Source: C. Simpson
These 4 KPIs matter more.
The way most people measure their leadership doesn't tell them much.
Years in the role, size of the team, how many people report to you...
None of these tells you whether anyone would follow you if they didn't have to.
So here's a better set of KPIs to measure your leadership against. Not Key Performance Indicators, but:
✅ Keep People Included
✅ Keep People Intentional
✅ Keep People Invested
✅ Keep People Inspired
Managing people is obvious when it's happening to you.
You can feel when someone is directing you vs when someone is developing you.
And you can feel the difference between a team that's compliant and a team that's committed.
So instead of asking "how many people report to me?", try asking these instead:
👥 Keep People Included
↳ Are they part of the conversation before decisions are made?
↳ Do they have a genuine standing in the room, or just a seat in it?
📝 Keep People Intentional
↳ Do they know what matters most right now, or are they guessing?
↳ Are their daily choices aligned with the bigger goal, or scattered across too many priorities?
📈 Keep People Invested
↳ Do they understand how their work connects to the bigger picture?
↳ Do they have a stake in where this is going?
💭 Keep People Inspired
↳ Do they leave conversations with you feeling more capable, or less?
↳ Do they bring you their best work, or just enough to get by?
These questions will tell you far more than a title or a headcount ever will.
Leadership has to be a habit you build, not a position you hold.