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What to ask employees about your leadership

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Small Business

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Q. What is the most important question you can ask your employees about how well you’re doing as their leader?

1. Do you trust me?

I think trust is what binds every leader to their employees. Do you trust that I’m taking this company in the right direction? Do you trust that I have your best interests in mind? Do you trust that I’m working to keep this company successful? I believe that if they genuinely feel that they can trust and rely on leadership, they will strive to be their best as well. – Michael Quinn, Yellow Bridge Interactive

2. What could I do better?

True transparency and honesty at a company is fueled by feedback across the organization. These are two principles I try to instill in my employees and that I believe create a healthy work environment. I want my employees to feel comfortable enough to tell me what’s working and what’s not at the company from their perspective without fear of consequences. – Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com

3. How well do you understand the company’s vision?

Let the employee tell you in their own words your vision as a leader for the company. Ask them to describe how their contributions fit into achieving that overall vision. The answers you get are so revealing. It’s an open ended question. So if you get one word or very vague answers, it’s a red flag that you need to communicate your vision better and more clearly. – Joshua Lee, StandOut Authority

4. How would you review me?

Let your team review you. If you have enough employees, do blind reviews. You’ll learn a lot. If you don’t, ask regularly what’s working and what’s not and how you can help. – Basha Rubin, Priori Legal

5. Don’t ask

There’s no reason to ask this question. You already know the answer based on how happy your employees are and how well your company is run. Don’t waste time with this rhetoric. If you always have the best interest of your employees in mind, then you are a strong leader. After all, your employees are the core of your business. – Scott Petinga, The Scott Petinga Group

6. Would you work for this boss again?

We tell people in our company that if you want to be a leader, find people that want to be led by you. So the ability to build a team that wants to work for someone is a key indicator. I think it’s also key to ask people if they would work for someone again. If you get 100 percent yes, that’s a great leader — that is my goal even if someone ends up leaving. We also use this question in exit interviews. – Robert Glazer, Acceleration Partners