Today’s guest post comes from Timothy Morris, who blogs at Intentional Influence. Tim is a former Marine, a husband, and a dad. He loves to travel and plans to start an online business, write, and speak about leadership topics. He has a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. You can follow Tim on Twitter @RustyTim.
Before you get too excited about results, remember that they can come in myriad ways, some desirable and some, well, not so much. Some results will last and some seem to fade as quickly as you received them and others feel like grasping after the wind.
The question I wrestle with is, what results do I really want?
I believe the results worth measuring are the people you build into. Measure if you are helping them succeed. Measure if they are leading others successfully. When you evaluate them, you are evaluating yourself.
The hardest part of this is to be honest with what you see in those that you have led in the present as well as the past. How many of those men and women are still leading strong? How many are still growing? How many are still pursuing the opportunity to learn from you or others that might be ahead of them?
I consider my people my biggest asset, largest investment, and the best way to tell if I am leading in the right direction. When I take the time to evaluate the results of my leadership, I look at the attitude, proficiency, character, and leadership skills in those under me. If they are growing and pushing themselves, the rest takes care of itself.
The main focus of leadership is people and without them you are only taking a walk, so measure results worth measuring.
What do you look for when you evaluate your people?
How do you help your people develop?
This was originally posted at Mountain State University LeaderTalk and is reposted with permission.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Excellent point – the measure of a true leader is not how many are following, but how many leaders they are developing. When we look at results for leadership, we should look at who is growing under our leadership and stay vested in growing people and growing leaders.
Thanks for your comment. That is exactly right. A leaders true results are the impact that their followers have as they are rowing as a leader. It is not always seen in this light. Thinking of myself as a grandfather has sometimes helped me, I am only 29, but thinking of the fact I will truly see the way I have led my son when he leads his own family. That is the measuring stick.
Difficult to do, awesome when done right.
As my company has grown, we have not developed a staff, but rather a team of people that are capable of leading a much larger group of amazing people. My team today is my leadership team for tomorrow. The number one quality I look for is integrity, with a commitment to grow as individuals and as a team. There is only possibility when you are committed to greatness.
For me, the measurement of the leader’s critical thinking skills is very important. Does the leader have the ability to apply critical thinking skills in day to day decisions? Can they see solutions and not just the problems? There are so many fundamental skills that a leader needs to be successful, that it is hard to pin point just one or two. The ability to make decisions using critical thinking is important to both the organization and the leader. As leaders we know problem solving and decision making are not always an entirely rational process. Allowing our emotions to control the decision process will cause the leader to focus on the subjective instead of the objective side of the equation.
Leadership Quote
“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”
– Peter Drucker
My last point has to do with self-evaluation, my point of struggle. Being completely honest with me and taking the time to assess my leadership, with my wife’s input, has been a critical item to my success. Looking inward to ensure your reflect outward is so important.
Cheers,
Wayne
Michelle, That is awesome. I expect great things from a company that puts a high value on developing leaders within their organization. Thanks for your comment and interaction.
Wayne,
Well said. I agree that the critical thinking skills and decision making skills are of high value and worthy of attention. The personal under you as a leader are your biggest asset and therefore they will show you where you are with your leadership. If your decision making and critical thinking skills lack in any way it will show in your dealings with your personnel.
I enjoyed your interaction with this post. Thanks for doing so.