As a CEO or executive, how do you find out if leaders under you are effective?

In the multi-layered world of corporate leadership, Tim Jackson suggests that when those at the top are evaluating their leaders and their performance, they need to start with self-awareness.

“Look in the mirror and do a self-assessment,” advises Mr. Jackson, president of Jackson Leadership, a Toronto-based consulting firm specializing in leadership development. “Ask if you’ve provided the necessary resources people need to succeed. Have you clearly communicated the standard that you expect? Collect some data and do some due diligence.”

That includes looking at your leaders’ performance metrics such as profit and loss, sales and revenue, 360-degree performance reviews, competency-based evaluations, engagement surveys and stretch assignments that test leadership skills.

“Chronic underperformance on key metrics, high undesirable turnover rates or if a leader’s team has lower levels of engagement than every other team, are all red flags,” says Mr. Jackson. “But data tells only part of the story. We’re wired to make attributions about failure directed at individuals, but we often under-attribute causes to situations and contextual dynamics.”

As leaders climb organizational ladders they often become more separated from staff and the challenge is staying connected, he says. “It’s important to cultivate strong relationships and create an environment where people feel comfortable providing feedback.”

However, when a leader’s performance falters, he recommends taking a compassionate yet direct approach “that honours and acknowledges the dignity of the individual,” he explains. “Beware of avoidance, hostility, being self-centered or dehumanizing employees. Don’t see people just as resources, but as individuals with dignity and potential.”

This holistic approach transforms leadership from a transactional role to a deeply human connection. “Get involved in supporting your team’s development,” he says. “That might mean training, coaching, or networking solutions. Be receptive and willing to engage in two-way dialog with people. Signal that you’re listening, even when challenging employees.”

“Leadership is about more than just achieving metrics. It’s about inspiring, supporting and developing people to reach their full potential.”

Jennifer Deane, principal of Jennifer Deane Coaching in North Vancouver, also starts with self-reflection for leaders, saying you can’t hold people accountable until they know what’s expected. Setting clear, measurable targets and providing transparent guidance are critical. Often visionary chief executive officers forget to share information with those working under them.

“When you’ve having that difficult conversation, leaders should communicate with clarity, using specific observable data,” says Ms. Deane. “It also helps to take the emotion out of how you feel. People can become very defensive when you begin to talk to them but it’s really difficult for anyone – whether they have a high ego or not, or low self-awareness – to disagree with facts.

Just focus on the most problematic and specific issue, she recommends. “Often we leave things too long, waiting until it’s really bad and then bring a laundry list of issues. Know that you can’t control the other person. Bring curiosity to the conversation by asking reflective, open-ended questions to try and understand where the person is coming from. Then offer support, such as coaching, if you see potential.”

Ms. Deane states that while you cannot change someone, you can create an environment of open, honest communication that supports growth and understanding. If fundamental differences persist and the person is unwilling to adapt, consider that they may not be a fit for your organization’s culture.

“It doesn’t mean that their leadership style is wrong,” she says. “It’s just not a fit. Being aware of what’s not working is half the battle.”

Leaders must be vigilant about tracking team health, with Ms. Deane recommending you check in quarterly to reflect on who has left the company recently.

“Be humble and view challenges as opportunities for growth,” she says. “People will move mountains to support you in making positive change.”

Mary Crossan, a distinguished university professor at the Ivey Business School who focuses on management and strategy, offers a different approach – a comprehensive view of character as a critical yet often misunderstood aspect of leadership and organizational performance.

“Character development should be a top priority alongside competence for leaders seeking to improve performance,” says Ms. Crossan. “Organizations need competence, but they’ve underestimated character… we haven’t understood it as the basis for high performance and well-being.”

Her recent research, alongside colleagues at Ivey, focuses on the development of leader character as a critical foundation to support and elevate competencies. She describes character as a complex, interconnected system of dimensions that go far beyond traditional ethical considerations. Character is not simply binary strengths, but 11 interconnected dimensions, including courage, drive, accountability, collaboration, temperance, humility and humanity.

Those qualities can become problematic when unbalanced. For instance, she explains that strong drive or accountability can become destructive if not supported by other character dimensions like temperance or humility. This interconnectedness means that what appears to be a strength can become a weakness in excess.

However, leaders can strengthen their character muscles through deliberate practice and self-reflection. Together with her daughter Corey Crossan, a research and teaching fellow at Oxford University, she’s developed an app, Virtuosity Character, a customized program for developing character. Another tool is the Leader Character Insight Assessment available through Sigma Assessment Systems.

“Character is a fundamental aspect of leadership that can be developed, just like a muscle in the gym,” she says. “You can diagnose imbalances in yourself and others, and it’s not threatening. It’s just about working on the piece you need to support.”

She advises companies integrate character into key processes like hiring, promotion and performance management.

“In my 40 years at Ivey, there’s nothing more profound and important than this area of character,” says Ms. Crossan. “Elevating character alongside competence has got to be [in] the top three things on the agenda that any leader should be looking at in their organization. It’s like a new set of glasses that you put on and you see everything differently.”