Assessments for Leadership Abilities
Are You Cut Out for Leadership?8 Key IndicatorsYou may be interested to know if you are a good leader OR if you would make a good leader. Take this quick assessment for leadership abilities to see if leadership is right for you and review the answers. If you are training leaders, use the simple checklist below as one of your assessments for leadership abilities. Ask the leader (or potential leader candidate) to answer each question. An additional option is to ask someone who knows that person well to answer the questions about them. This second option will give you a broad perspective on the person’s capabilities. Are You Cut Out for Leadership?Answer each of the following questions with an honest “yes” or “no.”1. Do you believe that people are basically good and want to do the right things, even if they sometimes don’t know what those things are or don’t know how to do them? 2. Do people naturally “come to you” and seek you out about things—interests, problems, joys, or just passing the time? 3. Do you get along with most everyone? Oh, sure, there are a few difficult ones, but in general, can you co-exist peacefully with nearly everyone? 4. Do you have passion or a strong enthusiasm for the organization and its mission? 5. Are you approachable and available to those around you? 6. Are you able and willing to communicate frequently and make communication a top priority in your leadership role? 8. Are you able to make firm decisions and take actions while, at the same time, taking into account the needs and suggestions of others?
The questions in this short checklist are a self-assessment of leadership abilities. Use this simple assessment of leadership abilities to help point out directions for your own leadership development. However, the predictive value of this assessment is dependent upon how well you know yourself—how accurately you are able to judge your own attitudes and behaviors. Regardless of what you think, your success as a leader and potential leader is really based on the perceptions others have of you. That’s why it’s a good idea to find out how someone else would answer these questions about you. Your intention may be very good, but it is others’ opinions about you that will determine how well they will work for and with you and, therefore, how effective you are in your leadership role. Consider asking your manager, mentor, or a trusted colleague or employee to answer the same eight questions about you. Their perspective will help you see yourself more clearly and increase your self-awareness. You will better understand how you are viewed in the eyes of others. Click here to view the
answers and explanations
for the above "Are You Cut Out for Leadership?" assessment. RememberLeadership is about the two R’s: results and relationships. These answers to this simple assessment of leadership abilities provide clues about whether you may be right for a leadership role. If you are already in a leadership role, this assessment and explanation will point you to areas where you may wish to strengthen your skills.The 8-question assessment above is quick and easy. For more thorough information you may also want to check out and complete this more-detailed assessment of leadership abilities for a full 360-degree view. Right-click here to download this PDF file. Scoring for this 360-degree assessment is available here in a separate document. Right-click here to download scoring with this PDF file. In addition, check out our pages on personal leadership development plans to create your own plan to improve your leadership skills. |