If you are a Leader, CEO or Business Owner, complete this 10-question Leadership Self Assessment.
The point of this assessment isn’t to pick the “right” answer but the one that is most true for you. That you know the right answer is of very little value.
After all, as Stephen R. Covey so aptly put it, “To know and not to do is really not to know.”
Select the letter of how you most often behave in each scenario then look at the end for your results.
1. When an unexpected issue crops up, my first instinct is to:
a. Ask those involved for their analysis and ideas
b. Pause to first identify the root causes underlying the issue
c. Address the issue immediately (I’ll figure out the root causes later)
2. I believe that my employee’s ideas and perspectives:
a. Can improve the company’s performance
b. Have some merit – some of the time
c. Are not thought through and often lack the bigger picture
3. I ask for my employee’s opinions:
a. Through a confidential, anonymous mechanism (such as a survey)
b. By meeting with them one-on-one
c. During company or team meetings with everyone present
4. When it comes to our vision, strategic plan and core values:
a. My team brings these up to me as reminders to keep us on track
b. Team members can recite these to me if I ask them
c. I can’t remember the last time a team member referenced one of our core values
5. When faced with a decision, my biggest concern is about the consequences of:
a. My employees not feeling as though they were involved in the decision
b. Getting the decision wrong
c. Not moving quickly enough on the decision
6. When I communicate with my organization, I believe it is more important to:
a. Spend considerable time planning upfront on what and how to communicate
b. Be strategic and careful as to how much to share at any given time
c. Be authentically in the moment when communicating
7. I believe that to be seen as “collaborative,” it is more important to:
a. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
b. Ensure team dynamics remain smooth and positive to ensure long-term success
c. Engage in constructive debate to get to the best outcome
8. My team would say that under pressure I tend to be:
a. Deliberate and thoughtful in how I engage others
b. Someone who reacts instinctively and with genuine emotion
c. Unaware of my behavior or impact on other’s performance
9. When faced with unsolicited feedback from my team, I tend to react:
a. Positively. It may be their perception but I do try to see it as an opportunity to improve.
b. Neutral. I usually see their point. Doesn’t mean I will automatically change what I’m doing if I believe it’s working for our benefit.
c. Negatively. It makes me angry, anxious, misunderstood or threatened.
10. When it comes to employees, I truly believe:
a. Most people want to be a part of something bigger where they can contribute their best work.
b. Most people just want to do their job, collect a paycheck, and go home to live their lives.
c. Most people don’t understand business and don’t want to be held accountable for results.
If you answered most questions with A, you have High Leadership Quotient. You believe in the “collective intelligence” of your organization and that people have passion and want to make a contribution. While it’s likely taken some work, you are deliberate and thoughtful in your communication and take time to respond rather than rushing in with all the answers. You also solicit and accept honest feedback and criticism and remain curious when others don’t see things they way you do.
If you answered most questions with B, you have Moderate Leadership Quotient. While you are attempting to be more facilitative in your approach, you are still more comfortable relying on your own intuition and knowledge. You know you should be more focused on developing leaders but question if you have the right people on board. You listen to feedback of your team but doubt they see the big picture or bottom line like you do.
If you answered most questions with C, you have Low Leadership Quotient. You either know you should be developing people in your company but are too busy fighting fires or you have attempted to develop some but quite frankly, it’s been money wasted. Your team just doesn’t get it so you have to watch over everything, then you get accused of not trusting them and micro-managing. You have no problem telling them how you feel and expect they will bounce back from it because that is what you would do.
If you answered some B’s or C’s and would like to understand why they weren’t considered the best answer, contact me at info@discwizardonline.com.
Or if you’d like some help improving your own Leadership Quotient or of someone on your team, you can call me direct at 585-787-0541.
