I love typing a phrase into the
A lot of what came up in my Google search was pretty useless (the topic "natural leader" seems to yield a high incidence of platitude and psychobabble), but I did come across a very interesting article from 2011 by Gary Hamel. He talks about how HR folks can (and should) unearth the natural leaders in their organizations. And then he offers some great "markers" for finding them - ways these folks will be showing up in the organization, whether or not they're currently in positions of leadership. He asks ten questions:
Whose advice is sought most often on any particular topic? Who responds most promptly to requests from peers? Whose responses are judged most helpful? Who is most likely to reach across organizational boundaries to aid a colleague? Whose opinions are most valued, internally and externally? Who gets the most kudos from customers? Who’s the most densely connected to other employees? Who’s generating the most buzz outside the company? Who consistently demonstrates real thought leadership? Who seems truly critical to key decisions?
The rest of the article goes on to suggest nine ways to ferret out this information -- most of which, I'm sorry to say, would probably be either too cumbersome or too big-brotherish to be useful. So let's just focus on these ten wonderful questions he asks. They really boil down to three uber-questions:
How much do people look to you for direction?
How deeply do people value your thinking?
How supported by you do others feel?
I suspect these questions seem accurate and resonant to me because they line up so beautifully with our six attributes of the "followable" leader: Far-sighted, Passionate, Courageous, Wise, Generous and Trustworthy.
So: let's go with this. Try using these three questions as a self-diagnostic of how you are currently showing up as a leader, regardless of your position in your organization. Being as honest and neutral as possible about yourself, read them again. For each one, rank yourself 1 to 5, with 1 being "not at all" and 5 being "a great deal."
Now, here's the even tougher part. Find someone who you believe sees you very clearly, who observes you interacting with others in a professional setting, and who is truly willing to tell you the truth about yourself. Ask that person to do the same exercise: read the questions and rate you from 1 to 5 on each of them.
How did you do?
If you and your rater both gave you high scores, congratulations. Keep up the good work, and look for ways to grow even more in all these areas. If you want to be in a leadership position, odds are that it won't be difficult for you to achieve that - and to be successful in it.
If you scored yourself high and your rater scored you lower, it probably means you don't see yourself as others see you. Being accurately self-aware is the first step on the road to growth: if you think you're already great when you're not (I call it The American Idol syndrome), it will be nearly impossible to improve. I'd suggest you spend some time learning to become more accurate about where you're starting from in your leader journey. Listen carefully to what your rater has told you, and ask others you trust for their opinions, as well. Then practice observing how you behave (not how you think you should behave or how you'd like to believe you're behaving, but how you actually show up). Once you feel you have more accurate sense of yourself, you may want to read the advice below about addressing your growth areas.
If you scored yourself low and your rater scored you higher - you may be operating as a leader but under-estimating your own positive impact. Notice how you're talking to yourself about yourself. For instance, if your mental monologue is consistently self-denigrating ("Well, the only reason they come to me for advice is that I've been here for a long time," or "Sure, I'm helpful, but that's just the way I was taught,") you may be getting in the way of your own advancement. There's a middle path between "aw shucks" and cocky: quiet confidence. If you can develop that within yourself, you're much more likely to be rewarded with greater responsibility and bigger jobs. Start by shifting your self-talk to acknowledge your own strengths.
If you and your rater both scored you low in one or more areas - congratulations to both of you on being clear-eyed about a hard truth. Now I'd suggest you find positive roles models who are willing to help you. For instance, if you know that others don't feel supported by you, think of someone you know who is consistently supportive in ways that help others without compromising his or her own success (you're not looking for someone who's a doormat, but rather someone who's great at creating relationships of mutual benefit). Go to that person and tell him or her what you see and admire; ask if he or she would be willing to become your mentor in this area. (Most people are pleased and flattered to be asked to share their strength, and will say yes.) Then observe this person's behavior toward others, ask how he or she thinks about being supportive, and try out what you see and hear. Ask for feedback and tips. In other words, invite and take advantage of this person as your personal leadership coach.
Whatever the initial scores you and your rater give you, just opening yourself up to ask and answer these questions honestly is a huge step in the right direction. It puts you on the path to becoming the best leader you're capable of being...
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Check out Erika Andersen’s latest book, Leading So People Will Follow, and discover how to be a followable leader. Booklist called it “a book to read more than once and to consult many times.”
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