Leadership plays a critical role in guiding people, teams, and organizations towards shared goals and aspirations. No surprise then, that when employers consider who earns a promotion, leadership capability is often a key factor in their decision making. Understanding your own leadership capability (and opportunities to improve it) can be critical to your own success and advancement. A leadership self-assessment can help you uncover your strengths and also identify potential areas for growth.
Ideally, a leadership self-assessment can also benefit those who work with you, by helping you to learn what you are best at, and also by identifying tasks that may be better delegated to others.
Self-Assessment: Most Essential Components of Leadership
There are many desirable qualities of leaders. Perhaps the most essential is an understanding of your own core values, and a willingness to adhere to that code and your key principles consistently in your personal and professional life.
This demonstration of confidence, consistency and authenticity helps build trust. And people need to trust their leaders.
To read more about this essential competency, visit: Leadership: The One Quality You Need to Be the Best.
Self-Assessment Can Be Challenging
As challenging as it may be, it’s necessary to develop an objective sense of your own leadership capabilities if you wish to advance and grow.
You may need to consult with others including mentors, co-workers, staff, and even family and friends to help you develop your own self-awareness and an objective assessment.
Key Leadership Characteristics to Assess
Key leadership characteristics and soft skills to consider in your self-assessment include:
- Vision. You must assess your own ability to create a vision of a new paradigm, organization, operating system or enterprise. Are you easily able to “think outside the box”? Can you effectively describe your vision of an alternative to the status quo?
- Communication. You must assess your ability to engage with others, listen actively, perform well as a public speaker when necessary, and convey ideas clearly. Evaluate your capacity to inspire and motivate others and foster positive relationships within teams or organizations.
- Decision-making. Analyze how you approach decision-making, considering factors such as speed, soundness, and inclusiveness. Assess your ability to gather information, consider various perspectives, and make well-informed choices that align with your values and goals.
- Resiliency. Consider your ability to navigate and adapt to uncertain or unexpected situations, embrace change, and effectively solve problems. Analyze your capacity to think critically, strategize, and find innovative solutions in the moment, when necessary.
- Emotional intelligence. Assess your ability to recognize and manage your emotions, as well as understand and empathize with the emotions of others. Consider your self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills in various interpersonal and professional contexts.
How to Conduct Your Own Leadership Self-Assessment
A leadership self-assessment can be a useful tool, regardless of where you are in your career and what you hope to accomplish in the future.
To start your leadership self-assessment:
- Use the competencies noted above for context to inventory your skills, knowledge, and experience. Identify strengths and areas for improvement, including both technical skills and soft skills. Cite examples that help to demonstrate your level of capability to confirm your assessment.
- Reflect on your career aspirations and goals. Start by envisioning a longer-term goal. Where do you see yourself in five or ten years? What skills, qualifications or experience do you need to get there? Prioritize your most essential development requirements and begin to explore opportunities to meet them.
- Assess your eagerness and ability to learn and adapt to new challenges. It will take enthusiasm, perseverance and resilience to chart your course and navigate it. How open you are to acquiring new knowledge and skills? Are you willing to explore opportunities for growth and development within your current role or industry?
- Consider your ability to motivate and inspire others, delegate tasks and strategize for the long-term success of a team or organization. Is this an area you need to prioritize for development?
- Evaluate your self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. How effectively do you navigate interpersonal relationships and manage conflicts? Are you able to understand your emotions and the emotions of others in professional settings?
- Assess your networking skills. Are you able to build and maintain professional relationships, communicate effectively, and represent yourself and your organization positively? Evaluate your online presence and how you manage your personal brand in professional contexts.
- Seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, and supervisors regarding your professional capabilities. Ask for specific input on your performance, strengths, and areas for development. Their perspectives may potentially offer different, valuable insights – or may further validate your own assessment.
Professional Development Leadership Assessment Tools
If you struggle to develop a comprehensive self-assessment, you may wish to consider using professional development leadership assessment tools and resources available online to gain additional insights into your potential for growth.
These tools often provide structured assessments and feedback that can further guide your professional development efforts.
What to Do with Your Findings
When you have completed your self-assessment, it is essential to identify a few specific areas for improvement, and to establish clear and achievable development goals.
Setting tangible goals will help organize your professional growth efforts and keep you on track.
Be specific and develop your goals using the SMART framework.
Invest in personal growth opportunities, such as leadership workshops, mentoring, or additional education, to help sharpen your leadership skills in your priority areas for development.
Continue to seek feedback, and measure and monitor your progress. Soon, new doors will begin to open for you. Be ready when they do!
Leadership encompasses a diverse array of characteristics that collectively define a successful and impactful leader. By embodying these characteristics and continually honing your skills, you can inspire positive change, foster growth, and make a lasting impact on both people and organizations.
If you would like to develop a more comprehensive strategy for your own professional growth, visit:
How to Create the Best Professional Development Plan
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Joan’s career includes clinical healthcare plus 20+ years as an executive in a nationwide health care system and 15 years as a consultant. The common threads throughout Joan’s personal and professional life are a commitment to non-profit organizations, mental health, compassionate coaching, professional development and servant leadership. Joan has had the privilege of mentoring early and mid-career professionals as well as current and future executives and leaders. She is a member of the International Organization of Life Coaches, serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is also a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me. You can read more about Joan here: Joan Senio.
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