If You Say Yes to Any of These 3 Questions, Your Leadership Skills Are Better Than Those of Most Managers

The Future of Leadership series invites conversations and the sharing of ideas between business leaders. Subscribe here to receive future editions directly in your feed and inbox.

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Ever worked for a leader who was so inspiring and gifted, your memories of how he or she took care of the team remain vivid to this day?

Chances are, the reason you still talk about this leader from years past is because of how he or she made you feel. 

Renowned poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou famously stated, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." 

3 questions to assess your leadership skills

Leadership is a matter of the head and the heart--it's about results and relationships. So, if you're in a leadership role now or aspiring to one, the journey toward leadership greatness never ends. But it does have a starting point.

And sometimes the beginning of the journey requires some tough questions you need to ask yourself to raise your own bar. Can you answer yes to any -- and hopefully all -- of these?

1. Are you approachable? 

Before you assume you're fit to lead, this is an important question to ask. Because if you're going to lead, you need to be approachable. If you're not, it could hurt your leadership in several ways: 

• Your employees may be less willing to share information for fear of disapproval;
• your team members may be disconnected from you; and
• your team members will fear taking ownership of their work, and will only look to you for answers.

To be approachable means promoting a culture where feelings of loyalty and a sense of purpose are felt among staff. 

How to be more approachable:

• Keep an open-door policy;
• share information, even privileged information;
• spark up non-work related conversations;
• be human and show your sense of humor;
• participate in volunteer or professional development activities with your employees;
• be an advocate for your employees when they face challenges--personal or professional.

2. Do you foster an environment where people are psychologically safe? 

Research on freedom and psychological safety by Amy Edmondson of Harvard indicates that when encouraging leaders foster a culture of safety -- meaning employees are free to speak up, experiment, give feedback, and ask for help -- it leads to better learning and performance outcomes.

When psychological safety is absent, fear is present. And fear is detrimental to achieving a company's full potential. We just can't be engaged or innovative when we are afraid. Some subscribe to the notion that fear is a motivator, but what fear does is kill trust -- the ultimate demotivator.

How to create more psychological safety:

• Create a bond with employees, and remind them of their worth;
• praise them for their performance with specific examples for positive reinforcement;
• keep your people in the loop regarding upcoming plans and projects, deadlines, and any changes taking place, good or bad; 
• give your employees a sense of security by ensuring that their work and status as employees are on solid ground.

When tough problems arise, address the issue right away by meeting with the team in person (if physically possible), or send an email to set people's expectations. Always pull on the side of hope, strength, perseverance, and compassion. Your job as a leader is to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of your people--showing that you value them not only as workers but also as human beings. Lastly, don't leave anyone hanging by going radio silent.

3. Are you leading with integrity?

Let me give it to you straight: Your employees are watching your every move as a leader. If you're acting unprofessional or unethical, they know. And if they know, you've already lost the battle for respect.

Psychologist and best-selling author Henry Cloud wrote the book on why integrity matters and sheds good light on the topic. In Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, Cloud says, "Who a person is will ultimately determine if their brains, talents, competencies, energy, effort, deal-making abilities, and opportunities will succeed."

So, who are you, really? As you learn and adapt to all aspects of your integrity, you'll eventually arrive at a point where it becomes easier to develop trust, repair a relationship after a conflict, listen with empathy, and give critical feedback to build someone up. 

How to lead with more integrity:

• Lead by example, be reliable, be credible, speak with truth;
• raise the bar and hold yourself accountable to a higher standard -- one in which your followers will want to emulate;
• follow through on your promises or commitments;
• do the right thing;
• be true to yourself rather than be someone you are not. By being who you really are, you not only trust the judgments and decisions that you make, but others trust you as well. They'll respect you for standing by your values and beliefs.

Do you agree? What questions would you add here that may be more important to assess someone's leadership? Leave a comment, let's explore more ideas.

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Conversations from the Podcast

Have you heard the latest conversations I've been having on the Love in Action Podcast? Here are three to get you started.

Harnessing the Power of Our Shared Humanity

Adam Waytz, award-winning social psychologist, and Associate Professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management joined me to discuss his book, The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World. We discussed our innate need for human interaction, and why we need to see each other.

Listen here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/adam-waytz/

Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work

Moshe Engelberg, author and the founder and CEO of ResearchWorks, Inc. joined me to discuss his recent book, The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work (The Amare Way). He and I share the big idea that practical "love" is the antidote to the problems within the world of work. "We confuse business with war," he says. Together, Moshe and I share examples of war terms that are so frequently used in business (you'll be surprised, actually, most of us do it all the time!) This war mentality in business is harmful because it dehumanizes customers and competition.

Listen here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/moshe-engelberg/

The Power of Higher Purpose

Robert (Bob) Quinn is the Margaret Elliot Tracy Collegiate Professor Emeritus at Michigan Ross School of Business, a prolific author, and revered teacher and speaker. Quinn found that purpose has a positive influence on a company’s financial health and competitiveness. In addition, purpose helps people grow and thrive. Quinn is among the top 1% of professors cited in organizational behavior textbooks. His viral Google talk on personal purpose has amassed over 16 million views. Quinn joined me on the show to talk about his book, The Economics of Higher Purpose: Eight Counterintuitive Steps for Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization, including how to shift from a transaction-oriented to a purpose-oriented mindset.

Listen here: https://www.marcelschwantes.com/robert-quinn/

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Quote of the Week

"You can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want."

~ Zig Ziglar

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Thanks for engaging! Leave me a comment and let me know what is on your mind.

The business side: I just launched a virtual leadership course intended for high-impact leaders and managers who believe in the power of Servant Leadership to transform work cultures. If that resonates and you want to raise your leadership capacity to new heights, this course is in beta and I am looking for participants to test it out (at a discounted price)! Interested? Start here. (Serious inquiries only)

Enjoy the weekend and stay safe out there!

My best,

Marcel