When I started my career as an engineer, I would have never imagined that almost 25 years later, I would be immersed in the world of executive and leadership coaching. An engineer and an executive and leadership coach are polar opposites in terms of careers. However, there is one thing I carry from my engineering background into my coaching practice with my clients – the concept of diagnostics.
In engineering, diagnostics are used to identify and analyze defects within a hardware or software system. To clarify, a "defect" is something that does not meet the performance specification of the system. Once you find and analyze the defects' root causes, you can then proceed to fix them to improve the system's performance. For example, on your electronic device (smartphone, tablet, or laptop), if you check your settings, there is an option to inspect the device's maintenance. This runs diagnostics to find and fix defects within your device, improving its performance and your overall user experience.
Marrying the two worlds of engineering and executive coaching, I would like to introduce you to my concept of Leadership Diagnostics. These are a set of self-reflective questions for leaders to identify "defects" in their performance and determine how to fix these defects to ensure they are operating at peak performance. These questions are based on my own leadership experience and the privilege of being an executive and leadership coach to leaders from various business sectors.
Purpose & Values What's the mission, vision and purpose of the company? What are the values of the company?
Connecting the Dots How are the teams activities of the team aligned to the company? Have you communicated to the team how their activities contribute to the bigger picture?
Motivation & Engagement How are you motivating the team? Are you involving the team in decisions that affect their work? How are you ensuring everyone in the team has a voice in your team meetings? Do you know each team members motivators and passions?
Performance Management How are you measuring performance? How are you communicating your performance expectations? How are you helping your team set SMART goals? How are you recognizing good performance? How are you addressing poor performance?
Development How are you developing the capabilities of the team? How are you providing regular feedback to your team? How are you developing your leadership skills? How are you seeking feedback to aid in your development? How are you ensuring your skills and your team’s skills remain relevant and continue to add value for the business?
Wellbeing How are you looking out for the wellbeing of your team? How are you looking out for your own wellbeing?
I hope this Leadership Diagnostic will help leaders who may be struggling with the responsibility of leadership, to reflect and identify areas where they need to focus on to improve their performance.
If this article resonates with you and you think I could help you as your coach, book a free 30 min consultation on my calendar.