Four Grades Your Team Gives You Every Day, Whether You Ask Them or Not
Your employees are grading you daily on four foundational elements of leadership. Here is the scorecard — and why the people closest to the market are best placed to fill it in.
There is an expanding body of research on leadership that I find interesting to study and reflect upon. Great leaders are students of leadership and I encourage leaders at every level to make the study of leadership an ongoing part of their personal development. Leaders who learn and adapt to changing conditions in this age of geopolitical uncertainty, technological advancement, and accelerating disruption will clearly have an edge. This learning must be kept in the context of the mission and purpose of the institution and always in service to customers. In this pursuit of understanding the latest trends in leadership, it is important not to overlook the timeless fundamentals of what it takes to be great. Too often leaders get distracted by the latest shiny penny or perceived existential threat to the business and lose focus on what Stephen Covey’s calls, “Keeping the main thing the main thing.”
Who is best placed to grade you
Who is in the greatest position to give leaders insight into these leadership fundamentals? Employees…especially those who interact with the marketplace on a daily basis. Ask your employees to grade you on the following four important foundational elements of leadership:
- This leader articulates a vision and strategy that is clear and inspires tremendous discretionary effort towards mission.
- This leader has created the organizational capacity and expertise required to win in the marketplace.
- This leader creates an environment where capable teams are encouraged to take risks and make decisions at market speed.
- This leader cares deeply about the team.
I would argue that positive scores in these four areas are the essential legs to the stool of any successful institution in any environment. In order to get high grades across-the-board there are several levers that must be executed, and industry, culture, and business cycle matter a great deal in creating a winning game plan.
If you want a candid read on how your leadership is actually landing with your team, that is precisely what the Leadership Impact Snapshot is built to surface. Request an introduction to go deeper on how to apply this model to your situation.