I just did an assessment of my leadership ability from a tool I received as part of the Life Success Course offered by PSI Seminars. I was asked to rate myself in 15 areas that have been identified as traits of leaders. What I discovered is that I am a potential leader. A leader scores a minimum of 120 points out of 150 points possible and I scored 115. I was slightly surprised at the result because I am often placed in positions of leadership. For instance, I directed a choir for 16 years, starting at the age of 22. However, I also know that there has been a recurring pattern of “almost” in my life. “Almost reached the goal.” “Almost ready.” “It’s almost here.” I think that this trend is a result that shows me that up to now I have “almost” committed myself to being a leader.
For the record, the kind of leader that this assessment was speaking about might be a little different from what many people think. Before one can be an effective leader of others, one must be a leader of self. So, this was focused on being a leader of self.
The areas that I rated myself lowest in were persistence and self-esteem. The persistence part was pretty clear. I do persist despite challenges, however, sometimes I let the challenges take over and then I have to work to get back on course. The self-esteem part was intriguing. It was interesting to me that there were separate ratings for self-esteem and self-confidence. I have often seen them as similar enough to lump into one, so I hadn’t really considered them separately before.
The tool described self-confidence as “a strong trust in your own powers and abilities.” This area I scored pretty high. Self-esteem was dealing with liking yourself unconditionally. I know that I have had a tendency to beat myself up and judge myself harshly. This is why I rated myself a 6 out of 10 in this area.
As a result of doing the assessment, I have decided a few things. The first is that I am committing myself to being a leader. I am setting a goal to redo this assessment on August 8th and honestly score myself with at least 120 points. Another decision I made is to focus specifically on building my self-esteem and being more persistent. Shifting these two things should make a big difference in the results of the other goals I have set for myself.
So, now I’ve got to ask myself, “What don’t I love about myself unconditionally?” The answer to this question will help me determine some action steps. Also, I am using the tools given to me by Mortonette to shift my feeling about myself.
As for persistence, I am making a goal to give myself at least 15 min of “Me” time per day. I will use that time to nurture myself in whatever way I want – prayer, meditation, soaking in the tub, going for a walk etc. I am choosing to be persistent in giving myself the love that I deserve.
I feel very good about what I have learned through this assessment. I am grateful that I gave myself the gift of taking this course a few years ago. I can see that it is still paying off. Time invested in oneself is priceless and it continues to pay off throughout our lives. I am grateful for this understanding.
Blessings!
