As Leaders very often we are assumed to be having a high LQ, however since leaders are chosen by leaders and not the people who they lead, hence a timely poll within your team can bring fresh perspectives.
A simple question "Given another context or company or team how likely are you to choose me as your leader" will let the team members share perspectives that will become stepping-stones.
Further questions on trust, equal opportunity and inspiration, will further narrow down the lane towards a positive change.
We all would like to try this, however to serve what end? Simply put,
to outperform as a leader, as a team and be able to create a sustainable culture wherever applied.- Bottoms up Sight glass: Every leader creates a channel to know the perceptions of his team members. The trick here is to be conscious of how effective the channel is, which is depicted easily by the results themselves. Positive suggestions weakly indicating a lacuna in a survey taken by less than 95% members, clearly depicts a very weak channel. A good measurement system comprises of 100% attendance with each anonymous member only focussing on the weak areas, the recommendations and suggestions for improvement should come in later. How many teams actually try this!
- Team values: More important than the weaknesses identified, are the areas and the thought process of the team in trying to identify them. Since they display the teams core thinking the values that drive them. For example a coding team that raises a concern with the customer requirements translation process, rates “Right First Time” or “Zero Rework” very high. This knowledge depicts the strengths and the weaknesses of the team.
- Structures and Bridges: The survey can also capture the mental models of the team members. For example does he think of his team as a machine, a growing plant, an experimental ground or a learning organization.This allows the leadership to rethink and converge its short, mid and long term strategies of team performance/growth with employee engagement.
- Transparent mentoring: The team member should be able to get a tangible return from this exercise, like an ability to choose his mentor post the results, with any leader of choice. This will allow a realignment process of members within teams and display the values and team model that best fits a team’s function. Since, very often after first couple of years of experience employees find themselves fitting into functions other than in which they were hired.
- Communicable leadership: Sustainable leadership styles are predominated, by how closely the teams morale, thought process etc, are sensed by the leader, while communicating with the team. This sense is quintessential to a great LQ and needs to be recalibrated with the measurement methods.
A high Leadership Quotient is aligned to business needs as well as the team, in which either can be a priority; including it in the performance strategy allows a leader and team to outperform based on the organization’s key focus areas.
