Leadership Assessment Paper

Leadership Assessment Paper

Introduction

Leadership is a powerful resource for individuals, a workplace setting, and society.  It plays such a crucial role in determining the success of an organization.  While some believe that leaders are born (a theory known as the Great Person theory), research has proven that leadership skills can also be developed.  Every organization needs effective leaders, so it is important for every individual to develop their leadership skills.  

The definition of a leader is a person who exercises the most control over the group.  Leadership is the process by which an individual influences others in ways that help attain group or organization goals.  Anyone can exercise control over a group, but that doesn’t mean they are a successful leader.  According to the trait theories, successful leaders posses high degrees of drive, honesty and integrity, leadership motivation, self-confidence, cognitive ability, knowledge of the business, creativity, and flexibility.  

To develop effective leadership skills, the first step is to become more self-aware.  Self-awareness is essential and fundamental because you must evaluate your attributes before being able to improve them.  As I reflect on myself, I am aware that I possess many characteristics of an effective leader.  There are, however, some surprising characteristics that I do not have and need to work on.  By recognizing the traits of a successful leader and reflecting on myself, I can better hone in on what I need to fix in order to improve my leadership abilities.  In preparation for this paper, I learned more about myself by taking self-assessment surveys and analyzing my results, increasing my self-awareness.  

The leadership traits that I am focusing on in this paper are from the Great Person theory.  I will also discuss my creative characteristics and my ability to adapt to change.  The self-assessment surveys that I took cover the Great Person traits.  These four traits are:  

1. Desire to lead

2. Flexibility

3. Focus on morality

4. Multiple domains of intelligence (cognitive, emotional, cultural)

Desire to Lead

The first and most basic requirement for leadership is the desire to lead.  Studies show that leaders have a strong desire to lead.  In order to become an effective leader, you must want to be an effective leader.  Effective