Leadership Assessment Paper
By Don Mitchell
Typing My Leadership
The 8 key leadership dimensions are: Pioneering, Energizing, Affirming, Inclusive, Humble, Deliberate, Resolute, and Commanding. My leadership assessment and comfort zone within The 8 Dimensions of Leadership (DiSC) model is the “pioneering” dimension. According to Sugerman (2011) he defines a pioneer leader as;
“adventurous, dynamic, and charismatic. Their optimistic and persuasive style often inspires others to join their efforts, and because they’re good at making connections, they’re often able to leverage relationships to help reach their ambitious goals. They tend to be extremely action-oriented, and they may be impulsive at times. Because they want to make exciting breakthroughs, they’re naturally drawn to new opportunities, and they may sometimes move ahead without considering how their decisions could affect others” (p. 18).
Each dimension has a unique primary and secondary characteristic that distinguishes its leadership qualities from others. The comfort zone for leaders is referred to as the “default setting” and is the leadership dimension that feels most comfortable for a leader. The authors have a “two step” process which identifies our natural instincts and leadership behaviors on a quadrant map. The first step will help a leader determine their primary leadership dimension within the 8 possible selections. This is done through an online survey. The second step is determined by asking questions of yourself which determines what psychological drivers motivate leaders and what behaviors patterns are typically associated with how they lead.
The model made simpler has emotional drivers within the DiSC model which would include one of four basic styles; Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness and make up the inherent DiSC symbol. We are told to think of it as a circle which forms quadrants of: north - south and east - west. Respondents have a tendency to settle toward one end of the two axes. After answering a few rudimentary questions a pattern develops. Variations in the four quadrants do exist and depending on where leaders are placed on the quadrant line ultimately define how leaders generally behave. Some leaders behavior styles land them directly in the middle but most will place at the far end of either north - south or east - west. The goal is to better understand your intuitive position on the model map and then formulate your own range of ideas centered on what the other seven dimensions can best offer—shifting styles as needed.
Personalized Assessment
The 8 Dimensions of Leadership website produces a personalized leadership assessment. This print out described my primary dimension as a “Pioneering” leader. Attributes were further identified as—fast paced and outspoken with a blend of questioning and skeptical on the north side of the quadrant map. A DiSC style of CD or Dominance shared with Conscientiousness labeled my underlying behavior patterns as well. There are many different variations of intensity in the styles which move along two axis lines but my pattern seemed evenly dispersed between Dominance shared with the Conscientiousness label. Pioneering leaders, who are closest to the north end of the axis such as mine, lean heavily towards high-energy settings often exhibiting fast-paced and outspoken temperaments. According to Sugerman (2011) pioneering leader’s “tend to get bored with repetitive tasks and grow restless when expected to work methodically for long stretches of time” (p. 14). Leaders with these styles also exhibit a need for a “vital role in organizations; a need for recognition, and are frustrated when they don’t feel their talents are being put to good use; they are confident and rarely timid about sharing their opinions” (p. 14). Behavior traits for pioneering leaders who reside at the north end of the axis generally exhibit and have shown through research, to consistently display the same strengths and weaknesses as other pioneer’s.
Pioneer Strengths and Weaknesses
Pioneering Strengths
Those who lead through the Pioneering Dimension have a natural inclination for being charismatic, adventurous and dynamic. And, as one might imagine, there is pro and con attached to any of the 8 leadership styles. Typical strength labels for pioneer leaders Sugerman (2011) determined are; “optimistic, persuasive, inspires others, good at making connections, action-oriented, drawn to new opportunities, passionate leaders, high energy levels, desires importance and have high self-confidence in their abilities” (p. 18). Pioneer leaders whether seeking new challenges, making change efforts happen or taking risks in order to see a vision come to fruition requires the persuasion of new followers. Pioneers have a charisma that inspires followers and the believability necessary—to achieve their lofty goals.
