As we face the monumental challenges of the 21st century, it is obvious that leadership plays a critical role. In any organization, anything that takes place will ultimately rise or fall on leadership. Any vision that is cast, any decision that is either made or postponed, any strategic plan that is implemented, is ultimately an outcome of leadership. Anyone can take people to where they want to go, but a leader takes them where they need to go. Find success in an organization and you'll find successful leaders. Find failures and you'll find leadership failures as well.

But as leaders, how do we know if we're on target? This requires occasional periods of evaluation to determine if we are on course. Your candid (although perhaps painful) response to the following questions will help you determine if you're living on the cutting edge and modeling the values and priorities you desire to see demonstrated in others.

1. Am I really interested in people?

Are you concerned with all people, types, ...