How Do You Assess How You Are Doing?
This month, the discussion of the characteristics of anabolic and catabolic leaders focuses on how (and if) leaders assess themselves, and examine how their actions and attitudes affect their results, as well as impact the people around them.
Assess the Mess
Catabolic leaders are self-absorbed and operate in their own little worlds. They do what they do, and they rarely, if ever, stop to think about the consequences of what they are doing (and how they are doing it). If catabolic leaders do assess, they self-assess – that is, they don’t ask for input from people around them, because they fear that in doing so they may appear weak. In addition, catabolic leaders know that they are right, and others are wrong (or incompetent, or lazy) – so why would they ask for others’ feedback?
Anabolic leaders on the other hand, are very aware of their environment, the people around them and the impact they have on those people. They are always working “on themselves.” They are willing to take hard looks at themselves to see where improvements can be made. They also ask for, and consider, feedback from others, as they know this information is crucial if they are to continue to grow and develop.
Let’s consider Catabolic Chris and Anabolic Amanda, two leaders in the same company. Both manage several team members, and both recently had to deal with customer complaints they’d received. Chris was quite abrupt as he told his team exactly what to do to correct the problem. Later, when his proposed solution didn’t work, he blamed his team members for not implementing the plan properly.
Amanda, not surprisingly, handled the situation differently. She and her team brainstormed a solution to the customer’s complaint, and together decided what course to take. When their chosen plan didn’t work out, instead of blaming her team, Amanda sat down with them again to devise another solution. One of the questions she asked her team was how she could have handled the situation better, or supported them more. Amanda learned some valuable information from their responses, and modified her behavior accordingly. Not only did Amanda demonstrate that she was willing to learn and grow, but she also let her team know that it was safe to honestly give her feedback and trust her.
Do You Feel As If You’re The Last To Know (or close to it)?
Hint: if your team is afraid to be honest with you, you’ll need to put more effort into creating a safe environment. Be aware of how you ask for and respond to feedback from your team. By nature of the relationship, they are very sensitive to your responses and likely more attentive to your non-verbal cues than you are to their non-verbal cues. You will need to bring intention and awareness to every interaction you have with your team if you want to create change in this area.
By soliciting feedback and leaving their egos “at the door,” anabolic leaders grow, and by example, allow their colleagues and companies to grow and prosper as well.
If you are interested in gaining a new awareness of your own leadership style and how to be that anabolic leader, take a self-assessment designed to do exactly that.
