Is Your Leadership Worth Trusting? 5 Simple Metrics of a Good Leader
James Webb
Business Consultant | Forward Thinking Leadership | Marketing, Skill Development, Manufacturing and Process Improvement
1.?They show a willingness to change/grow.
Great leaders will invite feedback, take responsibility when they fall short, and work to improve. If a leader thinks he or she has reached the apex of wisdom and enlightenment, it’s another sign of self-righteousness and arrogance. Leadership reveals a person’s shortcomings as much as a person’s strengths. A leader who isn't willing to grow and change is not worth following.
2. They submit to accountability outside their authority.
Mature leaders know they aren’t perfect. They know they have weaknesses and blind spots, both morally and with their abilities. If there isn’t strong accountability in place outside of their own authority, leaders will fail and hurt people. But even worse, without accountability, they will become more egocentric, self-righteous, and potentially narcissistic.
3. They have healthy relationships.
Healthy people tend to have healthy relationships. However, people with a string of unreconciled or broken relationships reveal a lot about their character. It probably shows that they have excessive pride and arrogance.
4. Their words and their actions match.
We all make mistakes, so there is plenty of room for grace. However, if leaders don’t consistently back up their words with action, it speaks to a lack of integrity and self-discipline.? Ultimately, they can't be trusted. If a leader doesn’t follow through on his or her words, there’s no reason to follow them.
5. They serve and care for those they lead.
Leaders should improve the lives around them. Unfortunately, too many leaders are more concerned with their own prominence. A good way to tell is to pay attention to how well they serve and care for those they lead. If they don’t do this well, it’s a sign they’re self-centered, lacking humility and compassion.
Source: Independent Research