Pioneering Weakness
The central idea behind The DiSC is for leaders to better understand their own strengths and to strengthen weakness’s. This is done by attaining those attributes that lie opposite of their strengths. Pioneer leaders are weakest according to Sugerman (2011) because they are most often “impulsive and at a loss on how decisions affect others; exaggeratedly over confident often supporting wild ideas; overuses optimism, praise, enthusiasm, pressure generates disorganization / anxious feelings and where—the rules don’t apply” (p. 18). Impatience, egotism and impulsiveness dominate pioneer leaders weakness. Under pressure, the tendency is to become aggressive which overpowers followers. These followers eventually find themselves left with feelings of “not being listened to” and feelings of inadequacy. The 8 Dimensions of Leadership points out that pioneers would fare better if they increased attitudes of patience, humility and consideration. For example: my profile indicates in order to accomplish the strengthening of weakness’s leaders should look to becoming more like the “Humble” leader. This requires pioneer leaders to essentially become more “humble like” in how they work and listen to others. Others have needs that are different than pioneers which they repeatedly overlook because of their lack of patience. Leaders exhibiting humble styles have a knack for remaining calm and keeping things in the right perspective. These humble leadership qualities would also benefit the pioneer leaders who are generally impulsive and insensitive to emotional needs of others. Pioneers are too absorbed with their own vision in order to see the benefit of having multiple ideas streaming in. Over confidence can be attributed to the pioneer’s inherent nature of thinking that everything centers on them. The critical lesson that can be learned from humble leaders is their willingness to listen and the consideration they give to other viewpoints and ideas. Extreme weakness in the pioneer leadership behavior is tempering egos and overconfidence.
Matching Leadership Style to Career Goals
Career Goals and Interests
My interests lie within advocacy for less government so we can better serve those in poverty. Leadership and management literature strongly recommend that leaders, to be effective in the workplace, must know all facets of communicating with employees. In order to accomplish goals and see missions realized requires all leaders to understand their own skills (or lack of skills) and those of their followers. Using this competency is easily accomplished by implementing a policy whereby everyone in the organization is assessed in the same manner as the leaders themselves. The assessment would promote an attitude of enhanced understanding and provide leaders a means in which, to better lead his followers by understanding their motivations, skills and behaviors. This new understanding would also promote healthier communication between the various groups and leadership styles.
Type of positions
To continue working towards a better understanding of policy dilemmas and perhaps obtain a PhD in Public Administration is my primary goal. Secondary career goal choice; there is a need for sensible policy debate among citizens as stakeholders that can bring about an honest assessment from a “think tank” perspective and could be conducted online as a clearinghouse for policy reform. As an executive director, this would fulfill my need for optimistic change and satisfy the entrepreneurial spirit for seeking new opportunities for the good of all without selling out to lobbyists or choosing political parties. I plan to align myself with The DiSC method and the Strengths Based Leadership method for improvement because I am mindful of leadership shortcomings. Awareness of this development should also be an indicator for other leaders to be vigilant in their search for what is working for others and their organizations. The Van Wart text was a history book of management theory. Van Wart’s historical analysis of theories showed how and why theories have changed throughout the past decades. No doubt, when it comes to leadership theory, popularity of today’s theory will give way to another more popular theory in the future and will inevitably change yet again. None the less, and for the time being, the Sugerman DiSC method, Tom Rath and Barry Conchie’s, Strengths Based Leadership and Van Wart are all worthy of praise and offer unlimited guidance for strengthening leadership skills for almost anyone.
Suitability of Leadership Type to Career Goals
According to the criteria established by The 8 Dimensions of Leadership, the pioneering leadership realm is the most likely leadership style to make this endeavor for advocacy a success and is well suited. Pioneering leaders seek out new opportunities through exploring the worldly landscape. Life is a learning process where “more” isn’t enough. High energy drives the motivation for excitement and risk-taking is considered part of ordinary life. With this life / leadership style, a certain amount of pressure comes with the territory and is to be expected. Pioneers will excel when the demands are at their greatest. Most newly created startups are generally low of funds and short on staff. The demands can be daunting for any organizer but not for the pioneer leader.
