One question to ask yourself that will make you a better leader

There’s one thing leaders have to do every day.   It is the one thing that determines their success or their failure.   That one thing is…..make choices.

Every day, in every encounter we make choices…choices about what to say and how to say it, choices about actions to take or not to take. The one question to ask yourself that will make you a better leader is…

“Am I bringing my best self to this choice?”

There are two reasons why this question is so powerful.

One – We all want to bring our best selves to everything we do.   Yet there are times when we are too busy, tired, angry or afraid to truly put our best selves forward.   If you stop and take a second to ask, “Am I bringing my best self to this choice?” you give yourself a chance to make a better choice.

For example:

You need to give feedback on a report and you’re in a rush and simply point out the problems, rather than taking time to detail the positives.

A customer has really cool eye glasses. You want to compliment her, but you’re busy trying to complete the transaction and miss out on an opportunity to make her day.

You decide to do something yourself rather than take the time to guide someone else through the process because you know they won’t do as good a job as you, depriving them of a learning opportunity.

You notice an associate using a lot of “ums” when talking to clients, but you don’t say anything because you don’t know how they’ll respond to your feedback.

You have an opportunity to speak to a group, but you let your fear of public speaking keep you from accepting the speaking invitation, making the easy choice rather than the brave choice.

And that’s what this question is all about – it’s designed to help you make better and braver choices.

Two – When you ask, “Am I bringing my best self to this choice?” you create self-awareness. Self-awareness is one of the most important qualities of successful leaders according to research from Green Peak Partners and Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

“Leadership searches give short shrift to ‘self-awareness,’ which should actually be a top criterion.  Interestingly, a high self-awareness score was the strongest predictor of overall success.  This is not altogether surprising as executives who are aware of their weaknesses are often better able to hire subordinates who perform well in categories in which the leader lacks acumen.  These leaders are also more able to entertain the idea that someone on their team may have an idea that is even better than their own.”   

With greater self-awareness, you are aware not only of what your choices are, but why you are making them. You’ll also be more aware of the impact your decisions have on others.   And that is the whole point of being a leader, to have a positive impact on the people around you.

Holly Buchanan

Holly Buchanan

Holly Buchanan is the author of Selling Financial Services to Women – What Men Need to Know and Even Women Will Be Surprised to Learn. She is the co-author of The ... Web: www.SellingFinancialServicesToWomen.com Details