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Here is a leadership self-assessment to help you see where you are and what you need to work on. Please take some time to think about yourself as That Leader. Let's start with a list of the tasks of leadership for you to think about.



The tasks of leadership:

• Leaders establish vision and set direction.

• Leaders affirm and articulate values.

• Leaders have high standards and high expectations.

• Leaders are accountable.

• Leaders motivate.

• Leaders achieve unity.

• Leaders involve others indecision-making.

• Leaders serve as role models.

• Leaders listen and explain.

• Leaders represent the organization.

• Leaders guide constituents and maintain their support.

Do you have the qualities that make you a valuable team leader? Ask yourself these questions:

Attributes . . .

• Do I view problems as opportunities?

• Am I a priority setter?

• Am I customer focused?

• Am I courageous?

• Am I a critical and creative thinker?

• What is my tolerance for ambiguity?

• Am I positive attitude towards change?

• Am I committed to innovations that are best for the business?

Skills . . .

• Do I debate, clarify, and enunciate my values and beliefs?

• Can I fuel, inspire, and guard the shared vision?

• Can I communicate the strategic plan at all levels?

• Do I recognize the problems inherent to the planning process?

• Do I ask the big picture questions and "what if"?

• Can I support those on the up-line through the change process?

• Do I encourage dreaming and thinking the unthinkable?

• Can I align the budget, planning, policies and instructional programs with the company goals and vision?

• Do I engage in goal setting?

• Can I develop and implement action plans?

• Do I practice and plan conscious abandonment?

• Do I transfer the strategic planning process to planning?

Knowledge . . .

• Do I know those on the up-line’s roles and responsibilities in planning and implementing plans?

• Do I know the strategic planning process, short and long term planning tools?

• Do I know the company’s vision, beliefs, and mission?

• Do I know the relationship of the budget to planning?

• Do I know the process of change and paradigm shifts?

• Do I know the strategies to involve and communicate with the company?

What trait were you proud to say describes you?

Was there any trait you would not consider desirable?

What trait are you working on to make more descriptive of you?

You do not have to have all this under your belt at one time, even if you have experience being a team leader. That Leader will have taken quite some time to comprehend all the attributes, skills and knowledge listed above. The point of this exercise is to learn what you do know and what you need to know to become That Leader.

Do you feel better qualified now than when you started looking at leadership this way?

This information is from Washington State School Directors' Association and found on http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/

Jaco Grobbelaar, owner of BroadVision Marketing, helps business owners and business professionals put marketing strategies in place that consistently secure new clients. He can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.799.1238. You can “Like” him at www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing or connect with him on www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.

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