What Every Leader Should be Thinking About - A Checklist

As Jack Stack says, “One of the challenges in leadership is you need to know when to push, when to hug, when to cheer, when to boo, and when to kick people in the butt.”  For any individual in a leadership role, there are endless responsibilities, people and tasks to keep in order.

We've compiled a checklist of tips and questions to help our Great Game leaders reflect on their leadership styles and stay on track. Check out our best practices for GGOB leaders below! 

The Great Game of Business^® - A Checklist for Leaders 

• Create balance between learning, accountability, recognition, and having a little fun.
• Be intentional about asking questions. Then, listen intently.
• Discuss ideas not team members. 

• Focus your attention on what it will take to hit the goal & improve the score. 

• Make sure people feel comfortable so they will give you the reality.

• Ask for commitments and establish accountability.

• Do what you can to remove roadblocks and clear a path.

• Offer help without removing responsibility.

• Recognize and celebrate the wins. No win is too small!

• Highlight opportunities and encourage innovation.

• Ensure everyone is confident they can come to you with questions or ideas. 

• Help clarify tricky concepts for the entire team.

• Fire up people up!

• Be prepared to learn, teach and be involved.
• Be consistent and respect everyone.
• Ask pertinent and stimulating questions to bring out the stories.
• Don't forget, the Huddle is for the team, not you.
• Remember, you don’t have to have all the answers.

Regardless of how you currently lead, to go ‘open-book’ requires you to reflect on not only your style of workplace leadership, but also how you will develop others as your organization grows. Think about these questions and how they apply to you as a Great Game leader:

• When I ask for someone to do things, do I tell them the reasons and invite suggestions?
• Do I encourage people to learn skills outside of their immediate area of responsibility?
• Do I give credit and praise when people take responsibility or put in extra effort?
• If people want extra training, do I help them find how to get it or arrange it?
• Am I available for people to suggest their concerns or suggestions?
• Do I make sure that people know what the company's goals are?
• Do I make sure that people know how the company is performing on a regular basis?

Questions based on tools by Alan Chapman