Becoming a Leader in Troubling Times Essay

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Leadership Self-Assessment Exam Attributes

The leadership assessment test discussed within this document was for a college student, who is in the final stages of securing an undergraduate degree. The student also works in a part-time capacity in the health care industry. The leadership assessment was conducted with feedback from both a supervisor and colleagues of the student. The student was born in America but is presently located in Australia, and wants to foster her leadership potential by examining the results of these assessments in relation to various academic concepts of leadership.

The leadership assessment that I completed -- and which includes my own perceptions as well as those of others -- was quite revealing about my style of leadership, position or placement for which I am suited, and plan for leadership development. Moreover, it helped to provide an open framework for which I can apply a number of models for leadership that I have recently learned about. The general methodology involved my taking a couple of self-assessment tests. Moreover, I also had colleagues take similar tests when they provided feedback about their opinions of me and my characteristics. The feedback that I received from this assessment tool predominantly reveals that I am an outgoing, social person whose strengths include communicating with others. As such, I am best suited for a leadership position in which I work closely with others and help to facilitate their interactions and involvement with one another.

Results

Additionally, there are multiple traits that I exhibit and which were identified in this assessment that seem to pertain mostly to what is known as the Kouzes & Posner leadership model (Kouzes & Posner 2002). What is perhaps most significant about this model and the results revealed in my leadership assessment is that they both innately involve communication. However, the form of communication required for this model is both implicit and explicit. For instance, one of the five core practices that plays an integral role in this model is that of inspiring a shared vision, which includes aspects of both articulating and communicating a vision for change and success (Kouzes & Posner 2002). It largely appears as though these facets of this model are well aligned with the results from leadership assessment. Specifically, these results include my aptitude for working as a coordinator and as a resource investigator. In both of these roles communicating with others is valuable, particularly in the former. Based on the various team roles that are a part of this assessment, it is highly significant that the perspective of both myself and others indicated that I am well suited for the role of a coordinator. 20.7% of the observers in my assessment indicated this fact -- which was the most popular role that they placed me in -- while my self-assessment fancied this role at 16.2%, which is second highest on my roles. It is also noteworthy that the highest role indicated in my self-perception was that of a team worker, which is the third-highest role that I was suited for according to my observers.

Comparison

Another salient facet of the Kouzes & Posner leadership model that relates to my self-assessment is the practice of enabling others to act (Kouzes & Posner 2002). Doing so requires the ability to collaborate with others, which definitely relates to my highest self-perception ranking of teamwork. Moreover, this aspect of the model also correlates to my role as a coordinator, which will certainly require me to develop the sort of trust and empowerment that others require to get them to believe in and become a part of my vision -- and to successfully share it with others. I also got a relatively high ranking in the role as a resource coordinator according to both my self-perception and to that of others. It is pivotal to denote that the critical requirements for success in this role, according to the self-evaluation, is an extroverted personality in which one is comfortable communicating and even socializing with others. Of course, the sort of social skills required for this position are professional and include the ability to engage others. This role and my propensity for it correlates to the practice of the Kouzes & Posner model of encourage the heart (Kouzes & Posner 2002). This practice requires the ability for a leader to make both intellectual and emotional appeals to galvanize workers and get them to ascribe to the core values of whatever it is I would attempt to implement.

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Another important attribute that greatly relates to the Kouzes & Posner model, which includes five practices and 10 commitments (Kouzes & Posner 2002), is the concept of emotional intelligence. It is worth noting that the other two practices of this model are that to challenge the process and that to model the way (Kouzes & Posner 2002). Although these two practices are not as related to an external, extroverted communication specialist who is well suited for a role as a coordinator, as the other three practices previously described, they still relate. Furthermore, the practice of modeling the values and principles that are intrinsic to one's position, leadership style and objectives, requires an implicit sort of communication, which is one of my strengths. This particular practice and the others also pertain to the notion of emotional intelligence. There is an intrinsic degree of awareness and self-regulation that operates at the core of this notion which are ideal for modeling the sort of virtues and values that are a fundamental aspect of one's leadership method and goals (Goleman 1998). Additionally, key components of emotional intelligence include an ability to master empathy and to empathize with others, as well as fundamental social skills that are well aligned to the various practices in the Kouzes & Posner model. It is also critical to discern that there is a definite correlation between emotional intelligence and social intelligence. Social intelligence was one of my top ten personal strengths profiled in The Via Personal Strengths Profile. I am convinced that the principle of emotional intelligence factors into my strength of possessing and being able to exercise social intelligence -- which will enable me to actualize many of the practices in the Kouzes & Posner model.

Another leadership principle which relates to the aforementioned model and to particular traits of leadership as identified in these self-assessments is the ability of a leader to communicate with influence (Tost, Gino & Larrick 2011). This aspect of leadership actually relates to notions of power, and the fact that there are different ways of actuating followers other than merely exercising agency over them. There is research that indicates that an alternative to the aforementioned method of galvanizing followers involves facilitating dynamic relationships with them (Tost, Gino & Larrick 2011). The means to do so, of course, would have to involve some elements of social intelligence and its manifestations of emotional intelligence. Additionally, however, it is prudent to realize that forsaking conventional exercises of power for those which involve dynamic relationships between followers and even co-workers is an aspect of the skill of communication which the self-assessments I have completed denote about me. It is also possible that a leader's ability to temper the wanton exercise of power with alternative methods based on subtlety and social intelligence are also somewhat predicated on experiencing power. Again, the self-assessments I completed reveal that I can certainly empathize with such an experience of power because I scored highly in areas of teamwork and kindness. This ability to relate to others and to utilize that form of emotional intelligence as a basis for communicating with influence is also explicated in Edward De Bono's tenet of Six Hats Thinking & Communication (de Bono Thinking Systems n.d.). This concept relates to the aspects of my self-assessments discussed in this document in that it essential for problem solving. The different layers (or 'hats) pertaining to problem solving in this model involve a combination of rational thinking and emotional intelligence (de Bono Thinking Systems n.d.) . The yellow hat of maintaining positivity and optimism is congruent with the red hat of feelings and intuition. My assessments reveal that incorporating these different elements into my style of leadership would be natural because of my ability to socialize and communicate with others in a way that is emotional and socially sophisticated.

Leadership Plan

There are a couple of different strategic steps that I want to implement for my leadership development plan. Firstly, I believe it is important for me to earn my bachelor's degree. I have been working towards this degree for several years, and I truly believe that graduating from college can help to put me on the right track for developing leadership skills. There are not too many leaders who do not have at least a bachelor's degree in the professional world. I also hope to procure an internship as the coursework for my degree winds down. Ideally I can get one at a company related.....

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