4 Ways to Measure Your Leadership

It was Tuesday. Pattie was calendared to spend the day with the grandkids.

Up early. Check. Grab some breakfast. Check. Hop in the car. Check.

So far, so good.

Start the engine. Nothing. Try again. Nothing. Once more. Nothing.

With the clock ticking (and rush hour traffic mounting), we opted to swap cars. Easier said than done. All the items packed into one car the night before had to be transferred to the other car. This included 1 folding table, 15 folding chairs, and a bunch of Trader Joe bags. With the precision of an Indy 500 pit crew, we unloaded and reloaded. It was quite a scene. (Note: Pattie and I often compliment ourselves about the considerable entertainment value that we add to our neighborhood!).

Time to divide and conquer. She barreled down the street and I waited for AAA. Twenty-six minutes later the mobile repairman rolled up the driveway, popped the hood, hooked up the battery tester, and ceremoniously pronounced the verdict of a dead battery.

As the serviceman headed out, I was reminded about how helpful an accurate diagnosis is. Within minutes, I knew exactly what my problem was…and what I needed to do to fix it.

Don’t you wish that assessing your leadership was that easy?

So how do you know that you are being effective as a leader? How do you know that you are leading with your life—leading from the inside out? Are there any diagnostics that you can plug in to render a reading of whether or not you are leading from the core of who you are? NTF: Too many leaders presume they are leading well simply based on the fact that they occupy the top box on the org chart or they have a diploma on the wall that advertises that back in the day they were once numbered with the summa cum laude of their graduating class.

Admittedly, such measurements are more subjective than objective, but for a moment allow me to shove on to center stage a few TESTS for your consideration.

Test #1: An undeniable mark. If polled, what would the people in your charge say is the most distinguishable mark of your leadership? Would they say that they see an evident, unmistakable presence of God in how you go about your role as leader? Because of the fullness and intimacy of your relationship with Christ, when others seek your counsel, do they find something beyond day-old platitudes, something that resounds with hope and wisdom and truth?

Test #2: An observable integrity. When the curtain is pulled back, especially in times of challenge, do people see a person of consistency? Is there alignment between how you live your life and how you call others to live theirs? Would the ever-presence surveillance cameras reveal a life worth imitating?

Test #3: An acknowledged stewardship. When it’s all said and done, do you embrace your leadership role as a stewardship to be faithfully discharged or as an entitlement to be selfishly exploited? Propped up on the various platforms of recognition, far too many leaders lose their bearings and fall victim to an ever-expanding ego. Who do you have in your life to whom you have granted full permission to remind you that your leadership position is not owned by you, but entrusted to you?

Test #4: An uncompromising focus. What’s more important to you—your position in the organization or your influence in the organization? There’s a Grand Canyon-sized difference between the two. Do you desire the corner office more than you desire to have impact in the lives of others? The trappings and temptations of leadership can subtly steal your true focus, leaving you with a large platform but very little influence.

So what do you think? How do you measure up? What’s your reading on the ‘leadership tester’?

It’s an important question.

Those who live downstream from your leadership need you to score well.

How do you measure your leadership effectiveness?