Introduction
Self-assessment is a valuable experience and the background for people’s growth and development in personal and professional areas. This technique is specifically vital for managers and leaders as it helps identify gaps in knowledge and skills and identifies the strengths to build on. Numerous self-assessment tools have been offered, and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and Global Executive Leadership Inventory (GELI) are effective instruments commonly used by leaders across the globe. I completed the tests in 2018 and 2021, which helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses, as well as estimate my progress. Based on this analysis, I can state that I have made considerable progress and improved the skills needed to be an effective and inspirational leader. In this self-assessment paper, I will analyze the results of these tests in detail in order to gain a deeper understanding of my characteristics and the way I have evolved. At the end of the paper, I will consider the goals for further self-development and career prospects.
Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)
The LPI was produced by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner as far back as the 1980s. This inventory is aimed at gaining insights into the way a person sees themselves as a leader, the way others see this leader and the actions the individual can implement to improve their use of the practices found central by the authors (Kouzes & Posner, 2018). The practices include the following: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. I will start the analysis by considering my 2018 results in each aspect and compare them to the scores I have received this year, paying attention to the areas I had to improve at that moment.
Model the Way
First, I would like to note that my observers gave higher scores while I was more critical regarding my abilities. I would like to start with the first practice and pay specific attention to this aspect, as I received the lowest score (45) from a colleague regarding this ability. As for the use of the Model the Way practice, I put 52, whereas my colleagues’ scores ranged between 45 and 60, with an average score of 55.5 (Kouzes & Posner, 2018). I assume that I managed to communicate my values and ensure the establishment of the atmosphere based on certain principles and values.
At that, I failed to reach all of the employees, as at least one of them found my ability to model the way quite low. I have tried to work on this aspect since then, as it has been acknowledged that the leader’s integrity and capability to communicate their values and norms is instrumental in creating an appropriate working atmosphere and organizational culture (Peng & Wei, 2020). In 2021, I improved my score, making an average result 58.8, with my evaluation set at 54 and employees’ scores ranging from 55 to 60 (Kouzes & Posner, 2021). This progress makes me feel more confident in my ability to articulate the guiding principles and values, which are the basis of organizational culture development.
The Most Remarkable Growth
Although the next practice, as introduced by the inventory’s developers is to inspire a shared vision, I would like to analyze the use of the challenge the process practice because this is the area of my most apparent progress. I put 48, while my colleagues gave me scores that ranged between 46 and 60 in 2018 (Kouzes & Posner, 2018). The assessment helped me identify the weaknesses I had and the exact areas to concentrate on. I realized that I did not set milestones effectively enough and failed to respond to or take the initiative in addressing change properly.
According to recent studies and empirical data, the change can be implemented effectively if the leader sets the route and is capable of responding to the changing environment in an appropriate manner (Tran, 2017). This confidence and ability to act when it is needed enhance employees’ morale and commitment to organizational goals. I conducted research and paid specific attention to change implementation during my studies, which had a positive influence on my leadership. In 2021, my scores increased, with the lowest point being 54 and the rest of the scores being 60 (Kouzes & Posner, 2021). It is noteworthy that I improved my self-evaluation as well, which is important for building confidence. I received 55 from myself, and I truly acknowledge my growth as a leader and my ability to lead others.
Other Practices and My Progress
The rest of the practices did not seem as problematic as the one discussed below, but they were still improved during these years. Inspire a shared vision practice (with my average score being 55.3 in 2018) is associated with the leader’s ability to be visionary and see possibilities, as well as enlist followers in this vision. In 2021, I have 57.8 (an average score) for this ability, which is important for developing an effective organizational culture and motivating employees. I have always been effective at encouraging others to act and praising people. This skill is manifested in my 2018 scores for such practices as enabling others to act (average score 57) and encouraging the heart (average 58.7) (Kouzes & Posner, 2018). I managed to progress in these spheres as well, receiving the following scores: 57.8 for enabling others to act and 58.8 for encouraging the heart. I am really glad I could improve my leadership skills in the areas mentioned above, which made me a better and more effective leader.
Global Executive Leadership Inventory
The GELI is a widely used instrument that evaluates the leader’s view on their abilities and their followers’ perspective regarding the matter. The focus is on the following facets: visioning, empowering, energizing, designing and aligning, rewarding and feedback, team-building, outside orientation, global mindset, tenacity, emotional intelligence, life balance, and resilience to stress. First, it is necessary to note that the results I received are consistent with the scores I got in LPI. The use of two instruments enhanced the validity of the gained insights, so I was quite aware of the major gaps I had. Again, I put the lowest scores as compared to my colleagues.
This trend made me think of my being critical of myself and its reasons. One of the reasons I saw was that my self-esteem was lower than needed, in my view. Haider et al. (2019) found that organization-based self-esteem plays a principal role in employees’ commitment and performance, which is specifically true for leaders. Leaders’ self-esteem has a positive effect on employees’ performance and the overall workplace climate, which, in its turn, facilitates the sustainable development of the organization. I have started working on the way I assess myself, and I believe I achieved quite a lot in this respect. Without becoming a narcissistic leader, I learned to see the situation more realistically, which helped me fulfill the tasks more effectively.
