Emerging Leaders
By Jennifer Taylor In Info Worth Sharing
At Assessment+, we firmly believe in developing, acknowledging, and rewarding leaders at ANY and EVERY age. After all, leadership isn’t limited to those at the top of the corporate chain of executives. Leadership can be found in the child who goes out of their way to play with the kid who is alone on the playground, in the teenager who spends their time devoted to causes they are passionate about, and in anyone who demonstrates the core values of leadership by setting an example through their words and actions. Leaders are all around us, and we want to recognize young leaders who are bound to make our world a better place through the qualities, actions, and drive that they have already demonstrated.
While we certainly promote developing, coaching, and continually improving leaders – it is what our business is based upon! – we also have found, through years of assessing employees and studying their personalities and backgrounds, that some qualities are persistent and identifiable far before an individual is old enough to join the work force: qualities of a natural leader. If we were to record every attribute needed or beneficial to becoming a strong leader, the list would be limitless. Therefore, here are the top 5 qualities that we focus on in identifying A+ Emerging Leaders:
- Commitment to Goals – Anybody can set a goal, but not everyone has the drive, determination, ingenuity, and self-discipline to stay committed to see their goal through to fruition. We think it is important that leaders at any age have demonstrated commitment to a long-term goal, and shown the necessary willpower, initiative, and ambition to achieve that goal. Each and every goal is going to come with its own set of obstacles, and we aim to find Emerging Leaders who can demonstrate the perseverance and willingness to follow through.
- Independence – Sometimes what is needed to stand apart means the inevitability of standing alone. We’ve recognized that the strongest leaders stand by their morals and convictions, no matter outside pressures – and this quality couldn’t be more important than in the transformative teenage years.
- Positive Energy and a Growth Mindset – Nearly every successful person holds two main beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and they have the power to make it so. This positivity and intellectual curiosity is exactly that “je ne sais quoi” of leadership – the intangible attribute at the heart of every natural leader that attracts natural followers. The “good” leaders are complacent doing their jobs to the best of their abilities; the “GREAT” ones are always striving to go beyond that.
- Listening and communicating effectively – You cannot find a leadership assessment in existence that doesn’t contain items pertaining to communication. Clear and effective communication skills are at the core of every leader. Although communication can certainly be improved upon through training and feedback, we focus on these skills as a key inherent ingredient in identifying Emerging Leaders.
- Awareness of Own Strengths and Weaknesses – At any age, a good leader knows that there is always room to improve. As Albert Einstein said, “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” We aim to highlight young adults who already have the insight to acknowledge and leverage their strengths, while simultaneously understanding and working to develop their areas of improvement.
We can’t wait to launch this initiative in 2018 and focus on some of the best and brightest students across the country! Do you know of a “Emerging Leader” that deserves recognition? Feel free to contact us and submit a recommendation!