What to ask the person in the mirror.

Full Abstract

Every leader gets off track from time to time. But as leaders rise through the ranks, they have fewer and fewer opportunities for honest and direct feedback. Their bosses are no longer monitoring their actions, and by the time management missteps have a negative impact on business results, it's usually too late to make course corrections that will set things right. Therefore, it is wise to go through a self-assessment, to periodically step back from the bustle of running a business and ask some key questions of yourself. Author Robert S. Kaplan, who during his 22-year career at Goldman Sachs chaired the firm's senior leadership training efforts and cochaired its partnership committee, identifies seven areas for self-reflection:
vision and priorities, managing time, feedback, succession planning, evaluation and alignment, leading under pressure, and staying true to yourself. The author sets out a series of questions in each of the areas, illustrating the impact of self-assessment through vivid accounts of real executives. Although the questions sound simple, people are often shocked-even horrified- by their own answers. Executives are aware that they should be focusing on their most important priorities, for instance, but without stepping back to reflect, few actually know where they are allocating their time. Kaplan advocates writing down what you do every working hour for a week and checking how well your actions match up with your intentions. As for feedback, managers should ask themselves whether they're getting truthful evaluations from their subordinates. (In all likelihood, they aren't). It takes time and discipline to persuade your employees to tell you about your failings.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Kaplan, Robert S (RS);

Affiliation: Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. rokaplan(-atsign-)hbs.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Harvard business review (Harv Bus Rev), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Jan; vol 85 (issue 1) : pp 86-95, 126

Dates: Created 2007/02/08; Completed 2007/03/08;

PMID: 17286078, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Administrative Personnel - psychology
Career Mobility
Humans

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

Managing oneself. 27 Feb 1999
Navy medicine: a health care leadership blueprint for the future. 27 Feb 2001
Coordinated program directors: activities and perceptions about research, tenure, and promotion. 29 Sep 1995
When you think a subordinate is after your job. 30 Aug 1995
Are you picking the right leaders? 30 Jan 2002
Plague, pressure and politics part of life for CDC leader. How Koplan coped with the anthrax outbreak, and a look at his rise to the top. Interview by Maryn McKenna.. 29 Apr 2002
Personalize your management development. 27 Feb 2003
Views from the field. Interview by Nitin Natarajan and Raphael M. Barishansky. 30 Aug 2003
Career development strategies. The stages of a manager's life, Part II. 30 Aug 2003
The proper care and feeding of administrators. How to bridge individual performance and organizational effectiveness? Start by caring for your professional self. 30 Aug 2004

See 100+ related articles.