My scores are below:
Trait: 11
Ability: 19
Skill: 16
Behavior: 16
Relationship: 18
Process: 20
It’s not surprising to me that process and relationship were in my top 3. Those are two things that I value the most when I’m leading. In particular, the communication piece of relationship building is very important to me and to the success of most new initiatives. I think that process is connected to communication as well, because if you can’t describe your process and convey to others how it will work, you likely need to head back to the drawing board. I’d hope that most us ranked high in the Ability questions since we’re all working toward learning how to become better leaders. I have to believe that I can do things to be more effective!
I’m torn on the lowest ranking that I gave to “Trait” because while I was doing the readings I continued to come back to the trait question and still think that at the very least having traits like intelligence and being an extrovert are, at the very least, heavy thumbs on the scales of effective leadership. I’ve wished many times that I was willing to be more social and that I was better at small talk.
I am always working on being a better communicator. I can think of an initiative that I led this year that I think could have been more successful if I had taken the time to discuss the details in advance with a few additional stakeholders. My instincts told me that I should but, in the moment, it was easier to just charge ahead. Speaking for myself, when things become tough or if I get busy, my communication is often the first thing to suffer. Does anyone else have that problem?
Great insights! It sounds like you have a strong foundation in relationship-building and process-oriented leadership, which are both huge assets in driving new initiatives. I can relate to what you said about communication slipping when things get hectic—it’s so easy to get caught up in pushing forward that we sometimes miss out on valuable input from others. Your reflection on the "Trait" category is interesting too; while traits like extroversion can help, it’s clear you’re effectively leading by focusing on process and communication, which shows there’s more than one path to strong leadership. Have you thought about specific strategies for keeping communication strong during busy times?
Rob, You are so outstanding in communication and relationship building! You are right; when things are super busy, communication can suffer. But I never saw that in you. You always have the most professional communication among all stakeholders!
Hi Rob, I sure do. That's when I get into my "TT" mode and forget to take the time to ensure everyone on the ship is clear on what we are doing. I best respond to the blend of process and relationship because it combines the head and heart. They are both needed to ensure a goal is met.
Traits are essential, as you'll see when we cover the Big Five personality traits in the upcoming weeks. Part of why you may not have shown that as high as the others is how the test is presented. I also scored lowest on that emphasis, and I know how vital traits are to how I define a leader. Great job unpacking your scores!
@keithryniakgmail-com My go-to strategies to get communication back on track is to build in some time for self-reflection and then consider what I need to do to re-build any bridges that I may have damaged by my lack of communication. I see a couple new posts about apologies and I've found that apologies go along way in repairing bridges. In a podcast that I listened to a long time ago (I forget which one), the host talked about lack of communication a breach of trust between and that the only way to move forward was to address that breach through an apology. I am a believer in that philosophy.
