Leading indicators that indicate leading

Leading indicators are measures that we hope are proxies for measuring future change in our world. They may likely not be intrinsically valuable—except in the most profound way, acting as the vessel carrying our hopes and dreams to a far shore.

For example, Claude.ai told me a common leading indicator of health is blood pressure, for lots of smart reasons, but maybe most importantly because it is a powerful and dependable predictor of our future health. Thanks, Claude.

Now, since we’re talking about leadership, the phrase “leading indicators” might also mean “indicators of leading.” That puts a new spin on things, eh?

Leading is hard to define, as are its indicators. Poor leaders may produce a great cloud of artifacts: code, slides, documents, charts, graphs, reports, budgets, plans, org charts, etc. And, of course, excellent leaders may produce none. So, how are we to know what the indicators of good leading are?

Since leadership is a social construct, my approach is to prioritize people and relationships above everything else. These indicators are practices, not artifacts. Verbs, not nouns. The nouns are important – but the verbs are priceless.

This includes practices like 1:1 meetings, skip-level meetings, feedback conversations, public praise, private correction, career/promotion conversations, birthday and anniversary wishes, and all the rest. People quickly notice how much you care about them as people and how much you notice/hear/see them. That is key, so practice listening and prioritizing relationships.

One more indicator of leading before we stop: find ways to show your humanity every day. Today, someone on my team didn’t show up for our 1:1. I could have sent them a DM and said, “Ready when you are!” or (more snarkily), “Should we reschedule?”

Instead, I was able to set aside my ego and remember that (a) coding is focus work, (b) focus work is vital in programming, and (c) focusing involves shutting out everything else. So, I quietly moved our 1:1 to another day and thanked them for working so hard.

(I’m not always able to set aside my ego, but today was a win. Yay.)

Remember, Leadership is a practice that simply asks you to show up every day, be wholly human, and connect with others congruently. When you take the risk to truly care about them, they will take the risk to follow you.

Now it’s your turn…

These are just a few examples of indicators of leading that you might consider. You certainly have your own practices and patterns that work for you. I’d love to hear them, so hit REPLY and let me know.

What indicators of leading do you prioritize each week?