With leadership, perception is the better part of reality.
It's hard to be a good leader if your followers don't see you as one. To paraphrase the Scottish poet Robert Burns, if only we could see ourselves as others see us. Sadly, few people will tell their bosses what they really think of their leadership. Yet it's important that you find out what your followers think of you.
Companies urgently need effective leaders, and executives have consistently indicated that "leadership ability" is the most important personal attribute they need to succeed. And they think highly of their own leadership qualities: most consider themselves excellent or good leaders. But is that really true?
Here is a worldwide survey (available at www.LeadershipTips.info) that illustrates how people perceive themselves as effective leaders: