Leaders should ask key questions to assess their performance and stay on track. John C. Maxwell shares insights on vision, priorities, and self-awareness. Emphasizes the importance of authentic leadership and effective communication. Explores feedback, self-reflection, and motivation in leadership practices.
Self-reflection through key questions is crucial for assessing leadership performance.
Clear vision and passion are essential for setting correct priorities and achieving success in leadership.
Deep dives
Questioning Vision and Priorities
The podcast emphasizes the importance for leaders to question their vision and priorities. It highlights the need for clear communication of vision and the identification of key priorities to achieve it. Leaders are encouraged to ensure that employees can articulate the vision and priorities, as without a clear vision, strategy, and priorities, success can be compromised.
Effective Feedback Mechanisms
The episode discusses the significance of timely and direct feedback for leaders. Waiting until annual reviews can lead to ineffective professional development. The importance of cultivating subordinates who can provide feedback throughout the year is emphasized. Simple yet powerful feedback questions are suggested to encourage meaningful and constructive feedback.
Leading Under Pressure
The podcast explores the concept of leading under pressure and the impact of a leader's behavior during stressful times. Leaders are advised to be mindful of their stress triggers and ensure that their actions align with their core values. The 'E plus R equals O' formula is introduced, highlighting the connection between events, responses, and outcomes in a leader's life.
Staying True to Authentic Leadership
The importance of staying true to one's authentic leadership style is discussed. Successful executives align their leadership styles with their beliefs, personality, and values. Leaders are encouraged to reflect on whether their leadership style truly reflects who they are and if it is in line with their core values. The podcast emphasizes that authenticity is a key attribute in effective leadership.
In leadership, it’s important to take a step back and ask a few key questions that will help you reflect on where you’ve been and then look forward to what’s next. That’s exactly what we’re talking about in this week’s episode! John C. Maxwell shares key questions that every leader must ask themselves when it comes to their life and leadership in order to assess performance, acknowledge gaps, and stay on track with where they want to go. After John’s lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede discuss valuable takeaways that you can apply to your leadership as well.
Key takeaways:
- “There comes a point in your career when the best way to figure out how you’re doing is to step back and ask yourself a few questions. Having all the answers is less important than knowing what to ask.” — Robert S. Kaplan
- It’s impossible to have your priorities correct or your passion intact if you don’t clearly see your dream.
- The better you know yourself and the truer you are to yourself, the greater your success.
Our BONUS resource for this episode is the Questions to Ask the Leader in the Mirror Worksheet, which includes fill-in-the-blank notes from John’s teaching. You can download the worksheet by visiting MaxwellPodcast.com/Mirror and clicking “Download the Bonus Resource.”
Take the next step in your growth journey and become a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member. Click here to speak with a Program Advisor today!