“Leaders are a dime a dozen!”
This is not often how the phrase “dime a dozen” is used but I think in a world often it seems so many people call themselves leaders, it needs to be.
Why?
Leadership requires skill sets that so many so-called leaders lack. Some people have been given the title leader simply because of their work performance.
But as time passes it becomes obvious they are what I call a square peg in a round hole. They are leading but not many are following.
I saw this first hand.
I belonged to an organization where one of the members displayed great administrative and organizational skills. An opportunity created room for this person to assume a leadership role within the organization. Some members thought this person would be an ideal leader because of their work habits.
What they didn’t factor in is that leading people is a combination of skill and training.
It became evident that this person wasn’t cut out for this leadership position. They were in over their head. No one dared say anything. They felt sorry for this person and tolerated their leadership.
You could tell that this person wasn’t enjoying their role. They too were longing for a way out. Eventually, they did find a way out.
Once that happened it’s almost as if the group exhaled. it had held its “breath” for too long.
Could This Have Been Different?
Could this story have turned out differently? Could this person have developed the necessary skills to elevate their leadership role?
The answer is yes to both questions.
To the question of “Could, this story have turned out differently?” I believe it could have.
How? By administering a personality profile assessment.
There is a host of personality tests on the market. Some of them are more popular than others. They all tend to speak to a person’s strengths and weakness.
The one that I facilitate is the DiSC Personality test. It is one of the most widely used assessment as it relates to the corporate world. I happen to be an “ID” on this assessment. This means my leadership style is that of Influence.
If this person had taken one of these tests, they would have realized that leadership is not one of their strengths.
The person administering the test would have pointed this out to them. They would also have been made aware of the strengths of the other team members and could wisely delegate responsibility to them.
There are a number of other personality discoveries they would now be privy to that would help them interact with other team members in a more efficient way.
It’s A Means To An End
Personality profiling is not an end all be all. It is not totally foolproof and should not be the only tool used to elevate your leadership ability. However, it can be one of the most effective tools that you as a leader could use to take your leadership to the next level.
If you would like to learn more about how you could take your leadership skills to the next level using the DiSC Personality Assessment Tool, connect with me and I’ll be happy to discuss your next step.
