As I write I am dotting ‘i’s’ and crossing ‘t’s’ before sending out my newsletter with its main article Leadership: more than skin deep.

In this posting I offer some questions for individual leaders who want to take stock of their leadership approach. These questions mirror the questions I have shared for CEOs and HR professionals who are taking a whole organisation view of leadership development. They reflect beliefs I share below:

• The quality of leadership you display is a significant factor in your effectiveness and contributes to the effectiveness of your staff. To what extent do you have clear and concrete aspirations as a leader? To what extent do you understand the values, beliefs, thoughts and behaviours that characterise your desired approach to leadership? To what extent are you ready to see your leadership style(s) as a matter of choice?
• If you want to be effective as a leader you need to understand how different approaches work in practice. If you like, you need to understand the difference between your intentions as a leader and how people respond in practice. To what extent have you tested your aspirations against leadership research? What books have you read, for example, and how many of them are rooted in academic research? What courses and other events have you participated in and what are their underpinning foundations?
• Developing your leadership requires you both to develop clear aspirations and to know where you are starting from at any particular point in time. What means do you have of assessing your current approach? When did you last go through a 360 degree assessment, for example? What means do you have of getting clear, specific and honest feedback from those you lead?
• The effectiveness of your leadership reflects multiple factors. These include the fit between you and your job and the culture and climate you work in, as well as your own effectiveness as a leader. To what extent are you taking account of all the factors that effect you as you shape your leadership approach? To what extent are you able to adapt your leadership approach to meet the needs of your current situation? To what extent are you able to differentiate between what you bring and what is beyond your control?
• Learning is deeply personal, requiring a willingness on your part to reflect on your leadership practice, to gain new insights and to adjust your approach. This learning can stimulate deep emotions and leave you feeling deeply vulnerable. To what extent are you willing to embrace the personal nature of this learning in order to develop as a leader? To what extent are you willing to “go deep”?
• Leadership development requires skilled partners. What support do you need (and to what extent do you have it) at this current stage in your learning and development? What additional support do you need at this time?

I wonder, what additional questions would you add to this list? And if you would like to learn more about my own work with leaders, have a browse on this blog or contact me directly (at dorothy@learningforlifeconsulting.co.uk) to arrange to meet.