5 Leadership Behaviors: How do you stack up?
Whether you’re a leader of an organization or a team, it’s important to take a look at how you’re tracking relative to key behaviors that leaders demonstrate. Ted Turner’s motto was, “Lead, follow, or get out of my way”. This served 
him well. The question is what behaviors do leaders need to demonstrate to give people a reason ‘to follow’? Here is my Top 5. Rate yourself on a scale from 1-5 on each.
Model the Way
Do you set a personal example of what you expect from others?
Do you spend time and energy making certain that people you work with adhere to the
principles and standard we have agreed on?
Do you follow through on the promises and commitments you make?
Do you ask for feedback on how your actions affect other people’s performance?
Do you build consensus around a common set of values for running our organization?
Are you clear about your philosophy of leadership?
Inspire a Shared Vision
Do you talk about future trends that will influence how work gets done?
Do you describe a compelling image of what our future could look like?
Do you appeal to others to share an exciting dream of the future?
Do you show others how their interests can be realized by enlisting in a common vision?
Do you paint the ‘big picture’ of what we aspire to accomplish?
Do you speak with genuine conviction about the higher meaning and purpose of our work?
Challenge the Process
Do you seek out challenging opportunities that test your own skills and abilities?
Do you challenge people to try out new and innovative ways to do their work?
Do you search outside the formal boundaries of your organization to new ways to improve?
Do you ask, “What can we learn?” when things don’t go as expected?
Do you make certain that achievable goals are set, concrete plans established, and measurable
milestones are defined for projects and programs?
Do you experiment and take risks, even when there is a chance of failure?
Enable Others to Act
Do you develop cooperative relationships among your people?
Do you actively listen to diverse points of view?
Do you treat others with dignity and respect?
Do you support the decisions that people make on their own?
Do you give people freedom and choice in deciding how to do their work?
Do you ensure that people grow in their jobs by learning new skills and developing themselves?
Encourage the Heart
Do you praise people for a job well done?
Do you make it a point to let people know about your confidence in their abilities?
Do you make sure that people are creatively rewarded for their contributions to our success?
Do you publicly recognize people who exemplify commitment to shared values?
Do you find ways to celebrate accomplishments?
Do you give members of the team lots of appreciation and support for their contributions?
If you scored between
120-150….Congratulations! You are the leader we all aspire to be and want to work for!
90-120….You are on the right track! Keep practicing!
60-90 ….There is work to be done! Read, learn, integrate, apply!
<60 …..You may want to consider getting a coach or exploring other roles! Life is too short.
- When Women Thrive, Businesses Grow - February 23, 2017
- How to Make Meaningful Offline Connections in an Online World - December 29, 2016
- Your Prospect Has 3 Brains. Which One Are You Selling To? - November 8, 2016