Spotting Speed Leaders

So, do you have what it takes to be a speed leader? Does the candidate whose resume you’re holding have what it takes? Unfortunately, identifying such leaders is not an exact science, but here are a few things to look for:

Do you Thrive in Messiness?

  • Do you have an insatiable curiosity?
  • Do you love to experiment (in food, reading material, entertainment, travel)?
  • Do you

[ Read more ]

Service Leadership Questions

  • What are the few keys to success in your unit or business?
  • What is your advantage in the marketplace?
  • What would great performance for your unit, your business, and yourself in the coming year look like?
  • What current or future developments will change the way you do business?
  • What developments are impacting your unit’s activities and the company’s?
  • What do you see coming in

[ Read more ]

FACET Leadership Questions

  • How Focused am I? How much of my time do I spend communicating and inspiring people about our mission, vision and strategic goals? How much focus do I create in my organization? How married am I/my organization to methods that have outlived their usefulness?
  • Am I viewed as Authentic? Do people see and hear the real me? Do I wear a mask at work,

[ Read more ]

Evaluating a Candidate’s Leadership Abilities

In advice to boards about hiring CEOs, Warren Bennis and James O’Toole recommend that a board should interview a candidate’s superiors, peers and direct reports with questions that will drive to the heart of the candidate. Here is a list of questions they recommend. How would your colleagues answer these questions about YOU?

  • Does the candidate lead consistently in a way that inspires

[ Read more ]

Authentic Leadership Questions

  1. Which people and experiences in your early life had the greatest impact on you?
  2. What tools do you use to become self-aware? What is your authentic self? What are the moments when you say to yourself, this is the real me?
  3. What are your most deeply held values? Where did they come from? Have your values changed significantly since your childhood? How do your values inform your

[ Read more ]

7 Leadership Demands

Gallup has been researching top-performing leaders for more than 40 years. One crucial discovery has been that top performance is strongly correlated to seven main leadership activities or “demands.”

  1. Visioning
    The best leaders talk often about the future and how it will be better than the present. Their forward-looking approach engages and excites their audience and elicits commitment.
    • Can you articulate the long-term direction

[ Read more ]

3 Knowledge Dimensions

  1. Breadth vs. depth – should a practice address all knowledge elements at a high level, or capture one or two in depth?
  2. Looking back versus going forward – should a practice capture its historical knowledge or start now and capture going forward?
  3. Incremental vs. big bang – should a practice plan to address its knowledge needs in stages over time, or should it make a major,

[ Read more ]

Which Type of CIO Is Right for You?

Some self-evaluation is required of executive teams that want to align their IT managers and avoid conflict with the COO. It’s OK if the CIO’s role remains technical rather than strategic, but executives must set goals and measure success accordingly. Here are some pertinent questions:

  1. Does your company view IT activities as key contributors to revenue growth and profitability?
  2. If “yes,” does this represent a new

[ Read more ]

Key Website Questions

  • What is the immediate, short-term goal of your website?
  • What specific action do you want visitors to take?
  • What are your specific objectives for the long term?
  • Who do you want to visit your site?
  • What solutions or benefits can you offer to these visitors?
  • What data should your site provide to achieve your primary goal?
  • What information can you provide to encourage them to act right now?
  • What questions

[ Read more ]