO.  Replace CEO with Head Coach and you are reading about many of the celebrity coaches prowling the sidelines of today's professional — and college — leagues.

There is perhaps no more corrosive trend to the health of our organizations than the rise of the celebrity CEO, the rock-star leader whose deepest ambition is first and foremost self-centric.

This trend works it's way down to kid's sports.  Level 4 coaches view the games as a personal validation and aren't willing to trust the outcome to a bunch of kids.  Rather than teach by asking questions a Level 4 coach will direct and stage manage kids.  A Level 4 coach is more likely to view the outcome of each game as the only valid measuring stick to progress, where a Level 5 coach recognizes player development leads to a better overall team and more wins.

Truth be told, most of us aren't Level 5 — or even 4s.  Most of are probably about a 3 on Collins' leadership pyramid — Competent Manager.

Organized people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

I don't think that is a bad standard to reach.  However we can each strive to include more Level 5 thinking in our coaching.  Maintain a healthy perspective and remember your primary goal; strive to make every player better; and be firm in doing what you know is right. 

I've identified a Level 4 coach - Mike Ditka and a Level 5 coach - John Wooden.  Can you think of any other coaches that fit either type?