Unlock Your Leadership Potential: Start with Honest Self-Assessment
Part one of a two-part self-coaching module on self-development.
Are you leading with impact, or are there untapped areas in your leadership style just waiting to be discovered? Have you ever felt like you are leading at half strength because you are not yet fully aware of your own unique power?
I believe the journey to elevating your influence begins with a crucial first step: honest self-assessment. As a senior leader, I have seen first-hand that understanding where you excel allows you to lean into your natural abilities. This builds a foundation to lead with greater confidence and authenticity.
Equally, identifying areas for growth is not about dwelling on shortcomings. It is about pinpointing where focused effort will yield the greatest return on your leadership investment.
Why Self-Assessment Matters
We are constantly pushing forward, aiming to inspire our teams and achieve ambitious goals. But how often do we truly pause and turn that focus inwards? This is where a self-coaching journey begins: by taking ownership of your development and becoming your own most insightful mentor.
This self-assessment process is the essential foundation for any meaningful development.
Leverage Your Strengths: Knowing what you do well empowers you to maximise your natural talents and abilities more effectively.
Identify Growth Opportunities: You can pinpoint the specific areas where focused development will have the biggest impact on your leadership.
Lead Authentically: This process builds confidence by helping you understand and embrace your unique leadership style, which in turn builds trust with your team.
Core Attributes for Self-Reflection
In our “Unlock Your Leadership Potential” series, we delve into key leadership attributes critical for success. Consider these as a starting point for your own reflection.
1. Communicating
This goes far beyond simply relaying information. It fundamentally encompasses both proficient speaking and, even more critically, astute listening. Do you truly listen to understand, or are you just preparing to challenge?
A leader’s ability to communicate with crystal-clear clarity ensures messages are not just sent, but genuinely received and understood. Active listening, in this context, means seeking to comprehend others’ perspectives, delving into their ideas and concerns, rather than merely waiting for your turn to speak. This deep engagement prevents misunderstandings and fosters a truly collaborative environment. How do you know people genuinely understand you?
2. Positive Role Modelling
This attribute is about embodying with unwavering consistency the values and behaviours you passionately wish to see reflected in your team. Are you the example you want others to follow?
If a leader expects punctuality, they must unfailingly demonstrate punctuality themselves. The consistency between your words and your tangible actions is of paramount importance. Any perceptible disconnect or hypocrisy can swiftly and dramatically erode trust, undermine your influence, and create cynicism within a team. You inherently set the tone for your team.
3. Visionary Leadership
This involves the ability to not only conceive of but also articulate a compelling and inspiring future vision. Can you effectively galvanise and bring the entire team along on that journey?
This extends far beyond just setting quantifiable goals. It is about painting a vivid, emotive, and detailed picture of where the organisation is headed. Crucially, it requires explaining with conviction why that direction matters. When a leader can expertly connect the seemingly mundane day-to-day tasks to a larger, more meaningful purpose, it empowers individuals, creates a shared sense of mission, and unlocks untapped potential.
4. Integrity
Integrity is, quite simply, the non-negotiable bedrock of effective leadership. Do your actions consistently align with your words?
Leaders who consistently demonstrate unwavering honesty, absolute reliability, and impeccable ethical behaviour earn the enduring trust of their teams. This means ensuring every action aligns seamlessly with every spoken word and that all decisions are guided by a strong, transparent moral compass. This unblemished integrity builds a powerful foundation of psychological safety, allowing team members to feel secure, confident, and trusting in your intentions.
5. Decisiveness
This is an absolutely essential attribute, particularly when operating in complex, ambiguous, or imperfect environments. Leaders are often in situations where the complete picture is not available.
Are you able to make timely and well-informed decisions when needed, even when information is imperfect? The ability to make well-considered decisions is what prevents organisations from stagnating. Procrastination or delaying critical decisions can effectively paralyse a team, creating uncertainty and hindering progress. In contrast, taking well-considered, reasoned action - even if the outcome is not perfectly guaranteed - demonstrates confidence and a commitment to progress.
Get Honest Feedback
A vital part of this process is seeking input from trusted peers and colleagues. This isn’t about giving the “right” answer, but about gaining genuine insight.
I strongly advise you to choose those who will give you honest feedback, not just nice words. True feedback, even when it is challenging, is an invaluable gift for growth. It is not about being “nice”; it is about helping you grow. When you ask, try to request specific, observable examples rather than general opinions. This external perspective can be incredibly illuminating, highlighting blind spots you might not be aware of.
This is Just the Beginning
This self-assessment is just the beginning. It is the first vital step in charting your course. The insights you gain here will be the foundation for what comes next: setting meaningful, actionable goals for your development.
I explore this entire self-coaching process, from assessment to goal-setting, in the “Unlock Your Leadership Potential” podcast episode.
For those who enjoy a more structured, visual approach, the full self-coaching guide includes a framework for assessing additional attributes and a visual “Leadership Diagram” to map your findings.
But the most important step is the one you take today: simply beginning the reflection.
I’d love to hear your initial thoughts on the value of reflecting on our strengths and opportunities for growth. Please share your reflections in the comments below!
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