As far as the 2018 results are concerned, the lowest scores were related to such areas as global mindset, tenacity, life balance, and resilience to stress. It is noteworthy that based on the percentiles given by others, my abilities are excellent, reaching 80 and higher (Kets, 2018). As for my evaluations, most of the areas received high percentiles, except for visioning (I got 47 from myself) and resilience to stress (I scored 2). Apparently, I was absolutely stressed out at the moment of completing the test.
The 2021 results unveiled rather serious issues to be addressed. As in the case with the LPI scores, I improved my results in almost all areas, but, unlike the former inventory, the GELI showed a slight regress in resilience to stress as seen by my peers (Kets, 2021). My self-evaluation improved in all areas and reached excellent percentiles, excluding resilience to stress, where I scored slightly over 30 (which is substantial progress for me). I should also note that my superior’s scores were high (approximately 90) and were improved in 2021. In 2021, observers’ scores of my resilience to stress were slightly over 60 (compared to more than 90 in 2018). This became a matter of deep analysis of my behavior and attitudes, which made me pay more attention to the way I react to certain events and treat people. A recent study implemented by Eliot (2020) suggests that servant leaders manage to enhance or build resilience in their followers and are able to react in crisis situations properly. My concerns regarding my ability to respond to change and remain resilient in stressful situations made me consider learning more about servant leadership, which seems to be the most appropriate leadership model for that matter.
Personal and Professional Development Goals
When reflecting on my personal and professional development goals, it becomes clear that my plan has not undergone any meaningful changes. The major change is associated with my attitudes and my vision of the ways to accomplish my objectives. Before starting the course, I planned to grow to a C-suite position in my company within seven to ten years. After my studies and continuous development, as well as the analysis of my leadership skills, I believe the period of my promotion can be reduced to five years. My optimism is justified as I have gained new skills that are necessary for becoming an effective and visionary executive. I have become more confident, which is also critical for a leader.
I understand I still have certain gaps to be filled with the help of formal studies. I believe I have insufficient knowledge and skills in servant leadership, which is an effective framework to be employed in the modern business world. It has been acknowledged that the peculiarities of the modern workforce require new approaches that imply the creation of kinship rather than a team (Eva et al., 2019). Servant leadership is the most appropriate approach to attain this objective as employees are engaged through the focus on such dimensions as relational, emotional, ethical, and spiritual (Eva et al., 2019). The sustainable development of the team and people’s personal and professional growth have become a priority for many leaders who manage to achieve organizational goals through the creation of a workplace environment of support and collaboration.
In order to achieve my goal, I intend to start a leadership course from Greenhouse Servant Leadership and North. These studies will enable me to become an effective servant leader who can work in a diverse environment facilitating the growth of each employee and the entire team. Based on the self-assessment tests and my progress, I still have difficulty with encouraging and enabling others to work and reach the established objectives. I also believe enhanced understanding and associated skills in servant leadership will be instrumental in building resilience and becoming less receptive to stress. Pfrombeck and Verdorfer (2018) state that servant leadership is effective in helping leaders cope with stress through the development of a sense of coherence. I will continue my research on the matter, and formal education will be an important step in this direction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to note that the LPI and GELI self-assessment tools helped me know more about myself as a leader. I acknowledged my peers’ views on my leadership, which is critical for becoming a truly effective leader. Although I still have certain gaps (related to mainly change and resilience), I have made substantial progress since 2018. As for my weaknesses, I will continue working on the areas mentioned above. One of the ways to address these gaps and achieve my goals is by taking a course in servant leadership. I intend to continue implementing self-assessment on a regular basis so that I can trace my evolution and the aspects to concentrate on at particular stages of my life-long growth.
References
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Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111-132.
Haider, S., de Pablos Heredero, C., & Ahmed, M. (2019). A three-wave time-lagged study of mediation between positive feedback and organizational citizenship behavior: The role of organization-based self-esteem. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 12, 241-253.
Kets, V. M. F. R. (2018). Global executive leadership inventory [Feedback report].
Kets, V. M. F. R. (2021). Global executive leadership inventory [Feedback report].
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Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B. Z. (2021). LPI: Leadership practices inventory [Individual feedback report].
Peng, H., & Wei, F. (2020). How and when does leader behavioral integrity influence employee voice? The roles of team independence climate and corporate ethical values. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(3), 505-521.
Pfrombeck, J., & Verdorfer, A. P. (2018). How psychological capital and sense of coherence enhance servant leadership and buffer leader stress: Preliminary insights from an empirical study. Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice, 5(1), 25-48.
Tran, S. K. (2017). GOOGLE: A reflection of culture, leader, and management. International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 2(1), 1-14.