Books - HBR - Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership

I've recently been reading the HBR 10 Must Reads and the article about the fundamental state of leadership was pretty good.

Robert E. Quinn describes in this 2005 article what he calls the fundamental state of leadership. When we are faced with a crisis (like the risk of professional failure, a serious illness etc.), we rise to the challenge not by copying, but what we know to be right.

When leaders do their best work, they don't copy anyone. They draw on their own values and capabilities.

But we are not always in this state, it's exhausting. To enter this state, we need to ask ourselves 4 simple questions:

What result do I want to create?

This moves us from a generative state into a more open-minded, solution state.

Am I internally or externally directed?

If we are internally directed, we behave according to our values instead of merely complying with other peoples expectations.

Am I other focused?

Do I want the best outcome for the group or just for me? In the fundamental state of leadership, we want the best for everyone.

Am I externally open?

Do I listen to external stimuli and recognize when there is a need for change or do I block out external input to stay on track?

In my opinion these questions are not only important for the fundamental state of leadership - they are important for most meetings. It's always good to be conscious of these questions so that you are actually interested in considering others' opinions (externally open) instead of just pushing for our own.