Robert Steven Kaplan in his book, What to Ask the Person in the Mirror, identifies seven areas leaders need to address to be more effective. The areas are: Vision and Priorities; Managing Your Time; Giving and Getting Feedback; Succession Planning and Delegation; Evaluation and Alignment; The Leader as Role Model; Reaching Your Potential.
Leaders who choose to grow are willing to ask and answer critical questions. Building on this foundation, Kaplan recommends the following questions under each area.
Vision and Priorities
Have you developed a clear vision for your organization?
Have you identified 3-5 key priorities to achieve the vision?
Do you actively communicate this vision?
Managing Your Time
Do you know how you spend your time?
Does it match your priorities?
Giving and Getting Feedback
Do you coach and actively develop your key people?
Is your feedback specific, timely, and actionable?
Do you solicit actionable feedback from your key subordinates?
Do you cultivate advisers who are able to confront you with criticisms that you many not want to hear?
Succession Planning and Delegation
Do you have a succession-planning process for key positions?
Have you identified potential successors for your job?
If not, what is stopping you?
Evaluation and Alignment
Is the design of your company still aligned with your vision and priorities?
If you have to design the enterprise today, how would you change it?
Why haven’t you made these changes?
Have you pushed yourself and your organization to do a clean-sheet-of-paper exercise?
The Leader as Role Model
Do you act as a role model?
Do your behaviors match your words?
How do you conduct yourself under pressure?
Is your conduct consistent with your stated values?
Reaching Your Potential
Are you pursing a path that is consistent with your assessment of your strengths, weaknesses, and passions?
If not, what are you waiting for?
Have you developed your style at work?
Do you speak up, express your opinions, and conduct yourself with confidence?
Do you encourage your people to be authentic and express their opinions?
Final question: When will you ask, and answer, the previous questions?