Tips & Guides: Test Your Leadership Potential

To be effective as a leader, you must understand your leadership strengths and weaknesses.

Determining those strengths and weaknesses by yourself can be difficult.

Start by working through the following checklist. Then talk to staff who report to you and colleagues with whom you work. Ask them what areas they think you need to focus on and what areas they think are your strong points.

Combine all this information and use it as a starting point for thinking about your strengths and areas in which you need to improve. Striving to answer "usually" on each of these questions is a worthy goal for any leader. Any questions you answer with "sometimes" or "rarely" should become areas in which you seek to improve.

	Usually	Sometimes	Rarely
I look for positive challenges during periods of change.
I am decisive, willing to take risks and learn from mistakes.
I regularly acknowledge others' accomplishments.
I reflect the values I believe.
I look for ways to share power.
I delegate tasks with authority.
I have written long-range plans and I am committed to them.
I create a motivational environment.
I promote team effort and spirit.
I regularly give honest, constructive feedback.
I make decisions in a timely manner.
I stand up for what I believe in.
I expect to be treated with respect at all times.
I respect the people who work for me.
I clearly state my expectations.
I evaluate what others have to say, but take full responsibility for the decisions I make.

Text adapted from Women Meeting the Challenge: A Handbook for Media Leadership. African Women's Media Center. Contact the IWMF at info@iwmf.org to order a copy. Chart by Jerusha Arothe-Vaughn, director of human resources, InCA (Nairobi). Reprinted with permission.