Weakness of Leadership Style to Career Goals
Pioneer leaders hate the sense of being boxed in and labeled. Being mindful of shortcomings’ and necessary behavior changes is encouraged and remedied by becoming more like the humble leader. High self-confidence lends the belief that anything is possible and oftentimes, pioneers seek to do the impossible even if bending the rules becomes necessary. For this reason, pioneers have a habit of biting off more than they can chew. In over, their visionary heads, they become frustrated and lash out by ignoring the followers they themselves recruited. Labeled as visionaries, pioneer leaders should be mindful of the damaging consequences of; speaking rather than listening, impulsive behaviors and inflated egos, and especially—learn to value the ideas of others. These attributes are generally attributed to the humble leader as well and can be incorporated within any leadership style without compromising goals or visions.
Plans for Development
Greatest Weakness
A detailed online self-examination by the Sugerman DiSC method found that my greatest weakness showed behavior patterns of being impulsive and overconfident. Strengthening these shortcomings according to the Sugerman text instructs us to look to one of the other seven leaders where those shortcomings ‘are not’ a weakness and then mimic their behavior traits. Further analysis indicated that in order to accomplish the strengthening process leaders should look to becoming more like the “Humble” leader. Or the exact opposite on the dimension map.
In addition to the Van Wart and Sugerman text, I chose to study the text from Tom Rath and Barry Conchie’s, Strengths Based Leadership. This specific resource provided another facet which closely resembled that of Sugerman terminology and methods. Here lies the paradox. The most simplified description of Strengths Based Leadership determined that when leaders focus on leadership weakness, one loses self-confidence which serves as a protocol for achieving success under The DiSC method by reducing over-confidence. This goes against the tenets of a Strengths Based Leadership process. According to the authors of Strengths Based Leadership strategy, this is counterproductive because we ought build upon our strengths and not focus on weaknesses. One method builds upon leadership weakness, the other on strengths. At its best, this appears to be exact opposites of the spectrum.
Summarizing “Strengths Based Leadership” Personal Weakness
According to Strengths Based Leadership we become better leaders by focusing efforts on existing strengths—not weakness. Before considering any of the multitudes of weaknesses an individual leader may have requires an honest assessment of one’s ability or talents first. As with The 8 Dimensions of Leadership DiSC method, so it is with the Strengths Based Leadership technique whereby one answers a battery of questions similar in design to the DiSC methodology, et al. The idea is to better acquaint the individual with where his or her strengths lie and—to know one-self. A talent discovery process begins with an assessment at the Clifton Gallup Strengthfinder (CSF) organization available at; http://www.strengthsfinder.com. At the core, our leadership question has been flipped to ask; do we focus on weakness or do we focus on strengths, Clifton elected to research the latter. Clifton and Harter (2003) developers of the Gallup Strengthfinder organization assert “that individuals are able to gain far more when they expend effort to build on their greatest talents than when they spend a comparable amount of effort to remediate their weaknesses (p. 6). Both concepts are dependent upon the individual leader and the amount of time required for change efforts to materialize.
Recommendations from Strengths Based Leadership Text
The CSF assessment determines which of the 34 primary strengths lay within four primary leadership domains of: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. Then, out of the 34 primary potential attributes, the top five themes are selected and placed within your four dominant domains. Because leadership styles and behaviors change through time, building upon your strengths relies heavily on who you are at the moment in order to build better leadership skills. Even though the objective is to lead from “stronger” strengths, the Strengths Based Leadership method points out those attributes that are lacking and require strengthening. The DiSC method provides a visual aid of 8 distinctively different leaders that form a pie shaped circle. The visual aid below takes shape after my responses to the online battery of questions were analyzed. The website provided the personalized assessment and recommended the following: My Personal Top Five Clifton Strengths Finder Themes
Executing Influencing Relationship Building Strategic Thinking 1) Self-Assurance 2) Connectedness 4) Learner
3) Developer 5) Strategic