What Are Your Unique Traits As A Leader?
Being a leader is a massively busy and demanding role. Faced with so much to do it can be difficult to take the time to take stock and remind yourself of your unique traits as a leader.
There are obviously some great resources that can help you to unlock your hidden talents. I particularly like Marcus Buckingham’s Now Discover Your Strengths and there are many others.
On the other hand you might just be looking for something that you can do really quickly, so here is a quick checklist. Just score yourself between 1 and 5, where a 5 means you are exceptional in this area and 1 means you are a beginner.
| Leadership Trait | Score |
| I know what I stand for as a leader | |
| I have communicated my values to my team and peers | |
| I have worked with my team and my peers to identify shared values | |
| I know what I want to achieve personally | |
| I know what I want to achieve for the organisation, function or team that I lead | |
| I have secured the support and buy-in of others to help me achieve | |
| I always provide clear direction | |
| I take responsibility for what does and does not happen | |
| I make expectations clear | |
| I follow through and hold others to account | |
| I listen more than I talk | |
| I don’t pretend to be the expert at everything | |
| I regularly inspire and motivate my team because I know what motivates and inspires them | |
| I play to my strengths | |
| I get others playing to their strengths | |
| I embrace rather than avoid difficult and challenging stuff | |
| I see change as part and parcel of leading |
Once you have worked through this basic assessment, you will have the base data that will let you know what you do really well and what areas you might need to work on as a leader.
Armed with this you are all set for even greater results and success.
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers. He invites you to take advantage of his free audio e-course Leadership Success at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.