Free template
Leadership team effectiveness checklist
Twenty statements a leadership team answers about itself, one layer at a time. They cover how it is set up, how it works, what has built up between members and what it delivers. Each member answers alone, then the team compares. It is a Word file you can change as you like.
What is in the checklist?
- Conditions. Six statements on membership, purpose, shared tasks, size, skills and support.
- Processes. Seven statements on meetings: a goal for each item, focus, speaking up, problem solving, disagreement, the whole organisation first and review.
- States. Three statements on safety, trust and acting as one team.
- Outcomes. Four statements on direction, commitment, the team's ability to keep working together and members' growth.
- Next steps. Room to record where answers differ, the layer you will work on first and the date of the next check.
How do you use it?
Give the checklist to every member before a meeting. Each answers Yes, Partly or No to every statement, alone. Answers given alone show where views differ; a discussion that starts with one view tends to hide it.
In the meeting, start with the statements where answers differ most. Pick one layer to work on, starting with the conditions if they are weak. Check again in a few months.
Why is it built this way?
The statements follow the four layers in leadership team effectiveness: conditions, processes, states and outcomes. Each statement names the research it comes from, and the article lists every source in full. Methods and survey questions are in how to assess a leadership team.
Read with it
- Leadership team effectiveness: what makes a leadership team effective?Leadership team effectiveness explained: what research links to it, five models compared, the warning signs and how to measure it in your team.Read the article
- How to assess a leadership teamWhat to measure in a leadership team, which methods to use, how to write good survey questions, and how to keep answers anonymous.Read the article