How To Quickly Measure Your Progress As A Leader

It’s a question all serious leaders ask themselves from time to time… “Am I a better leader now than I was _______________ (insert period of time)?” And while there are any number of formal tools to measure your improvement as a leader, sometimes you just want a quick way to evaluate your progress.

Here are four simple yet powerful questions you can ask yourself anytime to assess your progress in leading your team:

How am I creating an environment that allows everyone on my team to deliver their best work?
As a survey from TINYpulse shows, employees are motivated by different factors. Do you know the keystone motivation for each member of your team? Do you take into consideration different generational preferences with regards to communication, meetings, and recognition? Have you made every effort to secure the resources your team members need to do their job well?

Where am I cultivating stronger relationships?
Do you know your team members better than you did a year ago? Have you built stronger connections to other leaders in your organization? Are you seeking to grow your professional network to serve as a resource to improve your leadership skills?

Am I open to change?
Have you become too comfortable with the status quo? Do you seek out those with a differing opinion than yours to challenge your thinking? When is the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to explore a new way of doing something?

What are some instances of me celebrating specific achievements of members of my team?
As Joseph Folkman writes in his insightful article, Everything Counts, “Everything a leader does, every day, impacts their employees. If a leader would take even a few minutes to ask people how they’re doing, thank them and encourage them to do more; that effort counts.” With the incredible expectations placed on today’s leaders, it’s easy to get desensitized to what’s going on around you and only celebrate major milestones.

If you have to think long and hard about the last time you celebrated an “inch pebble” with a member of your team, you may need to be more intentional about noticing their work.

What are some quick ways you use to evaluate how you are doing as a leader?

About The Author
Jones’ abiding commitment to the leadership development of his clients results in their team members being more agile and productive, undeterred by challenges and change. Working cohesively and supported by innovative yet practical tools, groups experience less stress, more balance, and reach higher levels of satisfaction and achievement.

Why not partner with him to accomplish this for your organization?