How to identify leadership flaws within yourself in the new year
There's nothing wrong with having some flaws; we all have them. One way to identify your leadership flaws is through a leadership self-assessment. This can help you identify areas for improvement and focus on your leadership strengths.
Conducting a self-assessment for leadership can help you identify and address areas for improvement. No one is perfect, no matter how much we strive to be. When looking at yourself as a leader, you should first focus on areas in which you can improve.
Utilizing a leadership self assessment to see your flaws
Flaws are great opportunities to learn more and grow in your role as a leader. No leader is perfect. Even the most outstanding leader had areas of their personality, or the way they led, that could have been better.
"The challenge with leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor but without folly." - Jim Rohn.
Rohn expresses that there is a tipping point between being a great leader and not leading; that point is a willingness to recognize and tackle flaws. Leadership self-improvement is not something that can be taught; it is both an instinct and something you must learn through experience. Having weak areas in your toolkit is a part of the learning process, and engaging in self-reflection for leadership is an essential step toward better supervision in the future.
In this new year, consider taking time for leadership development and self-reflection. Recognize your weaknesses as a leader by asking your team for feedback, looking at the projects you took on this year and where they fell short or exploring what you struggle with as a part of your daily routine.
Conducting a leadership self-assessment to feel out your flaws
Engage in leadership self-analysis to examine your engagement with others in your organization. Look at where you feel uncomfortable in your role. Is there some aspect of your position that makes you feel unsure when asked to carry it out? For example, do you need help with difficult conversations with team members? Engaging in self-improvement for leaders can help them address areas where they may need to be more knowledgeable or comfortable in their position.
As a part of your new year's resolutions, give yourself some time to embark on self-improvement for leaders. Identify areas that clearly show themselves to you as areas for growth. Being open to exploring and learning more about these areas strengthens your capabilities and empowers you and your team. For example, you may have a knowledgeable team member in a place you are not. Engage in leadership self-evaluation by leaning on them to learn more about the process. Ask questions and be open to using your team members as a resource to support you.
Look at your role as a leader as a map. Some areas are easy to traverse, and you need to go slower and take your time through others. There are places on your leadership map where you know the landscape and can easily handle the environment. You need to be more confident in other areas and need support to learn the landscape.
Find a mentor
Just as you would seek help if traveling to a new area, you should seek the help of qualified people to support you as a leader. Undertake self-assessment for leadership development by identifying your flaws and finding someone with knowledge and experience. They may have experiences to share with you that can help you understand how to work with the growth opportunity you identified.
You may also choose to read biographies or autobiographies. They can provide insight into how others have worked through situations and areas in their journeys. In sharing their life journeys, you will often read something that resonates to offer you the insight you need to strengthen your approach to your daily work.
When journeying into a new area, you often need to pull back and look at the big picture to feel confident to move forward. Take this same approach with your leadership journey and consider how you might use the new year to improve yourself.
You are more than your flaws
Identifying leadership strengths and weaknesses is an essential part of self-improvement. You will undoubtedly have areas of your role that you feel comfortable and confident carrying out. These are strength areas that you naturally have. When looking at your capabilities or competencies, you may overlook these key strengths you possess; being a leader is made up of many different facets. Make a list of the areas you have strengths in to restore your confidence.
One way to improve as a leader is to use leadership self-assessment tools. You might ask yourself questions such as: What do you feel confident doing? Is it dealing with member complaints or efficiently managing daily operations? Be honest in your assessment of yourself as a leader. This can help you identify your strengths and areas for growth.
In establishing your goals for new year improvements, take the time to note that you likely have many more strengths than the 'flaws' you often focus on. What is your team saying about you as a leader? Ask them for feedback. Find out what they see as your strengths, and if there was one area for improvement, what would they suggest?
You may be surprised that your team needs to see an area you consider a flaw as one.
A new approach to your day
If your goal as a leader was to take note of the areas you excel in and note one area of opportunity for improvement each day, how would you approach that? Then, note if the list has more rooms in your excel. You may even take each opportunity for advancement and make it a weekly goal.
Above all, it's essential to have faith and confidence in your abilities to trust that you are on the right track as a leader and believe in your strengths. Being a leader is a growth opportunity, after all.