Do you know what your employees think of you as a leader?

It's a lot more difficult to move forward when you have drag the people following you in order to make any progress. When people resist the direction you are headed and you have to pull them along against their will, gaining any ground can become difficult and time-consuming. As leaders, it's much easier when people are excited about the direction we're headed and follow us on their own accord.

So, which kind of followers do you have on your team – the kind that holds you back because they aren't excited about the direction you're headed, or the kind that helps you move forward because they're running along with you? Most of us would probably go out on a limb and say that our people are excited about following us. However, do we really know that for sure? There's really only one way to find out: we need to ask.

How often do you ask your employees for feedback on your decisions as a leader? Do you administer anonymous surveys to gauge your employees' level of commitment on a regular basis, or do you just assume that they are as excited as you are? Ignorance, in this case, is not bliss. Most employees won't tell you that they disagree with you, because they don't feel it's their place. However, by not gaining their buy-in, you also lose some of their best work. People work a lot harder when they love what they're doing. Do you really know whether or not your employees enjoy working for you?