SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It’s clear that business is moving increasingly faster and to keep up, leaders at all levels need to know how to pick up the pace. How can leaders move more quickly? Will increasing their pace help them be more effective leaders?
Zenger Folkman’s new Harvard Business Review column shares specific steps for improving speed. Included in the article is a Pace Self-Assessment, which gives leaders the opportunity to measure their own pace and compares their speed to others.
The Pace Assessment was created using research from 360-degree feedback evaluations completed by more than 50,000 leaders to assess the impact speed had on their colleagues’ impression of leadership effectiveness. Zenger Folkman created a “speed index” that measures leadership pace in three different ways:
- How early a leader can spot problems or trends
- How quickly a leader can respond to problems
- How swiftly a leader can make needed changes
By observing leaders who scored in the top 10% of leadership speed, they found that both quality and pace are essential for overall leadership effectiveness. Five behaviors separate the fast and effective leaders from those who don’t move very fast. These leaders:
- Earn greater trust from their colleagues
- Make their vision and strategy absolutely clear to their coworkers
- Demonstrate personal courage
- Assemble world-class expertise and knowledge
- Set stretch goals
“It’s interesting how often our pace affects our attitude. Let’s face it—slow is often boring,” said Joe Folkman, president of Zenger Folkman. “Think about people you have worked with who keep things going at a fast clip versus those who move ponderously as they ensure that everything is completed. If your company’s energy is lagging, maybe it’s time to consider upping the pace.”
To learn more about how to increase your pace, take Zenger Folkman’s “Pace” assessment and register for the upcoming webinar, 8 Ways to Increase Leadership Speed Without Breaking a Sweat. For more information on these findings, and how to incorporate them into a leadership development plan, visit www.zengerfolkman.com.
About Zenger Folkman:
Zenger Folkman is the authority in strengths-based leadership development. Their award-winning programs employ research-based methods that improve organizations and turn good managers into extraordinary leaders.
