Why I Am A Good Leader

I’ve always wanted to be a leader. As I was growing up, I heard motivational messages such as ‘don’t be a sheep; be a wolf’ and “don’t follow the herd; be an individual”. It never felt quite right to be in a position as a follower. Throughout my life, I have gravitated towards being a leader in different situations and have been able to grow in my areas of strength. This assessment was interesting as it showed my areas of potential growth and how to maximize and expand on them. The assessment listed my top strength insights to be input, deliberative, relator, individualization, and analytical. I found the suggestions and guidelines for my strengths and areas of growth helpful and using this information will be beneficial as I grow in my ability to lead others well. I wondered, why i am a good leader?

In order to use these insights and achieve success, I need to take a step back and look at how they affect my life currently or how I can use them in the future. With ‘input’, I need to put my thoughts, ideas, and knowledge into action while working in a team. I find that I have many ideas but may be too inquisitive, that oftentimes leads me into distracting, but intriguing, avenues. It would be helpful and beneficial to partner with those that have focus or disciplinary strengths which can help me stay on track. My next insight is ‘deliberative’, which is great for working in a team and individually. I can use this strength when working in a team to ensure there are no rash decisions being made. It is important to gather all facts and information necessary in order to make the best decision possible. Even though I choose this approach to decision making, I do not want others to find me timid of decision making or unwilling to change from my ideas. In order to avoid these thoughts within my team, I would explain that as a team we need to control the risk and assess it, to be able to minimize it in the end result. On individual projects, I can use the insight ‘deliberative’ to use my knowledge, gather facts, and assess the risk before making a decision. I should be deliberate in my thinking in order to avoid acting on impulse, which may lead to more risks. In an individual project, I should continue to have an open mind and let other people in on my thought process and risk analysis. In leadership, being a ‘relator’ helps me to ground myself and work hard with others that I know. It is important to me to work with others that I trust and have relationships with. I enjoy working with others that I trust and have a relationship with to meet a common goal. I need to learn to put myself out there more so that I can strengthen my ability to work with people I don't know well and gain insights to topics that I would not normally be aware of if I stay within the group I am most comfortable with. If I am able to step out and change my work partners and environments well, then as a leader I would be able to show the benefits to my team. The team would build trust in each other and be able to work efficiently towards a common goal. The insight ‘individualization’ works well with ‘relator’ in the way that I like to take part in and lead groups. Individualization is when there is a focus on the traits and qualities that make each person in the group unique. Teams work best when individuals can capitalize on their strengths.

There are rarely two people who are identical in thought and action, which makes learning about and using everyone's strengths very beneficial to the group. Individualization notices the unique strengths in others and ‘relator’ works well with a group whose strengths combine well towards a common goal. This insight will help me be able to observe and help others in my team maximize on their strengths and build confidence as a team member. An efficient team starts with individuals who know their strengths and how they can add to the team while all efficiently working towards the common goal. When you capitalize talents and skills teams are able to be built stronger and more efficiently since everyone will know what their specific role is in the group. My final insight in this assessment is ‘analytical’. I found that the insights ‘input’ and ‘analytical’ are similar. ‘Input’ being that all of the facts are collected before making a decision and ‘analytical’ being that all of the facts are analyzed before any decisions are made. As a leader, I would ask questions on the data of the topic rather than adhering to other people's feelings or emotions that are brought into the discussion. The human brain is designed to analyze patterns that we see and find in our daily lives. In a leadership position, I would be able to find patterns that provide insight to help improve the company. Skepticism naturally accompanies an analytical trait, until there is solid evidence or proof provided. I find that with this analytical trait I may spend too much time gathering and analyzing facts that deadlines may be an issue. I would be able to resolve this issue by partnering with someone who is an activator. Together we would be able to analyze and make the best decision within the time allotted.

I found that many of my insights work hand in hand with each other. My ideal role in a group or as a leader would be to gather and analyze the data. I take my time to think through and work well with others to share thoughts and ideas, before the decision is made. I enjoy listening to the thoughts and ideas that others in the group present and help to figure out a collaborative solution. I find that I work best with those that I have a relationship with and am able to effectively contribute to the common goal of the group.

In order to become a great leader, one must be able to maximize their strengths but must also be aware of their weaknesses and how they can grow as a leader. It may be more beneficial to work with an activator and learn from their strengths, as they are not the same as my own strengths.