July Newsletter Recap
# 1 – Teams don’t develop on their own. They need you and your leadership to become a high-performing team.
# 2 – Teams need “standards.” It’s up to YOU to define the team standards.
# 3 – Leaders challenge, stretch, and hold their team accountable. Make team development a consistent priority and hold people accountable for being a better team during every meeting.
(803 words = 6.2-minute read)
Hello Leaders! This month’s newsletter delves into “perception”—your teams, bosses, and your own. Cheers!
Point # 1 – Perception is Reality
Let’s say you want to attempt to become a better leader. You are good at leading some people, but others challenge you, and you desire to be great. If you want to improve your effectiveness, receiving feedback is essential. One of the best methods to gather comprehensive feedback is by using a 360-degree leadership assessment.
When I ask participants if the data in their assessment report is “the truth,” they often hesitate and say, “uh, well, maybe.”I shock them by saying, “it’s not 100% of the truth,” but it is precious because it is people’s perceptions of your leadership strengths and opportunities. More importantly, it’s their reality.
For a leader, understanding the perceptions of those they are trying to lead is crucial. It’s uncommon for self-assessments to align perfectly with the ratings from others, whether from direct reports or peers. Although you lead both groups, each requires a different approach, and peers often present more of a challenge to lead.
The most challenging alignment is often with your boss. In most assessment reports I review, there are usually one or two priorities that match, while the rest can differ significantly.
Ask Yourself: “How am I perceived as a leader?”
Point # 2 – Blind Spots
If you had a blind spot, would you want to know it? Many people initially say yes, but when I press them, I ask: if it is truly a blind spot, why would you want to know about it? They don’t always have a good answer. The reasonable answer is that if it is affecting my leadership effectiveness and hurting my team somehow, I would want to know about it. Approximately twenty to thirty percent of leaders have some form of a blind spot. In some organizations, it is more than that.
You might be wondering about why I am bringing this topic up. A blind spot is more than just something we are not doing that could make us better leader. It often negatively impacts how other people perceive your leadership, such that they don’t follow you or allow your leadership to influence them. They might go through the motions and pretend to follow your lead, but they are not fully engaged. Your level of leadership effectiveness might be considered in the bottom third of all leaders because of the blind spot.
Ask Yourself: Do I have any indication that I might have a blind spot? How can I be sure?
Point # 3 – What Should You Do?
Many leaders don’t think they need to get an assessment of their leadership effectiveness. They must believe they are already good leaders and don’t desire to improve. During my career as a leader, I saw how well I led impacted my opportunity to serve others. And if I could become a better leader, that would have a dramatic impact on how much that team could accomplish.
If you are one of those leaders who wants to improve, the first thing to do is get feedback. You can ask people for feedback when you meet with them. Or you can send out a survey and ask people to provide insights. You can also have a consultant or coach conduct interviews on your behalf. Lastly, the best way to get actionable feedback is to use a high-quality 360-degree assessment. I utilize Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leader assessment, which does a fantastic job at providing feedback based on nineteen leadership differentiating competencies.
Once you have feedback, you can develop a plan to become a better leader. You likely go to your dentist and doctor once a year for a checkup and physical. If you treat your teeth and your body that way, why not treat your leadership similarly? If you haven’t gotten any meaningful feedback to understand others’ perceptions, make a goal to do so this year.
Ask Yourself: How can I get the feedback I need to become a better leader?
Want to help a good leader be great? Refer them to me, and I will help them get an assessment.
Want to Go Deeper?
- The Extraordinary Leader – Zenger Folkman
- Assessment: What’s Your Leadership Style – by Karen West, Elliott Stixrud, and Brian Reger HBR June 25, 2015
- 8-Minute Strengths Assessment – Zenger Folkman
Please forward this newsletter to a friend or colleague. Thank you!