Good
morning! Rise and shine. Get yourself together and do a last check in the
mirror. Is a leader staring back at you? Self-assessments are important to
better ourselves and ensure that we are growing in a positive manner. You
should assess often. Not just in the morning, but take stock in who you are,
what you do and how you interact with others whenever possible. Reflect on it.
Do other people view you as positive? Engaging? Motivational? If the answers
come back in a negative way, you should take stock in what has been said or
offered and consider it.
Consider
this quote:
"The
quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for
themselves." - Ray Kroc
Do
you set high standards for yourself? Have you said this to yourself: "I
am my own worst critic?" As a leader you are reflecting out to others
especially those you lead. Your organization, your team and your
clients/customers all view you while you operate... are you refracting,
deflecting or reflecting? If you reflect, does it show an image you would be
proud to endorse?
There
are many ways to self-assess your leadership abilities and how your leadership
affects others. First, consider looking within. To review oneself and take
inventory says a lot about a person. There are many who would be quick to
blame, deflect or criticize others but it takes a hell of a person to reflect
within to find things to fix. There are a few ways to accomplish this...
Consider situations - do you act differently under
stress? Specific situations (even being with specific people) change our
leadership ability so when doing an assessment, find when your leadership
becomes an issue to yourself and others during these moments. See if you can
make changes such as being 'aware' of them and trying to act differently and/or
avoiding situations that are in fact avoidable.
Keep a journal - keeping a journal of any
activity is extremely helpful. For those who exercise a journal helps to keep
tabs on your progress and even your diet plan. Doing a write up of leader
'items' while trying to become a better leader helps you organize and take note
of specific issues you may want to make an adjustment to.
Consider upcoming
reviews and past reviews -
taking a look at patterns always help. Just like when you look for patterns in
data to find a trend, do the same with your self-assessment and see where you
continue to make the same error. Attempt to solution it with a positive change
and practice it.
Next,
look outside yourself.
Analyze yourself from a
different perspective -
knowing how your boss views you, your team or other organizational leaders and
team members can help you with your goal. If you want to get the skinny on how
others view you there is on prerequisite: trust. You need to know that those
you speak to you will give it to you straight otherwise this is pointless.
Consider perspectives... they are very helpful if they are honest.
Gain feedback and
analyze - you
can request assistance from others in gaining a perspective however the best
way to do this is to do it in a way where is structured. For example, you may
want to do a 360 review where you can get positive or negative feedback.
Journal activities - you can use the same
journal to review how others see you.
Making
Changes
One
you have done an assessment, do you see a leader looking back at you in the
mirror? If not, then you can make some simple adjustments. Adjusting your style
or delivery is important to a leader.
Consider
the points made in the assessment phase: did you get negative feedback? Did you
trace this down to a predetermined byproduct of a stressful situation? Is it
unavoidable and requires you to change your behavior? If you have drilled down
this far, the next step to make is to change.
I
know, easier said than done - however, as leaders we are required to give
110% of ourselves and if a change is needed than a change must be made.
Consider the game of chess. Long periods of time assessing the board, waiting
to make a strategic move that brings you closer to victory.
If
we view ourselves the same way (assessing, analyzing, strategy and change)
we will get closer to a positive result (win). Nothing
good comes easy and some of the most rewarding things in life come
from real work. Time to put the work in... do you see a leader looking
back in the reflection of your self-assessment? If you do not, analyze what
needs to change and lay out a plan to make those changes. It will be rewarding
when you see the positive results and it will be even more rewarding when those
you lead acknowledge it with a strong followership.
Summary
In
this post we discussed the plan required to do a leader self-assessment. Take
any negatives and turn them into positives. It may require work but as a leader
work is required to be better. To be a better leader that work needs to start
within. Take inventory of who you are and how you lead and make those changes
starting today.
Robert Shimonski , 7 July 2015
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