Taking this assessment tool has made me realize that I have the pre-requisite to become a leader - that I am highly motivated to take a step away from being a listener and a follower to becoming someone who can take a team and achieve common goals and objectives. This assessment tool has been proven to identify people with the innate ability to lead. What exactly characterizes me as a leader and separates me from the rest of the pack?
There are several strengths that identify if a person is born a leader. The best leader usually has become a good follower. With one knowing what it feels like to follow and to be led, he is in the best position to transcend to a leadership position. Usually, inspiring leaders are the ones who bring the best out the best in people. They make everyone feel that they can contribute and that their contributions are valuable to their goals. They serve as an example to others and give encouragement whenever necessary. Another strength is the willingness to sacrifice, to put the project’s welfare first and be willing to recognize the team’s accomplishment over one’s own.
Leaders are not born perfect. There are times when, in spite of wanting to become an example to others, one fails. A leader should be able to follow his own advice. Another weakness would be to become overly optimistic or overly pessimistic about one’s team members (Peck, 2013). One should learn to realize when to let go of dead weight or when to hold on for a little bit longer. People has a natural learning curve and it is important for a leader to know when someone has peaked already or will never reach that peak.
With this assessment tool identifying me as a potential leader, I know that my work is cut-out for me. The first step that I need to take to hone my leadership skills is to accept my weakness, reflect on my action plan and set myself into implanting this action plan. To carry out this action plan, I must improve my communication skills. This would include both speaking and listening skills. This way, I could clearly let others know of my vision and influence others to greatness as well. Lastly, I would have to look out for opportunities to improve myself beyond my goals of being a leader. Every opportunity I explore would be a step towards my goal of being an effective leader.
References
Peck, D. (2013, November 16). The Blog. [10 Big Leadership Weakness]. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.wrike.com/blog/top-down-and-bottom-up-project-management-leveraging-the-advantages-of-the-two-approaches/
