What Makes a Successful Leader?

The answer: Getting a head start.

Below are 5 key questions that every fresh leader should be asking themselves and how your organization can nudge them to become a successful leader FromJump.

Do I Get It?
Successful leaders just get it. They understand the current state of the industry, their organization (including its mission, vision, values & culture), their team, and themselves. They’ve got a grasp on the organization’s strategy, how they contribute to it, and how to communicate it to their team. Getting it also includes being and acting self-aware (seriously - no one wants to be the elephant in the room). They’re aware of their own personal leadership tendencies and style, their communication preferences, their stress management techniques, and their own biases or assumptions. 

How Solid is My Team/Department?
Successful leaders solidify a high performing team by starting with a psychologically safe foundation and building upon it with alignment, engagement, and strategic planning.  They cascade the organization’s strategy to their team AND advocate and communicate their team’s strategy back to the rest of the organization. They use key performance indicators not just for their team but for themselves too. 

Am I Settling For the Status Quo?
Successful leaders establish their street cred early by using strategic reflection to identify operational hiccups, taking action, contributing to the solution (not becoming a part of the problem), and by looking for opportunities for improvement to score some quick wins. 

Who Should I Spin Into My Web?
Successful leaders cultivate, prioritize, and maintain healthy and effective relationships. They know how to engage not just with their team and their supervisor, but also with their cross-functional peers, and even stakeholders outside the organization.  They’re intentional to build a networking web (not burn bridges). 

How Purposeful Am I With My Leadership?
Successful leaders sit in the driver’s seat of their own success. They plan their own professional development (not fly by the seat of their pants) to set themselves up for success. This requires both self-awareness and personal discipline (and of course seeking feedback from stakeholders). They’re purposeful in setting short term goals for their first 100 days, while also taking the long view of the road ahead. 

Fresh leaders, whether they're brand new or were just promoted, might not know to question themselves (let alone what questions to ask). Sometimes, they need a little nudge or two to get a head start to becoming a successful leader.