Demystifying Top Leader Performance For senior leaders, obtaining meaningful feedback can be a challenge -- these six specific strategies make the process simpler and more effective
It’s tough at the top — in particular, it’s tough to know how you’re perceived and performing as a leader. There are so many stakeholders and so many differing and competing expectations. A couple of conversations this past week really drove home the challenge top leaders face in trying to get good, actionable feedback.
In the first conversation, a college president lamented the lack of relevant feedback he received in terms of his overall leadership. From his perspective, this knowledge was critical not just for his own career but also for the success of faculty and staff, students, prosperity of the college and reputation within the broader community.
Sources for getting this feedback proved to be less than optimal. Conversations with his leadership team, for example, usually revolved around his response to key challenges or initiatives. Board members, even those working closely with him, offered either very general suggestions or, more likely, spoke about how effectively he was handling key issues that were currently under discussion. His annual review with the board typically focused on his achievement of specific ‘hard’ goals related to funding, enrolment, student experience, etc. Little mention was made of his leadership attributes and presence....... (cont'd) |
