As part of our Executive Coaching process or our Leadership programs, we regularly take our clients through a variety of assessments to help give them perspective on exactly where they stand as leaders, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Believe me, it is not for the faint-hearted — but it is for those who are serious about being great at what they do.
How do you know where you stand as a leader and how effective you are in your role? What are your measures for success and how often do you consider them? One of the best ways to know how you are doing is to get specific feedback from your boss and from your direct reports on areas that are important to you. The truth is, we all need to get feedback even though it can be difficult to hear. In “Good to Great”, Jim Collins revealed that confronting the brutal facts was key in enabling leaders to take their companies from good to great.
Do you regularly give feedback? Do you regularly ask for feedback? The most robust feedback is behavioral and given with an example of exactly what you are talking about. Such as: “You did an exceptional job on that report. It had no mistakes, was thorough and answered exactly the points we needed it to answer in order to move forward.” Or “When I give you corrective feedback you tend to defend your position vs. listening to what is said and considering how it could be improved. For example yesterday you cut off your colleague in our meeting and then later argued why it was appropriate vs. considering how you could have been more diplomatic while still leading an effective meeting.”
It’s much easier to give feedback that is positive vs. corrective — though people tell me on a regular basis that feedback is rarely given at all! And for the record, your performers are dying for feedback. The irony is that your best people get the least amount of love and attention from you. Sadly, the squeaky wheels get the lion’s share of attention.
If you do decide to move forward and use assessments with yourself and your team–please be acutely aware that they carry a powerful punch. They can be extremely effective in helping you and your team identify talents and liabilities. But they can be devastating to people as well. Be sure to bring in an expert who knows how to interpret the reports in ways that serve you and your team, plus helps you each get better vs. undermining morale!
