10 Questions

Ten Questions a Leader must ask themselves

(A funny parallel of management and people)

A man in a hot air balloon realised that he was lost so he reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a little lower and shouted, "Excuse me,  can you help me?   Only I said I would meet a friend of mine an hour ago and I am late and don’t know where I am."  The woman below replied; "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately thirty feet above the ground.  You are between 40 to 41 degrees north latitude and between 50 to 60 degrees west launch-attitude."   "Oh you must be an engineer"  said the balloonist.   "I am,"  said the woman "but how did you know?"   "Well,"  said the balloonist; "Everything you have told me is technically correct but I have no idea of what to make of your information and the fact is I am still lost and frankly you have not been much help at all and have subsequently delayed my trip."

The woman below responded:  "You must be in management."   "I am"  said the balloonist,  " But how did you know?"   "Well,"  said the woman below,  " You don’t know where you are or where you are going,  you have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air, you made a promise in which you have no idea how to keep and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are exactly in the same position before we met but now somehow its all my fault."

These are questions that are good and healthy for every leader to ask and answer:

Am I investing in myself?

This is not a selfish question as leaders have to go first. If I am not growing then how do I expect those in whom I lead to physically, educationally, spiritually or financially grow?  No one person can teach you everything, so don’t expect that, as this is unrealistic. A person who has a teachable spirit and attitude will ask more questions than talk. Are you intentionally investing in yourself? For if you are not committed to growing or developing yourself,  then who do you think will invest in you?

Am I genuinely interested in others:  this deals with my own inward motive.

Leaders see before others and they see more than others see and this is a fact. When this happens you know more than others, but if you are not careful you will take this knowledge and begin using it for personal gain to manipulate others.

How do I test this?

1. I ask myself how do I treat people that do not necessarily know me as I cross their path?

2. How do I treat people that I have power over? Do I power up on people given the opportunity

3. Am I doing what I love and loving what I do? Part of success is doing what you love

4. Am I investing my time both in and with the right people? A leader cannot give all their time to everyone. A leader should want to make a difference with people who want to make a difference and then by doing things that makes a difference at a time when a difference needs to be made together we can then make a real difference. Some people are not interested in leaving their footprints in the sand, only their but prints. Look for capacity, chemistry and commitment from people. Capacity asks & answers, can they and will they. Chemistry answers the question do we, whereas commitment asks how much are we prepared to give.

5. Am I investing my time in my strength zone?  Everyone of us have core strengths meaning core talents, gifts and abilities, for to understand these will place you in your strength zone.

6. Am I taking people to a higher level? General Swartzcroft once said; when you take people to a higher level you go to a higher level yourself. Most people in getting to the top push other people to the bottom, for to do this is not leadership.

7. Am I taking care of today?. This is a success question as this deals with your daily disciplines. Leaders have a tendency to be so futuristic, so much so that they tend to neglect the cares of today. The opposite of this is in many companies, today's business and the needs of paying bills and meeting deadlines, prevents people from planning the future.  The startling reality of life is both today and the future has needs, but the smart and wise leaders plan to be around for both.

8. Am I taking time to think? A leader has to be constantly thinking ahead so that when his people get there he knows how to lead them. (In the book by J Maxwell "Thinking for a Change",  he describes 11 thinking patterns that successful people think in order to become successful.) To be a thinker you have to find a place where you can think your thoughts, develop your thoughts and activate your thoughts.

9. Am I developing leaders? A five step strategy in developing leaders is: I do it which is step one.  I do it and you are with me, which is step two.  You do it and I am with you, which is step three.  You do it,  which is step four.  You do it and somebody goes with you, which is step five. You have never trained a person until you have done this because the reproduction cycle is in the ability to reproduce.

10. Am I fulfilling my life's purpose?  Each and everyone has a destiny given by God Himself so we can find follow and finish.  My personal destiny and purpose is to fulfil the will of God for my life, whereas for others each person has to find follow and finish their life's purpose the best way they know how.  A word to the wise,  when pursuing purpose.  If you spend all your life climbing the corporate ladder of success only to find that when you died and went to heaven, your ladder was leaning against the wrong wall ,you will come to one startling conclusion, that your life was spent climbing the wrong ladder.

Written by Anthony Higginson 2010 The Dream Centre Droylsden Manchester