The Leadership Barometer

Have you ever really wanted to know how you were doing in the area of leadership?  A great starting place would be your relationships.  Frankly, the idea of leading always points back to followers.  How are others benefiting from your approach?  From an historical point of view, the way we go about leading can vary.  Many people attempt to lead from a managerial perspective.  They go about their responsibility managing the feelings, behavior and performance of those they lead.  From a holistic degree of leadership, managing people never helps to make others better.  Any improvement they might evidence is short-lived and shallow.  When we lead from a posture of authentic care and concern with the goal of people-development, we will get a better read on how we are leading.  The old axiom is true:  Manage things; lead people.  Here are practical ways you can measure your ability as a leader:

(1) Time - Anything done to help people get better takes the personal investment of time.

(2) Approachability - A leader's ability to walk slowly through the crowd is a good place to start.

(3) Resources - Providing books, conferences and key networking/relationships always communicate leadership generosity.

(4) Patience - The willingness to give followers a chance to "catch up" is critical to authentic concern.

(5) Belief - Assigning projects with proper follow-up can enable, challenge and speak value.

Whether in church or business, take the time to insure your part in the personal growth of others.  Measure your leadership effectiveness in light of those who are getting better because of how you are leading them.  Now, you can embrace and activate this leadership barometer!

So, how can you begin to lead better today?