Page 44 - leadership-experience-2008

CikguOnline
CikguOnline
Leader’sSelf-Insight1.3 tty Images

Are You on a Fast Track to Nowhere?

Many fast-trackers find themselves suddenly derailed and 8. When senior people ask for
don’t know why. Many times, a lack of people skills is to my opinion, they know that I’ll
blame. To help you determine whether you need to work respond with candor. _______ _______
on your people skills, take the following quiz answering
each item as Mostly False or Mostly True. Think about NETWORKING
a job or volunteer position you have now or have held in 9. I spend at least part of each
the past as you answer the following items. week networking with col-
leagues. _______ _______
PEOPLE SKILLS 10. I belong to organizations
Mostly Mostly where I can make professional
False True contacts. _______ _______
1. Other people describe me as a 11. A few times each month, I am
real “people person.” _______ _______ invited to join key members
of my team or organization for
2. I spend a part of each day mak-
lunch. _______ _______
ing small talk with coworkers (or
teammates or classmates). _______ _______ 12. I regularly interact with peers
at other organizations. _______ _______
3. I see some of my coworkers (or
teammates or classmates) out-
side of work, and I know many Scoring and Interpretation
of them socially. _______ _______ Tally the number of “Mostly Trues” checked for each set
of questions.
4. Because I have good work
People Skills:_____; Working with Authority: _____;
relationships, I often succeed
Networking: _____
where others fail. _______ _______
If you scored 4 in an area, you’re right on track.
Continue to act in the same way.
WORKING WITH AUTHORITY
If your score is 2–3, you can fine tune your skills in
5. When I have a good reason for
that area. Review the questions where you said Mostly
doing so, I will express a view
False and work to add those abilities to your leadership
that differs from that of leaders
skill set.
in the organization. _______ _______
A score of 0–1 indicates that you’re dangerously close
6. If I see a leader making a deci- to derailment. You should take the time to do an in-depth
sion that seems harmful to the self-assessment and find ways to expand your interper-
organization, I speak up. _______ _______ sonal skills.
7. People see me as someone
Source: Adapted from “Are You Knocking Out Your Own Career?”
who can independently assess Fast Company (May 1999), p. 230, based on Lois P. Frankel’s Jump-
y
r
an executive decision and, Start Your Career (New York: Three Rivers Press).
when appropriate, offer an
alternative perspective. _______ _______

because many leadership skills and qualities cannot be learned from a textbook.
Leadership takes practice and hands-on experience, as well as intense personal
exploration and development. However, leadership is also a science because a
growing body of knowledge and objective facts describes the leadership process
and how to use leadership skills to attain organizational goals.
Knowing about leadership research helps people analyze situations from a
variety of perspectives and learn how to be more effective as leaders. By explor-
ing leadership in both business and society, students gain an understanding of the
25