It sounds simple, as radical ideas often do.

The response of the followers is crucial to any measure of leadership, the Daniels brothers say. They use 12 measures to assess leadership: mass, velocity, direction, vision, values, persistence, teamwork, interfaces, innovation, trust, respect and growth. Chapter 9, “Measuring Follower Response,” describes these 12 measures in detail. The book even offers an example of a performance matrix on Page 93 that managers can use to chart followers’ behavior.

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Measure of a Leader
by Aubrey C. Daniels and
James E. Daniels
Published by Performance Management Publications
$21.95 paperback.

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“We can quantify these measures,” Aubrey Daniels said. “If a boss says he wants something done right away, we can measure how many respond and how quickly in the category called ‘momentum.’ ”

Studies show that most leaders fail, Daniels said. “I think the reason they fail is that there is no effective measure. People tell me that they did not know they were in trouble until they were fired,” he said. “That’s kind of a lagging indicator.”

Literature about leadership hasn’t changed much in the last 2,000 years, Daniels said. Everyone agrees a good leader has humility, integrity and honesty. But the fact is that managers are often fooled into thinking they possess these traits when they don’t, especially in a punitive management environment. “Who’s going to tell them the truth? In too many cases, the emperor has no clothes,” Daniels said.

The punitive management style that is so common in many organizations has contributed to a leadership crisis, Daniels said. The problem with a punitive style is that it seems effective, producing faster results than a management style based on positive reinforcement.

An “eternal optimist,” Daniels spent years as a clinical psychologist, where he saw dramatic changes in his clients. “You can change the behavior of a person for the better if you have enough time and resources. But many times we have neither.”

Top negative behaviors in leaders:

• Insincere praise:“You can’t fake it.”

• Taking credit the leader doesn’t deserve: “Me, my, mine—those are the words of an ineffective leader.”

• Public criticism: Criticizing people in meetings or public forums is never a good idea.