Are you a Good Boss or Just Think You Are? How Honest Self-Assessment Builds Your Leadership Impact

Gallup's latest report indicates that global employee engagement fell last year, costing the global economy US$438 billion in lost productivity.

At the heart of this decline was a drop in manager engagement, a stark reminder that leadership effectiveness is not just a personal achievement but a critical organisational asset.

In a world of relentless complexity, leaders who can honestly assess and adapt their leadership approach are more likely to cultivate resilient, influential and high-performing teams. Yet many leaders evaluate their impact based on gut feelings rather than rigorous self-reflection or evidence.

Understanding whether you genuinely lead effectively, rather than just believing you do, is no longer optional. It is an essential skill for any leader who wants to thrive personally and unlock their team's full potential.

The Leadership Gap: Self-Image versus Reality

So, you think you're doing a good job being a leader. But what's that assessment based on? Your gut reaction, a feeling or something more substantive?

Most of us have an idea of our 'ideal self'. As leaders, we envision how we would respond to certain situations or what we might say or do if faced with a problem. However, we don't always live up to our expectations, and we can act in less desirable ways, particularly when the reality and stress of a fast-paced, high-stakes environment set in.

Academics Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, experts at building adaptive leaders, advise that when things get busy, complex, and challenging, and the adrenaline is pumping, leaders can easily convince themselves that they won't succumb to normal human frailties. However, the "…intellectual, physical, and emotional challenges of leadership are fierce."

To manage, they recommend leaders "…regularly step into the inner chamber of your being and assess the tolls those challenges are taking".

Leadership success, therefore, demands consistent self-observation, challenge, and adaptation.

Observe the Warning Signs

The work to uncover the reality of your leadership effectiveness requires self-awareness. 

Without awareness, it's easy to assume you're doing a good job simply because no one has explicitly told you otherwise.

This process starts by elevating your observation skills so you notice the warning signs of trouble.

While there are formal data sources such as employee engagement scores, turnover rates, and absenteeism levels, there is a range of more subtle sources that can help assess your leadership impact.

Leaders, for example, should watch for:

• Decreased enthusiasm and negativity among team members

• Reduced initiative and idea-sharing

• Rising complaints or grievances

• Lack of participation in meetings

• Early signs of burnout or stress

• Reluctance to communicate or raise issues

• Increased mistakes and lower-quality work

• Resistance to change

• Siloed working and diminished collaboration

• Persistent miscommunications, rising frustrations and team tension

If you spot even a few of these patterns, it's time to dig deep because you then want to be willing to challenge yourself about your role in those issues. As part of this, consider whether your leadership is enabling your team or unintentionally hindering their development, engagement, and progress. 

Recognising potential leadership gaps is only the first step. The next step is to take action, as real growth occurs when you consistently apply proactive and adaptive actions.

Strategies to Adapt and Grow Your Leadership Impact

Elevating your leadership impact and influence doesn't need to be complex. But it does require dedication and consistency. If you're wondering where to start, here are six core strategies to apply. For each of these strategies, consider which of the supporting actions you are currently doing and which ones you need to start doing.

Strategy One – Know Your Team Individually

Your team is a collection of individuals; what they need from you to thrive and be their best will differ. I've frequently seen leaders apply a templated approach, where they fail to recognise the specific and different needs of team members.

While you want to be consistent and fair in your treatment, you must also recognise that people will need different things from you. Be prepared to get to know them and support each one uniquely, so they can succeed.

A one-size-fits-all leadership approach fails to harness individuals' unique strengths and aspirations.

Actions to take:

• Conduct regular one-on-one conversations to gain a deeper understanding of individual motivations and challenges.

• Balance fairness with individualisation so you treat everyone equitably but recognise different needs.

• Make connection a leadership priority, not an afterthought.

• Regularly ask yourself: What does each person need from me to succeed

Strategy Two – Elevate Employee Voice

Research highlights that organisations experience improved innovation, engagement, and performance when employees feel safe speaking up.

