Our Incite Strategies business grew out of a passion for leadership assessment, and the idea of leadership assessment and development remains a cornerstone of what we do today.   Stacy Sollenberger’s post last week highlighted the experience she recently had in providing feedback and coaching to someone with whom she had completed one of our iAdvance Leadership Assessments.   At the ISHR Group, we have completed hundreds (if not thousands) of such assessments on leaders around the world.  The data is amazing.  It’s not theoretical; it’s real.  We’ve spoken with leaders across all levels of leadership, across all functions and disciplines, across all demographics (throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia).   You can imagine this has generated a tremendous amount of data and insight.

We are often asked, “what does it take” to be a successful leader.  Recently, Ellen Dotts, our VP, Leadership Assessment and Coaching, was published in Enterprising Women Magazine.  Ellen did a fabulous job of summarizing what we have learned over the years in completing our iAdvance process.    Below are Ellen’s observations that we hope you find helpful and can perhaps use as a roadmap for your own development. Ours is not a “cookie cutter” approach, but one that you can achieve by stretching, but still being true, to yourself.

The Basics: These are what we refer to as “the ticket to entry” in any discussion of leadership and the potential to assume larger roles in an organization:  Accountable, Credible, Decisive, Driven, Adaptable, and a“Quick Study”   

The Stand Outs: These are attributes that we don’t see very frequently, so when we do, they stand out as unique:   Ability to Influence, Genuinely Cares, Risk Taker, Mature, Passion for the Customer, and  Innovative.  

The Missing Piece: As you would expect, there are areas where even the most successful leaders continually struggle and aspire to reach: Strategic Thinking, Leadership Flexibility, Communication Savvines, Presence, Ability to Build a Following, and Proactive Career Planning.

For details about how each of these qualities/competencies are defined, you will have to read the entire article.  You can find it in our 'In The News' section. 

We welcome your comments.