DEAR COACH: I've done pretty well in the consumer products company where I work and have become an associate director in just three years. I'm trying to make sense of some feedback I got from my boss yesterday. I know this is important, so I don't want to mess it up. Here's what he said to me:

"I'd like to nominate you for some of the competitive executive training programs we have, but first I need to see some evidence that you're really interested in being a leader with this company, rather than just a manager. So think about it for a few days, and then make an appointment to speak with me about it."

I'm not sure where to turn for ideas. Do you have any to share with me? Are there things I should read? I'm not sure I really know how to think about this question.

CONNIE

DEAR CONNIE: Your boss has given you a great assignment. It's good, because it shows he really wants to be in your corner -- the absolute first step in moving up in a corporate environment -- and it gives you a chance to think more deeply about how you see yourself in your career. You might find some help in an article from the Harvard Business Review, aptly titled "Are You a Strategist or Just a Manager?," by Hans Hinterhuber and Wolfgang Popp.

A leader, you see, is most of all a strategist: Someone who thinks around corners with the broadest possible vision, and then successfully persuades people to follow her. That's clearly what your boss wants you to demonstrate.

According to Hinterhuber and Popp, there are 10 questions would-be leaders should ask themselves. Why not ask yourself these questions and score yourself somewhere between one and 10 (One being not really, and 10 being very much so.) on each question. Then figure out what you might do to move closer to a fully positive and broad-based answer. One of the best ways to learn would be to give the quiz to a colleague or two whose abilities and integrity you trust, and then discuss your responses with each other. Learning informally with other people is often a neglected tool in competitive business environments.

Here are the questions to guide your introspection and, hopefully, some thought-provoking discussion:

  
1. Do you have an entrepreneurial vision for the company and your unit within it?   
2. Do you have a clear sense of the corporate philosophy and your role in it?   
3. Do you feel your product or service offers customers unique competitive advantages?   
4. Do the people who report to you use their ability to act freely in the company's best interest, without excessive micromanaging on your part?   
5. Does the unit you manage reflect your own vision?   
6. Do you involve your direct reports in strategic planning?   
7. Is the work culture in your unit compatible with these strategies?   
8. Do you watch the external competition closely and try to learn new things?   
9. Has your success been due to hard work rather than luck?   
10. Are you trying to leave the world a better place than how you found it?

Your boss is hoping you'll talk to him about the big picture, Connie. So work on some candid responses to the leadership questions above, and go to your meeting prepared to make him know that investing in you will bring him the return he's seeking.

Good luck.

CAREER COACH