To me a highly effective leader is someone who leads from the back. Like a good user interface an effective leader frames the problem, points their employees in the right direction, and then gets out of the way. If a leader has surrounded themselves with the right people (aka people smarter than themselves), getting out of the way allows your organization to fully unleash their collective creativity on a problem and grow closer together as a unit.
As a leader from the back it’s imperative that you are continually getting feedback from your team, but it’s often an awkward and formal experience. One leader I had the opportunity to work with briefly, Matt, asked me two questions at the end of every week (and I asked him the same questions) that grew the rapport between us incredibly quickly. Sit an employee down and try them out, you’ll be surprised at the results:
Tell me three things I did this week that you think I did well
Tell me three things I did this week that you think I can improve on
Make it a conversation and ask these questions on a regular basis. You’ll learn a lot about your employees perception of you as a leader, will smooth out any issues before they become issues, and get a chance to give your employees continual feedback as well.