Do You Watch Your Mouth?

Using the following scale, rate each expectation of credible leaders in two ways:

How well do you think you are doing at meeting the expectation?

What might others think about how well you are meeting the expectation?

SCALE: 1 = significant improvement needed; 2 = slight improvement needed; 3 = skilled/competent; 4 = talented; 5 = outstanding: a role model

Expectation	How Do You Think You Are Doing?	What Might Others Think?
Avoids sarcasm and cynicism.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Avoids acting arrogant or “talking down” to people.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Displays an appropriate sense of humor.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Avoids derogatory comments that group people by gender, race, culture, age, etc.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Rarely says a bad thing about anyone.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Never criticizes someone in front of others.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Avoids destructive comments about other parts of the organization.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Does not contribute to or promote workplace gossip.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Discourages “us-versus-them” attitudes.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Confronts issues directly with those involved (avoids third party triangles).	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
My Scores:

Scoring yourself: Add your total for each column. A single column score of 45 to 50 suggests that you are doing an exceptional job and meeting others’ expectations of someone who avoids destructive comments. A column score of 37 to 44 indicates that you have some areas for improvement; on issues as important as these, I believe leaders should strive to be “ outstanding: a role model.” Below 37 indicates a danger area, and you may be chipping away at your credibility. A discrepancy of more than 11 points between the two column totals indicates a possible gap in perception worth investigating. If your “How do you think you are doing?” score is higher than your “What might others think?” score, your intentions may be better than your actions. If your “What might others think?” score is higher, you may not be giving yourself enough credit for a job well done.