An unorthodox Level 5 leader

Last week we talked about leadership’s five levels.
Today, we’ll talk about a true Level 5 leader.
Darwin Smith may not be a familiar name.
He may not even look like a Level 5 leader.
Darwin was a mild-mannered in-house lawyer.
Then he was elevated to CEO of Kimberly-Clark.
Kimberly-Clark was a stodgy paper company.
Its stock had dropped 36% behind the market.
His board had misgivings about their choice.
Darwin Smith had misgivings, too.
Darwin was modest. He praised his people.
He accepted the blame if things went wrong.
Why was Darwin a Level 5 leader?
Because he was willing to accept challenges.
He took on one of the nation’s largest companies.
His competitor was giant Procter & Gamble.
Then he was diagnosed with nose and throat cancer.
His doctors gave him a year to live.
When he told his board, he said he had a plan.
He flew weekly from Wisconsin to Houston for therapy.
He kept up a demanding work schedule.
Then he and his team took a huge gamble.
Tomorrow, I’ll tell you the rest of Darwin Smith’s story.
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