Books : The Trusted Leader : Excerpts

Chapter Two: The Trusted Leader Self-Assessment

Figuring out where you are, so that you can more thoughtfully plot your course forward, is a useful investment of time. Hence this self-assessment drill, designed to give you a starting point to use in the process of becoming (or remaining) a trusted leader. Some of the questions may seem, at first blush, to have a "right" answer. That's not always the case, however. Many of these questions are designed purely to make you reflect, or to force you to hear the views of those who might be better suited to provide an objective response. Those two activities, reflecting on one's own progress and hearing the objective views of others, are part and parcel of trusted leadership.

The Trusted Leader Self-Assessment ------------------------------------ Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement on the 1 to 5 scale shown underneath the statement. (Circle one)

Section I (Questions 1-5)

1. The people I have hired are smarter or more talented than me.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

2. The people currently reporting to me are smarter or more talented than me.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

3. I have played a significant role in the development of people in this organization who are outside of my direct area of responsibility.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Never...Rarely...Sometimes...Usually...Always

4. At least two or three people in the organization would regard me as an active yet informal mentor.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

5. I give people more latitude for error than do most other executives.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

Section I Total (Questions 1-5):

Please add the numbers you have circled in your responses to each of the above questions in this section and write the total here:

Section I Total:______

Section II (Questions 6-11)

6. The people I lead have a clear, explicit understanding of the desired leadership characteristics of the organization.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

7. I openly praise the people who work for me.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Never.....Rarely.....Sometimes.....Usually.....Always

8. People working for me feel free to disagree with me publicly.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

9. People understand the evaluation and reward standards I have established, and consider them equitable.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

10. I am considered highly trustworthy by my direct reports.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

11. I trust my direct reports implicitly.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

Section II Total (Questions 6-11):

Please add the numbers you have circled in your responses to each of the above questions in this section and write the total here:

Section II Total:______

Section III (Questions 12-15)

12. There is a succession plan in place for me, and I have shared it explicitly with someone who could implement it if necessary.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Kinda Sorta...Agree Strongly

13. I have explicitly told my potential successor how valuable he or she is to the organization, and to me personally as well.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Kinda Sorta...Agree Strongly

14. I know what my legacy to this organization will be.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Kinda Sorta...Agree Strongly

15. The individuals in this organization could easily articulate what my legacy to this organization will be.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Kinda Sorta...Agree Strongly

Section III Total (Questions 12-15):

Please add the numbers you have circled in your responses to each of the above questions in this section and write the total here:

Section III Total:_________

Section IV (Questions 16-20)

16. This organization (or my part of it) would be in fine shape tomorrow if today were suddenly my last day.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

17. This organization (or my part of it) would be in fine shape two years hence if today were suddenly my last day.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

18. Everyone in this organization knows how we make money.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

19. Conflicts are resolved in my organization in a healthy and timely fashion.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Disagree Strongly...Neither Agree nor Disagree...Agree Strongly

20. I explicitly discuss the importance of trust with the people in the organization.

1.............2.............3.............4.............5
Never.....Sometimes.....With Great Frequency

Section IV Total (Questions 16-20):

Please add the numbers you have circled in your responses to each of the above questions in this section and write the total here:

Section IV Total: ________

Tabulating Your Self-Assessment

The tabulation of this self-assessment is designed to get you to reflect and become more aware of the context in which you work. Armed with that awareness, as you read through the book, we hope you'll find a myriad of useful ways you might take action to improve your score and achieve your goals. If your numbers are low, please don't interpret them as indicating you are not cut out to be a trusted leader (not that you would anyway, we hope!). A low score may indicate, however, that you will have to reallocate some of your priorities, your time, or your approach to those activities that can help you generate the form of trusted leadership you seek to achieve. The value of the self-assessment comes in figuring out what comes next for you as you hone the skills of a trusted leader.

Interpreting Your Self-Assessment:

The questions in each of the four sections were designed to highlight the broad steps that leaders can take as they build their careers, and the questions they should continually ask themselves along the way. If you look at them as they are grouped, you might well see that certain areas require more attention from you than others. Take a look, section by section.

Section I (Questions 1-5): Here's what it means:

Section I focuses on the course you are setting for your organization, trust-wise, for the future. While a total of 20 points would mean that you have done a terrific job in this area, having picked up on the importance of hiring people who truly are better than you, and giving them lots of leeway to learn and risk, don't be fooling yourself about this. Do you really think they're smarter or better? A lot of people put on the false modesty posture here. But be honest with yourself. If they really are not smarter or better than you, you'll do yourself no favors when the chips are down. Find people who are.