Fostering psychological safety, being open to feedback, consistently role-modelling the appropriate behaviours, and actively seeking your team's input can elevate their readiness to share ideas and concerns.

As well, show appreciation for team members who share ideas or raise concerns, even when you don't implement their suggestions.

Actions to take:

• Proactively seek feedback and show visible gratitude for contributions, even if the ideas aren't acted upon.

• Model vulnerability by admitting mistakes and inviting constructive dissent.

• Embed a 'challenge with care' culture, where respectful debate is normalised.

Strategy Three - Balance Empathy with Accountability

The most effective leaders focus on both relationships and tasks by striking a balance between being approachable, empathetic, and supportive while holding team members accountable.

Set clear goals and responsibilities while ensuring realistic expectations about workload and deadlines. You want to ensure you delegate tasks in a way that fosters growth and progress. So, ensure you're setting your team up for success by providing the right support at the right time.

Leaders who tilt too heavily toward empathy without maintaining clear expectations can inadvertently lower standards; conversely, leaders who prioritise accountability without empathy risk losing trust and morale.

Actions to take:

• Set clear, realistic goals and milestones.

• Provide regular, balanced feedback, both recognition and course correction.

• Understand workload pressures and adjust expectations where needed.

Strategy Four – Focus on Respect

Georgetown University's Associate Professor of Management, Christine Porath, found that respect is the most crucial factor for employees. Her survey of 20,000 employees worldwide, conducted with Harvard Business Review and Tony Schwarz, concluded that being treated with respect was more important to employees than recognition and appreciation, having an inspiring vision, receiving feedback, and opportunities for learning and development.

The research found that respected employees reported 56% better health and well-being, 1.72 times more trust and safety, 89% more enjoyment and job satisfaction and 92% greater focus and prioritisation.

When you respect your team members, you genuinely care about them, have compassion when they are struggling and are committed to their development. You don't avoid tough decisions or conversations; instead, you lead with your head and heart.

Actions to take:

• Demonstrate that you genuinely care through small daily interactions. For example, greetings, gratitude, and attentiveness.

• Tackle difficult conversations with compassion and clarity.

• Show commitment to professional development, not just when it is convenient.

Strategy Five – Invest in Your Leadership

If you want to be a better leader, you must be willing to invest resources in becoming one. For example, you can attend leadership workshops, stay up-to-date on leadership best practices, and find a mentor or executive coach.

Also, you can use 360-degree feedback assessments (such as The Leadership Circle and Hogan) to gain a comprehensive view of your leadership impact. This feedback process is core to increasing your self-awareness. Self-aware leaders are better equipped to understand their strengths and weaknesses, regulate their emotions, and adapt their behaviour to meet their team's needs. 

Actions to take:

• Regularly attend leadership development programs and seek formal coaching or mentoring.

• Complete 360-degree feedback assessments annually to track growth.

• Reflect on leadership mistakes openly and extract lessons without defensiveness.

Strategy Six – Set the Standard

Your team members will model the behaviours they observe. This means that your actions reinforce the standards and expectations for your team every day.

Actions to take:

• Structure meetings with clear agendas, encourage active participation and uphold time discipline.

• Model resilience, optimism, and accountability under pressure.

• Be consistent: small moments set the tone as much as significant events.

The leadership imperative is about continuous inquiry, not perfection. Why? Because leadership is not a static skill, it requires ongoing cultivation.

Influential leadership isn't about never making mistakes. It's about consistently noticing, learning, adapting, and growing. Every interaction is an opportunity to model the leadership you aspire to, and every day provides a new chance to either strengthen or diminish your impact.

When you regularly challenge yourself to ask, "Am I truly being the leader my team needs?" you embark on a journey of not just career success but also influential leadership mastery.

Getting you ready for tomorrow, today®

Award-winning author and global workplace expert, Dr Michelle Gibbings, helps leaders, teams and organisations unlock strategic influence to accelerate progress.