You don't need an LCP

You don't need a Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) to practice Creative Leadership - just like you don't need GPS to drive a car.

GPS can shorten the journey, help you avoid slowdowns, and track your progress. But for those old enough to remember, you can also pull over, get out of the car, and ask someone for directions. Both approaches can get you where you need to go.

Having an LCP offers rich data, benchmarking, and a structure for reflecting on your leadership. But there are many ways to get on the road to Creative Leadership. Don't let the lack of an assessment keep you out of the driver's seat.


Here's a simple process that will put some fuel in the tank and get you on your way:

1️⃣  Ask a colleague to conduct a few interviews about your leadership. Best if this person is not on your team. Objectivity is an advantage.  The total time commitment will be about 1.5 hours. Ideally, you can do this for each other.


2️⃣  Identify four or five people you regularly work with willing to provide honest feedback about your leadership. This could be direct reports, peers, or a manager. Let them know that the person you selected in step 1 will contact them for a short (15-minute) interview about your leadership.  Also let them know that while you'll only see the aggregated responses, this is not necessarily a confidential process. It's important to be clear and explicit upfront.


3️⃣ Instruct your colleague conducting the interviews to ask the following three questions and capture verbatim responses.

❓ On the days when (leader x) is at her most effective and exhibits leadership that allows others to thrive and meet their goals, what specific behaviors or strengths do you observe? What would you single out as her “signature strength”?

❓ We all have less effective days from time to time. When this happens for (leader x), what do you notice she does or does not do? How does she sometimes get in her own way and make things more difficult for herself or others? 

❓ If (leader x) were to work on changing or improving one behavior over the next twelve months, what change would most positively improve their overall leadership? What should they start or stop doing?


4️⃣  (optional) Take the free Leadership Circle self-assessment (link in the comments) to see how you score yourself. The interpretation guide included with your results provides some helpful definitions.


5️⃣  Schedule a call or meeting with your colleague to review the feedback they captured. What patterns do THEY see? Are there themes that map to the Reactive or Creative dimensions in your LCP self-assessment? Do you recognize these patterns from earlier in life? When did they first emerge, and why? How have they served you, and where might they hold you back when overused? Based on the input, what one shift could give your leadership the greatest lift?

There are many routes to Creative Leadership, and like any good road trip, the best journeys are when you bring others along.