You’re a leader. We all are. We all have the opportunity to lead and contribute.
Your ability to contribute, to have an impact is affected by your leadership skills, in a big way. Your leadership can even transform other people.
So, what does it take to be an effective leader, and do you have the chops to lead others into battle like Mel Gibson’s character, William Wallace, in Braveheart? Or, are you more like Brad Pitt in providing more of a supporting actor role?
Take the leadership quiz, and see where you stand in your journey as a leader. Give yourself a score from 1 to 5 in each area, where 1 = opportunities for big growth and 5 = you’ve achieved a really solid skill level.
1. Do You Have Clarity? You hold true to the vision of the impact you want to have, the positive contribution you want to make in your business, community, and beyond. Your focus and confidence in that vision show up in your everyday choices and actions. Your clarity gives others the opportunity to decide if they want to be a part of that and contribute with their own impact.
2. Are You Decisive? You make decisions quickly once you have the information you need. You know that a decisive wrong call often leads to better long-term outcomes and a better team than a right call that you’ve spent weeks waffling about. Once you decide, you commit and put in your best effort. The consistency of your decisions comes from clarity about your impact vision.
3. Do You Have Courage? You are willing to experiment, to be uncomfortable and move beyond the coziness of your known edges. You’re willing to be innovative, to boldly go where no one has gone before. (What can I say? I’m a fan of the original Star Trek!) You know that even if you’re afraid, you can choose to move ahead anyway.
4. Do You Have Passion? You show that you care about your vision, your outcomes, and people. You share your energy and enthusiasm for what you do. You embrace opportunities to share what you’re passionate about in all kinds of ways, from a book you’re reading to your vision for your company.
5. Are You Humble? Humility is a willingness to learn. You know you’ll never have all the answers. You admit when you’re wrong. You accept feedback as an opportunity to grow. You’re open to having others contribute, which enriches your life and theirs. You use what you’ve learned to be flexible and make adjustments as necessary to achieve your goals.
6. Are You Grateful? You acknowledge what you’re genuinely grateful for. You show how grateful you are to be where you are. You appreciate and recognize the contributions of others.
7. Do You Authentically Connect With Others? You have the ability to connect with people in a real way. They can feel your sincerity and authenticity. You focus on what you can do for others first. You generously help others grow and have their own impact. You listen more than you talk. You show empathy. You know that communicating means that you ensure that the other person understands your ideas and expectations.
8. Do You Possess Insight? You know yourself. You can see others clearly. You seek to understand what’s behind the obvious. You use your intuition and insight to be discerning, to separate the important from the unimportant. You don’t major in minor things.
9. Do You Hold Yourself Accountable? You take responsibility first and foremost for yourself, what you say and what you do. You do what you say you are going to do. You take responsibility for what you have a stake in. You don’t play the blame game. You lead by example: your integrity inspires others.
10. Are You Resilient? You accept that failure will always be part of your success. Because you expect this, you don’t freak out and make failures worse. You work with and train your mind to stay the course. You know that all great things take time, and that little steps add up.
Okay, so now add up your score. If your score is 40- 50, you’re putting your leadership to great use, and you’re committed to continually developing as a leader.
And if you’re not quite there yet, it’s OK! We’re all learning and growing. Search for books on topics where your scores are lowest, and develop your weak areas into strengths or surround yourself with others who are strong in your weak areas.
Not everyone is interested in being a leader and the world needs both leaders and followers. But if you are truly committed to being a leader, then now you know what you need to do to attain excellence in leadership.
