Have you done your Leadersip Checklist?

A 2010 Personal Leadership Checklist

Jan 11, 2010 -

Maybe it’s because I celebrated my fiftieth birthday this year, or because I’m entering my twenty-fifth year as a card-carrying member of the “free agent nation.” Or maybe it’s just that time of year, but the entire month has been one of reflection for me. My last two columns have definitely had a reflective flavor. This is the third and last of the reflection trilogy.
This part of the OPEN Forum Idea Hub is all about changing the world. It’s something Guy Kawasaki has been evangelizing about for a few decades. And anyone who’s out to change the world must constantly reflect on an important question: Am I making the most of what I have to offer the world?
Whether your work is parenting or presiding, the ability to guide yourself towards positivity stands at the very heart of making a difference. An unequivocal ”yes” is the ultimate personal triumph. Yet, I know far too many people who avoid confronting the question entirely. I’m pretty sure they will someday, but when it is far too late to do anything about it.
The sad fact is that many people, if not most, would rather be doing something else with their life and instead spend their day in some way distracted in their work or feeling like they don’t or can’t bring their true and best self to work. The Gallup Organization estimates that in the average large organization, less than a third of employees are “truly engaged.” Over half are “not engaged.” Nearly a fifth are “actively disengaged.”
Beyond raising the question of how and why so many end up on the wrong path in work and life, these figures have some dramatic implications. For organizations, it means a staggering loss in potential productivity of the workforce. For individuals, it means work without enrichment and excellence. In sum, it means that by and large most employees aren’t making the most of what they have to offer.
I consider myself lucky in that the work I’ve chosen allows me to be creatively engaged in something truly meaningful to me, to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and to actively work toward goals that deepen my abilities and broaden my impact. I feel like I’m changing the world, if only just a little bit.
Still, it’s too easy to get lazy, too easy to step off the path. So I check in with myself from time to time, using this simple twelve-point Always-Sometimes-Never checklist. Take a minute to think about your work, consider each statement, and give yourself an A for Always, S for Sometimes, or N for Never. There’s no scoring…think of it more as a quick directional “tell-tale” indicator more than anything else.

1. I fully understand and play to my strengths.
   
2. I successfully leverage the talents of others.
   
3. I effectively use my skills to serve others.
   
4. I constantly look for new challenges and projects.
   
5. I take intelligent risks that often take me out of my comfort zone.
   
6. I constantly expand my professional network.
   
7. I build trust through consistency and caring in my relationships.
   
8. I maximize my positive effect with the minimum means.
   
9. I constantly seek to gain or create new ideas and knowledge.
   
10. I have clear and compelling goals that are in writing.
    
11. I stay alert to emerging trends that can potentially affect my work and life.
    
12. I leverage times of adversity to reflect and redirect my energy.
    

I’m not saying this list will work for you. But it might prompt you to come up with your own, one that is more specific to your personal situation. And needless to say, getting to “Always” on all twelve items is a lifelong goal I may never reach. But I’m fairly certain that chasing these things will get me a lot closer to a “yes”—yes with a capital Y—to the original question above.
Matthew E. May is the author of In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing. He blogs here. You can follow him on Twitter here.