This list was inspired by a small 50-page book with 24 lessons from Colin Powell: The POWELL Principles by Oren Harari.
There are no "correct" answers here. It is just a framework to make you think where you stand and how you can improve. Write down your answers and then read the book to check them against those of Colin Powell.
- Do you surround yourself with people who complement your skills and abilities?
- How do you know that your self-assessment of your skills and abilities is fair?
- Do you prefer a clash of ideas or a more harmonious approach to decision making?
- Is there a "noise wall" in the form of organizational hierarchy to pre-process the information coming from "the trenches"?
- What comes first, how people feel or the success of the organization?
- Do you take steps that may piss some people off?
- Do you take steps that may piss off your best people?
- Are the people in your inner circle your best people?
- Did you establish trust or authority?
- Would your people follow you in hard times?
- Do you trust your people enough to give them the tools they need and turn them loose to do their job?
- Can someone give you 3 examples where you didn't walk the talk?
- Can you give 3 examples where you don't hold yourself to the same standard required from others?
- Do you favor skill or shared values in people you hire?
- Do you hire on past performance or potential?
- How many people in your team do you regard as smarter or better than you?
- How well do you listen?
- How much do you hear?
- How often do your rank and file staff talk to you like a peer?
- Do you stick to the big picture or want to know the details?
- Do you know the big picture enough to explain it to your superiors?
- Do you defer to your report where it comes to the detail?
- Are you content with your achievements and the status quo?
- Do you rely on communications channels or actively dig to uncover problems?
- How many examples can you think of where you changed your position in the face of new information?
- Can you think of examples where you knew you should have changed your position, but still didn't?
- Do you promote tradition or change?
- Is your mission locked in time or do you constantly review and revisit?
- Do you seek consensus?
- Do you do it by meeting everyone in the middle or by getting the critical mass of supporters?
- How stereotypical is your management style?
- Can you align it with a particular methodology or school of thought?
- Is the mission of your organization clearly defined?
- Is everyone, like absolutely everyone on board with it?
- How often do you make decisions based on authoritative advice or someone's else strong opinion?
- Do your people constantly push the envelope or do they need a permission to step outside the box?
- Do you set boundaries where failure is not acceptable and allow others to try and fail elsewhere?
- Do you pick battles you know you can't win?
- Do you pick battles that can be avoided?
- Are people in your team partners or assets?
- Do they feel the same?
- Do you challenge professionals outside of your domain of expertise?
- Do you allow to be challenged?
- Do you know your organization chart, who does what and who reports to whom?
- Do you know the real dynamics between teams and people in your organization?
- Do you get regular and accurate reports on the state of organization?
- How much time do you spend with your frontline staff?
- How much do you let your fears affect your decisions?
- How much negativity do you possess and let out?
- Is it how others see you?
- Are you having fun because you like doing what you do?
- Is it fun for others around you?
- Is your current job or project constitutes the whole of your existence?
- Does it define you?
- If the team that you lead failed, whose responsibility is it?
The book felt a bit preachy, repetitive and contradictory in places, but I found it a worthwhile exercise to compare my thinking to that of a successful and very respected leader.