For most companies, this question doesn’t have an easy answer, but it’s usually something like this: “I guess pretty good? My team seems to like me.” Over the years, I have heard versions of this answer many times – but only from companies not running on EOS®! It’s scary how many things are wrong with that answer, not least of which is the belief that being liked is an indication of strong leadership and management skills. These leaders and managers clearly don’t have a way to measure how they are doing.
With a company running on EOS, the answer is completely different.
Leaders in EOS companies have specific data to point to when evaluating their leadership and management success. They know exactly what they need to work on and where they shine brightest.
When I ask EOS leaders how well they lead and manage their teams, their answers usually go something like this: “Jim, I find I struggle with letting go of the vine (leadership) and I need to work on my question-to-statement ratio (management – I communicate well), but otherwise I am all Yeses on the LMA™ questionnaires.”
Why is this kind of specificity important? Because problems, opportunities, issues, and great ideas get solved or taken advantage of when people get specific.
One of my favorite ways to get specifics on leadership and management skills is to send LMA questionnaires to all direct reports once per year when preparing for a Quarterly Conversation™. Have them answer how YOU are doing for each of the questions. Follow that up with a Quarterly Conversation with them, and together, IDS™ how you can get to all Yeses. It’s a powerful conversation. It sends the message that you’re open to their feedback, that you want to improve, and that everyone is accountable.
Companies that want to lead and manage well use this approach. I recently completed a half-day session with one such client. The session included the Leadership Team and thirty-one of their various managers and leaders. The session went very well. It was so impactful that the Leadership Team didn’t want it to end with just that meeting. They set up a second internal meeting to take place six months later.
This second meeting is designed to help all of the managers work through any issues that are preventing them from getting to all Yeses. The Leadership Team will be present, but it is the managers who will be working together to help each find solutions to their respective issues.
What a powerful message this sends to the managers and to everyone on the team! There is no doubt that this company wants great leaders and is willing to go the distance to develop them. The power of a great leader and manager cannot be overstated for a company. So, dig in, get great, and get the rest of your leaders great. Your employees will thank you for it.
How well do you lead and manage? If you can’t give a specific answer, then you need to: