3 Ways to Measure Your Leadership Success

The ability to make people follow your command may give you reason to think that you are an effective leader. But measuring your success as a leader requires a far more nuanced view, according to a strategy+business blog post by Eric J. McNulty, director of research at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) at the Harvard School of Public Health.
 
The author discusses three ways to help you make a reasonable assessment of your success as a leader.

'The measure of now'. Now is measured by your key performance indicators: Did you hit your numbers? Exceed your quarterly or annual goals? The more important question, of course, is what you did to achieve those right-now results. The best leaders meet short-term objectives while building long-term capacity and capabilities. “A single quarter or year is only one sentence in a far longer story,” the author writes. “Now is just a step toward a larger goal.”

Looking forward. Where do you and your organisation want to be in five, 10, or 20 years? As a leader, it's important to have an understanding of what you want your ultimate impact to be. Your legacy isn’t formed in the last six months or even six years of your career — it is an accumulation of all that you have done. A great leader makes an enduring, positive influence on people. Effective leaders are not self-centred or interested only in their own careers — they invest time and energy in the development of their people. They have high standards for accountability but also make sure that their people have the tools and resources needed to achieve the desired outcomes.   

Looking backward over time. This is an exercise in looking at the lasting value of what you did in your role. Look back to your last position. How have those who worked for you fared? If they have risen in the ranks — perhaps to assume your role — or were poached by other departments, you likely did well. "The true leader develops a strong team that carries on and continues to grow after he or she has departed," the author notes. "Performance that collapses after a single person is removed from the equation is fragile indeed."

Source: strategy+business
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