At the start of every week, take a few moments to rate yourself as a leader using the following characteristics. Score each characteristic on a scale of 0 to 10:
Availability and Forcefulness: Are you available to help your staff solve problems? Are you also forceful in ensuring that they do their best to bring solutions, not just problems?
Inclusivity: Are you quick to share information or connect your staff with people who might be useful or stimulating for their professional growth?
Humour: Do you have a good sense of humour and the ability to laugh, even when the joke's on you?
Fairness and Concern: Do you treat your staff fairly and show genuine concern for their well-being? Do you give credit where it's due and hold them accountable for their promises?
Decisiveness: Are you determined to make decisions quickly, even on seemingly unimportant matters that could otherwise tie up your organization for days?
Humility: Do you openly admit your own mistakes and encourage your team to do the same? Do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement?
Objectivity: Are you able to distinguish between apparently important events and truly important ones? Do you prioritize your time and energy accordingly?
Toughness: Do you protect your staff's time and energy from top management and outside distractions? Do you hold others accountable for their actions and commitments?
Effectiveness: Do you encourage your staff to bring you their mistakes along with what they've learned and done to address them? Do you discourage interruptions with possible good news that don't require immediate action?
Patience: Do you know when to step back and let your staff solve their own problems, even if it means biting the bullet for a little while?
Add up your scores and divide by 10 to get your total score on a scale of 0 to 10. If your score is below 50, focus on improving one characteristic next week.