Jon, thanks for the comment.  I agree about the disconnect that can happen when a leader fails to assess things accurately.  Books like The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly and Greater Than Yourself by Steve Farber can help.  Like many other things, simply thinking we have the answer is seldom the answer.  We need to be continuously checking our opinions against objective inputs to make sure our people are growing and reaching their own life goals.

One way to test this is to simply ask the 12 questions from First Break All The Rules and compare the answers over time.  Work to grow the scores.

Does anyone else have any other ideas how to guage employee opinions about their prospects for growth?