Are you unintentionally being a cruel leader?
In my time as an Executive Trainer, I’ve had the chance to teach a lot of executives fundamental leadership skills. However, most executives contact me because their attention is torn between running the business and ensuring their team is made up of good leaders.
An easy way to find out if your team is made of good leaders is by asking a few questions. First, you’ve probably heard about “managing by walking around.” Tom Peters first coined it. It refers to managers spending some part of their time listening to problems and ideas of their staff while wandering around an office or plant.
Well, I advise people to check to see that what you’ve already put in place is working instead of listening to problems and searching for new ideas. Most of the companies listed on the “Best Places to Work” list have a few questions that tell a lot about how well their managers are leading and creating a high-performance inclusive workplace.
When I analyze them, I notice the top-performing companies have one thing in common. Their people report they are clear on the vision, have the resources necessary to do their job well, and take pride in their work.
Here are four questions you can ask at your next virtual meeting or as you’re walking around.
Do you have the tools and equipment to do your job well?
Do you feel like you’re trusted to do your job well?
Do you feel like management has a clear view of where the company is going and how we will get there?
What would you do, and who would you tell if there was a problem?
Here’s an idea for your next virtual meeting. Post these six questions in a poll and ask the attendees to answer them.
You might ask these three questions if you’re talking to people in smaller groups.
What have you done that makes you proud to work here?
Describe people who do well here?
What are the company goals for this year?
If nothing else, it will generate a discussion where you’ll learn a lot about how communication is filtering throughout your organization.
Sign up for the newsletter below so you don't miss out on the next blog post!