Ten smart leadership questions for 2010

By Gayle Lantz

If you’re like most business leaders, you spent much of 2009 feeling down and just about out thanks to the dire economic situation. Odds are, you grappled with many new challenges, uncertainties, and “don’t want to, but have to” decisions. It was a difficult year—period.

Now 2010 is here and we’re in the early days of an economic recovery. It’s time to take the bull by the horns. Smart leaders will bypass the predictable New Year’s resolutions and instead start ‘10 with 10 essential questions:

1. What matters most?
The good news is, there’s no right or wrong answer to this one. What was most important a year or two ago may not be the driving force in your business today. Press the reset button and, together with your leadership team, clarify priorities and commit to keeping them in focus.

2. What is one problem that I can turn into an opportunity?
No need for rose-colored glasses—just view a current challenge through the lens of opportunity. Think about past successes in the business and figure out how to apply those skills to the issue at hand. Remember, you grow by building on strengths, not “fixing” weaknesses.

3. What do my employees need to hear from me?
Be careful about sending the message that you need people to hear. Look at things from your employees’ point of view—if they don’t feel understood, they won’t listen to you anyway—and resist the urge to tell them how they “should” think or feel. Also, inspiration doesn’t come only from motivational speeches to the masses. It should happen more informally, too.

4. What is our customers’ greatest pain?
Be relentless about knowing and meeting that need. Skip the complicated surveys. Instead, pick up the phone and ask. Listen and understand first—then get busy offering solutions.

5. What new business relationships will I pursue?
New opportunities come from new relationships. Inside and outside your industry, seek out opportunities where there is potential for mutual benefit—not just “what’s in it for me?” Remember, too, that even in these boom days of social media, significant business relationships begin with real dialogue—not a Tweet.

6. How will I be more strategic?
Skip the SWOT analysis. Strategic planning isn’t an event—it’s a discipline. Get serious about setting direction, always starting with a big-picture view of the possibilities. Resist the urge to discuss and deal with tactics until you’re clear on what you want to accomplish. Even then, don’t check strategy off your list—put it into daily practice.

7. How can I make swift yet smart decisions?
Now more than ever, you can’t afford to over-analyze. Clear the clutter—the “mind clutter” that plagues even the best leaders—and make way for swift, smart decision-making. Hint: Slow down your thinking on the front end—during the planning process—so you can make faster and better decisions later.

8. What leadership skill can—and should—I get better at?
Your personal effectiveness affects the success of the business. Pick the leadership skill that most needs your attention—listening, coaching, problem-solving, and so forth—and commit to improvement. Small changes really can make a big difference; just ask your team and others on the receiving end.

9. How will I recognize success?
You won’t know if the business is on the right path if you haven’t first determined some key indicators. What’s more, not all measures of success are quantitative, so also consider how you’ll know when a result “feels right.”

10. What is my biggest fear, and how will I face it?
Name it—and claim it. If you don’t, it can be damaging, even deadly, to you and the business. After all, what you resist, you empower. Own your fear—before it owns you—and decide how you’ll confront it.

New Year, new thinking. If you ask smart leadership questions, you’ll come up with smart answers. Happy 2010!

About the Author(s)