Part 1: Post a Response

Leadership is the ability to influence others to achieve organizational goals. Organizations spend billions of dollars each year to improve the leadership skills of its employees. Leadership skills are needed within organizations to execute the vision, mission and strategic goals of the organization.

Visit the mind tools website and complete the short Leadership Skills exercise. After you explore your strengths and areas for growth, address the following items in your response:

- What are your strengths?

- Where do you have opportunities to grow your leadership skills?

- Based on your assessment results, propose three things you can do to improve your leadership skills.

Please try to give the score and example look at 2 Post as below for use references

Part 2: Respond to a Peer

Read a post by one of your peers and respond, making sure to extend the conversation by asking questions, offering rich ideas, or sharing personal connections.

Post 1

• What are your strengths?

I scored an 83 on my assessment. I scored a perfect score in the following areas emotional intelligence, motivating people to deliver the vision, being a good role model and providing support and stimulation. I was surprised because I feel like I need additional training as it relates to helping others.

• Where do you have opportunities to grow your leadership skills?

I scored very low on managing performance effectively. Self-confidence, a positive attitude and outlook, and providing a compelling vision of the future were 9 out of 10. By viewing my strengths and areas of improvement, it seems that I do not have an issue with supporting others. However, I need to strengthen the areas that directly involve myself or selling my ideas.

• Based on your assessment results, propose three things you can do to improve your leadership skills.

I reviewed the questions that were associated with areas for opportunity. Based on the questions, I should not doubt myself, do not let my feelings throw me off my game, learn to handle change, and learn to enforce expectations.

1. I will have to improve my self-confidence which is going to take time. This can be achieved by improving myself through constantly learning and taking leadership classes.

2. I believe when there are changes, I do not handle it well which cause my feelings to escalate. I will have to learn how to make change a part of my life to accept it and to realize change is not always bad. I also need to understand that change is not personal. By understanding these things, I can learn how to control my emotions. Vice versa by control my emotions, I will be able to effectively accept change.

3. Enforcing expectations is going to be hard for me because I want to give people chances although I know it could have negative effects.

Therefore, improvement is simple. I will have to understand that expectations and goals have to be achieved. By allowing leniency on expectations or goals, this could hinder meeting goals or achieving expectations.

Overall, improvement as a leader will always be constant through constant learning.

Post 2

The Mind Tools Assessment was very interesting. I scored an 82 which is higher than I feel at times. I think that my strengths are in my positive attitude, motivation and being a role model. My friend calls me Positive Polly because I try to always see the upside to situations. I try to keep things on track with my team, negative outlooks and comments are counterproductive. My thoughts are that you can be a leader in any position.

My Strengths:

The assessment rated me highest in Positive Attitude and Outlook, Emotional Intelligence, Motivating People to Deliver the Vision and Being a Good Role Model. This goes along with my philosophy and how I have crafted my brand.

My Opportunities to Grow:

The areas that I need to work on are Self Confidence and Providing a Compelling Vision of the Future. I can understand this rating. This proves to me that the assessment is a pretty accurate indicator. My self-confidence is sometimes more of a brave face. I can project a great front and figure out how to make it happen later. I give awesome advice to others and hesitate in my own life. Taking bold steps aren't easy for me. I tend to play it safe which, in my opinion, has held me back.

Three Things That I Can Do To Improve:

1. Take advantage of the mentors that are around me. Ask for help in being successful and be specific on what I want to accomplish. No one is a mind reader.

2. I need to work on my ability to explain my vision clearer. I notice that sometimes I struggle to tell the big picture in a concise way.

3. I read the article Building Self Confidence that was attached to the web page. I think my leadership has confidence in my abilities because they have told me so and they trust me with projects and know I will get the job done. I have to build my confidence to push to another level. I'm comfortable in my position and haven't pushed myself out of my comfort zone.