Idea 20: Leadership qualities test

To test whether or not you have the basic qualities of leadership, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I possess the seven qualities outlined in Idea 19?
• Have I demonstrated that I am a responsible person?
• Do I like the responsibility and the rewards of leadership?
• Am I well known for my enthusiasm at work?
• Have I ever been described as having integrity?
• Do I have the toughness and firmness of a good leader? Can I expect and demand the best from people – beginning with myself?
• Am I firm but fair in my dealings with both the team as a whole and each individual member?
• Can I show that people think of me as a warm and kind person?
• Am I an active and socially participative person?
• Do I have the self-confidence to take criticism, indifference and/or unpopularity from others?
• Can I control my emotions and moods or do I let them control me?
• Have I been dishonest or less than straight with people who work for me over the past six months?
• Am I very introvert or very extrovert (or am I an ambivert – a mixture of both – as leaders should be)?

Leadership depends on the situation, so you need to ask yourself, whatever your qualities, whether you are right for the situation you are in:

• Are my interests, aptitudes and temperament suited to my current field of work?
• If not, can I identify one that would better suit me and where I would emerge as a leader?
• Do I have the ‘authority of knowledge’ in my current field and have I acquired all the necessary professional and specialist skills through training that I could have done at this point in my career?
• Am I experienced in more than one field/industry/function?
• Am I interested in fields adjacent and relevant to my own?
• Do I read situations well and am I flexible in my approach to changes within my field?