THE BEST LEADERS KEEP ASKING THEMSELVES QUESTIONS
This past week, I enjoyed a productive leadership meeting with a dear friend. This person served as a leader for many years in the federal government and has held a number of leadership positions, on nonprofit boards.
When we had concluded the substantive part of our meeting, he asked me a question that nobody had posed before. “Larry, he asked, “where do you get ideas for your weekly newsletter? I read it every week and I am impressed with the diversity of topics that you discuss.”
I had to think before I responded because I wasn’t sure how to answer that question. I told him that I strive to keep my eyes and ears open every day for leadership lessons that I can pass on to my readers. It’s almost like I have my antennae up at all times seeking ideas about which I can write.
As leaders, you can also do the same thing, even though you may not write a newsletter . Part of leadership is being cognizant of everything that is happening around us. That includes what we learn about leadership on a daily basis.
In prior newsletters, I have written about the two questions I ask myself every night before I go to sleep: Did I do my best today and did I do what I thought was right? I credit those nighttime queries to the esteemed coach Marshall Goldsmith.
However, there is a third question we can ask ourselves every night and it doesn’t have to wait until we go to bed: “ What did I learn about leadership today and how can I be a more effective leader starting tomorrow?”
Leadership improvement does not happen by accident. It must be intentional. I encourage you to question yourself on a consistent basis about your leadership skills and intentions. You can ask yourself questions like:
-How can I be a better listener?
-How can I be a more effective mentor for my teammates?
-How can I serve as a more powerful role model for the people who follow me?
-What books or podcasts do leaders I admire and respect recommend?
-What leadership skills do I want to hone in the next year?
-What leadership conferences could I attend where I would mingle with other accomplished leaders and learn from them?
-How can I better learn from my own leadership mistakes?
-How can I improve my oral and written communication skills?
-What better ways can I demonstrate my commitment to my teammates, and my desire to help them grow?
-When was the last time I looked in the mirror to try to identify my blind spots?
-In what aspects of leadership might I benefit from informal coaching?
-From which colleagues I trust can I seek leadership suggestions and ideas?
These are just some of the questions we can ask ourselves on a regular basis. I encourage us to periodically stop focusing on checking off the next box or planning the next meeting and instead pausing and giving ourselves permission to ask these big picture leadership questions.
Thanks for reading and make it a great week ahead.
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry