Leadership Questions

In preparation for the start of my new job at Bank of America, I have been doing a lot of reading on the topic of Leadership. I've recently read "The Leadership Pipeline" and several Harvard Business Review articles. Although multiple, sometimes conflicting, viewpoints are presented across the literature, I have captured below a couple things that caused me to ruminate about specific instances of leadership that I have viewed in the not so distant past...

Leadership Characteristics

1. When you become a leader, succcess is all about growing others


2. Leaders have to set the team's vision and make it come alive


3. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency and credit (i.e., possess integrity)


4. Effective leaders are able to assemble a top-notch staff: A) They are willing to take risks by picking people who are unlike them-and who may even have different leadership styles; B) They are willing to take a chance on untested people if they size them up and conclude they have what it takes; C) They do not feel threatened when they hire someone who is more skilled, better experienced, and smarter than they are

Questions to Ask to Determine Leadership Effectiveness

1. Have you ever known this person to shade, color or withhold information?


2. Does this person give credit to others when appropriate?


3. Does this person stand firm with their opinions or move with the winds of politics?


4. Does this person command the respect and attention of senior executives?


5. Is this person more of a tactical or strategic thinker?


6. Does this person have a vision for the company? Have they demonstrated that they can move the business into new areas?


7. Has the person demonstrated the ability to assemble a good team?


8. Is the person threatened by people who are more experienced, smarter, or better technically?


9. Does the person surround themselves with strong people who will be candid and tell them what they need to know vs. what they want to hear?


10. Is this individual sometimes needlessly interested in certain activities?

If you've encountered instances of particularly good or bad leadership, I'm interested to know if the above items capture the essence of the difference. Share your examples with the world (or, um, the other 2 people who read this blog).