Do I want to die on this hill?
- Pass: This is morally good and if not handled has long term consequences
- Fail: This if self serving
Am I including everyone?
- Pass: My ego is not driving this conversation
- Fail: The people in this conversation will only tell me I'm right and not push back
Am I hiding something?
- Pass: The information, though painful, is known to all
- Fail: Yes
Is there transparency here?
- Pass: The team agrees on context
- Fail: Hidden misalignm(test: what do we align on)
Am I being curious?
- Pass: I'm asking questions that make me uncomfortable, and I'm comfortable being wrong
- Fail: I want my way
Is my team afraid to tell me things?
- Pass: They freely and continually come to me with answers and information that they know I will not like
- Fail: They go to each other or people outside the team with the information, and telling me what they think I want to hear
Am I only communicating with the same people over and over?
- Pass: My sphere of influence is diverse. I feel comfortable talking with anyone on the team
- Fail: I continually consult the same individuals (test: do I have an entourage?)
Do I feel insecure?
- Pass: I feel empowered and am willing to take feedback and risks regardless of the outcome as it's good for the company and the customer
- Fail: I retreat, I am not comfortable, I am not giving up the information becuase I am scared of what people will think
Can my team do the job I hired them to do?
- Pass: The team ships outcomes efficiently
- Fail: The team is not empowered and often stalls (test: do I often have to intervene?)
Are you scratching an itch?
- Pass: This is a problem that's bigger than myself
- Fail: It may feel good to solve this problem but only for myself and temporarily