Merely by asking yourself if you are a good leader, you have already come a long way. Having the humility to question yourself is essential to show by example the importance of self-improvement. But there are many other basic qualities of those who truly know how to inspire with their actions. Do you want to discover what your areas of improvement are?
Do you know how to lead successfully? 13 questions to detect your areas in need of improvement
When you finish, you will know what kind of leader you are and what abilities or skills you need to work on more. Perhaps you will even discover areas for improvement that you didn’t even know existed. A good leader must be constantly reinventing and training himself or herself. That is why, at the end of each point, we leave you a link to a complementary article so that you can discover more.
1. Do you know what your customers will want in 5 years’ time?
Getting ahead of your competitors with trends just emerging in the market is a winning trump card. Still, it is also important to anticipate possible political, socio-cultural, and technological changes… Here you can learn more of what you should take into account in order to become a good visionary leader.
2. Is there such a thing as sustainable leadership?
It’s possible to believe in a more conscious form of capitalism, with long-term returns in mind. That is why we the sustainable leadership platform exists. We encourage you to become a benchmark in your company or organization by taking care of your social and environmental impact.
3. Do you think of different departments as living organisms?
Forgetting hierarchical structures is an essential practice for responding flexibly and quickly to the needs of customers and employees, as well as adapting to the constant transformation that the market requires. Discover what agile leadership is all about and mark a paradigm shift in your company.
4. Digital. Yes or no?
Do you know what a frenemy is, have you identified what your customers really want to achieve with your products or services, have you expanded your offer accordingly? Find out if your thinking is digital or analog and lead the change by being aware of all the innovations that can affect your company or organization.
5. Do you know what high-performance teams are?
You may have built a functional and efficient team, but if you want to take the next step and maximize the potential of each of its members, we encourage you to read more about how to create and manage a high-performance team.
6. No. No. No. No. Or are you more positive?
Positive leaders get each employee to solidify their strengths by boosting productivity, creating a good atmosphere, and cementing their commitment to the company. Everyone wins!
7. Hyperconnected, yes, but really efficient?
Hyperconnected people embrace technology, but that doesn’t mean they always know how to use it most effectively. How do you fair? Enable the drive your colleagues and employees need to make the most of digital tools in a professional way. Help them improve their quality of life, their productivity and, in so doing, their bottom line.
8. Who believes in your strategy?
Unlike bosses, leaders lead (redundancy aside) because they inspire by example and are able to spread their motivation for an idea or purpose, but this key skill is massively devalued if the idea is not executable in the end. That is why it is crucial to know how to lead successful projects. Tip number 1: make sure that there are people in your company capable of understanding and implementing your strategy. Most importantly, cultivate your strategic thinking to be able to plan effectively for the long term.
9. How well do you really know yourself?
“To be able to lead others, you must first know how to lead yourself”, are the words of Professor Santiago Álvarez de Mon that summarize a great truth. And that is why we have summarized some of his essential ideas to begin the journey towards self-knowledge.
10. Still not ready to trust remote working?
The word is ‘phygital’ and it is the perfect mix between face-to-face and digital work. Remote working is here to stay after the pandemic and managing teams in this new environment can no longer be done in quite the same way as in the previous era. Here’s how to become the best manager of the hybrid or online working model.
11. In good times, good. And in bad times, better?
True leaders know how to bring out the best in people even (or especially) in the worst moments. Motivating in times of crisis is an art, but it involves reinforcing the commitment of your team by communicating more, taking care of them and trying to improve their work-life balance as much as possible.
12. Do you fight against gender prejudice?
It shouldn’t matter if you are a man or a woman. Because of our upbringing, we all have biases that can end up hurting us. Knowing how to foster women’s leadership is vital for leaders in an environment where women’s voices are all too often sidelined.
13. What are you studying right now?
The path to excellence requires continuous training to grow personally and professionally. IESE’s Master’s and Executive Education programs will help you to become the leader your company and society need.