You also can't be complacent about this, either. That's what Question 2 (about those currently reporting to you) is all about. Organizational needs change, and offerings to clients and customers change, too. If your direct reports aren't equipped to meet those changes going forward, just imagine how the people below them will do.

Finally, Question 5 (about giving your people more latitude for error) has a tricky element to it. If you gave yourself a 5 here, make sure it's for the right reasons, and not because you tolerate continued under-performance. It's very, very hard to take people out of their roles, or off assignments, or fire them. People just hate to do it, especially to people on their team who have been loyal, or formerly successful, or have been helpful to one's own career. It almost seems internally inconsistent, trying to be a trusted leader on one hand, and firing people with the other. So if you gave yourself a "5" on this one, be careful.

Section II (Questions 6-11): Here's what it means:

This section examines how well you understand and model the appropriate leadership behaviors for your organization, and for your role. The questions in this area look closely at three particular issues that can affect your success in building trust:

1) the clarity with which you have articulated the behaviors you expect and will reward, and that presumably they are healthy ones;
2) the openness of the work environment, in people feeling that they can disagree with you without onerous consequences; and
3) your ability to be both trusted and trusting.

Pay particular attention to your response to Question 11, regarding your implicit trust of your direct reports. It checks up on you as a trusting leader, which is one of the identifying characteristics of trusted leaders. If you have scored yourself in the 21-24 point range, then you are truly a role model for others, setting a workplace tone that makes people really want to be there.

Section III (Questions 12-15): Here's what it means:

This section helps you to evaluate your progress in thinking about your legacy. It isn't easy. For many readers, the questions in this section could seem irrelevant, especially in the earlier stages of one's career, or if you have not yet fully settled into your organization or role. You may currently be far more focused on getting it right in the first place than on getting ready to leave it well-tended, or in good order. If you are truly in such a situation, you might be tempted to disregard the section. But don't use it as an excuse. You can (and should) be thinking about this early on in your career.

If you have been in place for a while, then Question 13 (about telling your successor how valuable he or she is) can be among the stickiest. If you are uncomfortable about letting someone know prematurely that he's your designated successor, it still doesn't absolve you of the responsibility of being absolutely certain (and therefore explicit) about his importance to you and to the organization. While that may edge too close to the "mushy" or overly affectionate for your taste, please don't make the mistake of assuming he knows it, and just skip this. It's far too easy to take it for granted, and it might be something you could come to regret.

Section IV (Questions 16-20): Here's what it means:

The final section focuses on clarity, trust and sustainability. Pay particular attention to your response to Question 18 (regarding how well people understand the company's basic business and value propositions). Time after time, in company after company, it continues to dismay us how few employees really do have a good grip on how their company actually makes money. Finally, take a close look at your response to Question 20 (talking about trust). While trust is shown more through actions than words, there is great value in making sure your people know how important it is to you. Just think what can happen if people understand that deeply. It will bring out the best in your company, your people and in you.

Total Score: What It Means

Where do Trusted Leaders end up in total scores? That is hard to say, as great strengths in one or more areas can help compensate for less-than-perfect scores in others. Here are some very rough guidelines, based upon an as-yet statistically insignificant body of results.

If your total is less than 60, either you are way too self-critical, or you have got some work ahead of you. It makes sense for you to do some close looking at why the numbers are where they are. Are all your subsection averages 3.5 or below? Is it just in one or two particular subsections that they fall into this category?

If your total is between 60 and 80, then you are in a range of where the plurality of people in leadership roles fall. You may be a good performer in a particular environment, thus the question that arises is how easily would you make the transition should that environment or the surrounding circumstances change.

If your total is between 80 and 90, then you are probably working with some clear successes in the realm of trusted leadership. You are probably finding more of your challenges to be specific, identifiable ones rather than general issues of overall effectiveness.

If your total is 90 or above, you are doing very well, and given that, it would be helpful for you to examine how to raise the bar of performance for your entire organization. At the same time, remember that this is a self-assessment. With this high a score, it makes sense for you to have a number of people rate you anonymously on these dimensions. If your self-assessment matches their ratings, then you truly are a trusted leader.

We put this self-assessment early in the book so that you could locate, for yourself, a starting point. But we encourage you to revisit these pages often. We believe that this type of reflection is something that trusted leaders should engage in regularly.