A yearly performance review may give you some indication of your leadership skills as they relate to specific projects or teams, but do they pinpoint strengths and areas you can further develop?
No one can do it for you, but you don’t have to do it alone.
If you are fortunate, there are people along the way that provide the help you need just when you need it. For example, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall famously said, "None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony, or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots."
It is clear that, in all of the cases we researched, and in many others, the person was not handed a business or a job or a part in a movie. The gift they received was a “hand up” - an inspiring or supportive message from an influential person. That leader, mentor, teacher, coach, could be you!
The Positive Influence highlights four types of positive influence leaders:
- The Supportive Positive Influence Leader
- The Teacher Positive Influence Leader
- The Motivating Positive Influence Leader
- The Role Model Influence Leader
Research by the Parkers indicates that you can be a positive influence on others in ways that are different from other positive influence leaders. And yet, while each style is different, any one of the four can be helpful, especially if it is targeted to your specific needs.
The Parkers provide you with the tools you need to assess your current style of leadership and become a more effective positive influence leader.
- A survey to help you identify your specific positive leadership style;
- Tips for becoming a more effective positive influence leader; and
- An improvement plan that will help you increase your effectiveness as a positive influence leader.
The data from the Parker Positive Influence Leader Survey: Self-Assessment will help you identify your leadership style, assess your current strengths, and create a plan for increasing your effectiveness as a positive influence leader.
To gain even more, the Parker Positive Influence Leader Survey: 360-Degree Feedback provides direct reports, peers, other colleagues, and managers with the opportunity to complete the Positive Influence Leader Survey about you, providing another lens with which to examine your leadership skills. Use this data to look for similarities and differences between your self-assessment and the scores of the other respondents.
This information will help when creating a plan to increase your effectiveness as a positive influence leader.
For maximum impact, The Guide for Leaders and Facilitators provides tips and tools for the development and implementation of programs for Leader Development and Team Development.
The Positive Influence Leader, Parker Positive Influence Survey: Self-Assessment, and the Parker Positive Influence Survey: 360-Degree Feedback will be used to help those in leadership roles increase their effectiveness as positive influence leaders. The application exercises and activities included in the Guide will assist leaders and facilitators in this effort.
