As leaders rise in the hierarchy of their organization they typically will get less direct feedback on how their performance is perceived.  Feedback is important to help validate self-perceptions and tests ones own understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.  Asking for feedback from colleagues verbally or through a formal multi-rater assessment tool provides a step forward that most leaders need in their continued advancement, motivation, and effectiveness. 

So how do you respond to feedback about your performance as a leader?  First, it all starts with attitude.  Are you appreciative?  Do you view feedback as a gift?  Remember, feedback isn’t always easy to give others especially leaders that have an important position in the organization.  With that said take an attitude of gratitude when receiving feedback and try to glean the real messages about what is important about your performance.  Additionally, feedback doesn’t have to be feared or a blow to the ego.  Accepting and incorporating feedback can be a rewarding experience if handled correctly.  On a cautionary note, if you miss this first step of appreciation when receiving feedback your analysis and subsequent actions are likely to be skewed. More...

Many people take leadership assessments to learn what others think of their performance.  They then either bask in the high scores they recieve or get angry because they scored lower than they anticipated.  In either case, typically, the person being assessed takes no action to improve.

The best reason to take a leadership or management assessment is to learn about the areas in which you need to develop - either by "strengthening your strengths" or mitigating your weaknesses.  An assessment is often enlightening because our perceptions are sometimes different than those of others.  When this happens it is a clear indicator of an area to work on.

The second reason for taking an assessment is to get developmental recommendations.  Scores are nice.  Scores make us feel good (or bad).  But, scores don't give us much help in where to go to improve performance.  A good assessment report goes beyond the numbers and provides specific developmental recommendations. 

Developmental recommendations can consist of suggested steps to improve behavior, readings, web sites to visit, or courses or seminars to consider.  Be sure, if you are considering an assessment, that the report you receive will provide detailed developmental recommendations.

In conclusion, take a leadership or management assessment for the right reasons.  It is much more important to understand how others view your behaviors and to receive specific developmental recommendations than to simply understand your scores.

Loyalty is a key attribute of an effective leader.  When we normally think of a leader's loyalty we think of the leader's allegiance to the organization and its mission.  But, loyalty is more complex for the effective leader.

An effective leader is loyal to his or her staff.  The leader demonstrates loyalty by empowering their staff, taking the time to get to know them individually, and trusting them.  A leader also represents the interests of the team when working with other leaders or senior management. 

This doesn't mean that an effective leader is always nice or always believes the staff member.  Sometimes leaders must take developmental or disciplinary steps.  In some ways, even these acts are a demonstration of loyalty.  When discipline is administered effectively the staff member's performance will typically improve and the leader should acknowledge this and give the person a "fresh start."  Of course, discipline does not always turn out good and the person continues their poor behavior.  In that case, the leader must be prepared to take further steps.

Loyalty also includes knowing when staff members need coaching or conversations regarding their performance.  Leaders also should "walk the floor" to know what each staff member's job is, what problems they face, and how the leader can help them do a better job.

An hour a week simply talking with staff members goes a long way toward developing an effective staff and also toward developing staff loyalty to the leader and the organization.