Great leaders are never laid back. In fact the best leaders are known to be addicted to success, wanting to taste more of it every time they reach there. For a leader to be successful at everything he or she does, it is crucial that they have the support of their people.
It is important that they clearly understand how others perceive them and their expectations. It is only by adding more value to expectations of the people who look up to them for leadership and support that a leader can build long lasting relationships. This continued cooperation from the team is a basic prerequisite for success.
Most behavioural tools on leadership, base their findings on responses filled in by the leaders themselves. There is no way those tools can predict if the leader’s assessment of themselves, mirror what others perceive them to be.
The only way for leaders to understand others perceptions and expectations about them is through feedback which is neither robust nor credible. Thus a validated tool which gives the leader behavioural recommendations in the light of feedback from people they regularly interact with, will not just help them define their personal brand but also consistently live by it.
The Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders is a behavioural assessment tool for leaders, which gives them three suggestions for immediate improvement in the light of a highly reliable 360 degree feedback system.
The 8 Dimensions of Leadership
The Everything DiSC 363 for leaders uses eight dimensions of Leadership, to define 24 leadership practices, which have been identified after deep research into contemporary leadership literature. This is fit into the framework of the circumplex DiSC model to help leaders connect better with their people. The eight behaviours are as follows:
- Pioneering – A leader who encourages creative thinking and inspires teammates to take chances
- Energizing – An enthusiastic leader who has a strong network of contacts
- Affirming – A feel–good leader, who is approachable and creates a comfortable work environment.
- Inclusive – A leader who makes sure every voice in the team is heard and has high concern for others feelings
- Humble – Modest and composed leader who is popular for impartial decision making skills.
- Deliberate – A stable leader who makes clear decisions and communicates it in well-defined terms to the team
- Resolute – An efficient leader who sets high standards for the team and insist they meet it.
- Commanding – A leader who takes complete control of situation and urges for action.
How the tool works?
Based on the leader’s responses to a set of closed ended questions, they are evaluated on the eight dimensions of leadership. This assessment of self is then compared with the feedback received on the same eight dimensions from people the leader regularly interact with. The 360 degree approach is used here and the “raters” as they are referred to include peers, subordinates, reporting managers and others who the person regularly interacts with.
A visually engaging narrative through colourful graphical representations is used for the comparison and just by looking at the graph the comparison will be clear in the mind of the viewer. The names or other details of the raters are kept confidential and hence you can be assured that the feedback is genuine.
The feedback is then related to three practices in each of the eight dimensions and the ratings on each practice by the raters are provided. This provides the leaders a very clear picture on how stakeholders perceive them in finer aspects of their behaviour.
In the light of the feedback, the three strengths of the leader is determined. The model is based on the assumption that strengths are the behaviours which are used more than others and hence focussing on strengths will help the leaders improve their leadership effectiveness. The three top areas where the raters felt the leader required improvement is also furnished in the report.
What makes Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders special?
The Everything DiSC 363 for leaders is the only tool that incorporates feedback from other stakeholders in making recommendations for behavioural improvements. This proves to be very useful for leaders since they can train themselves to focus on strengths as well as problem areas and work on behavioural improvements.
The Everything DiSC 363 for Leaders is also popular because it offers 3 clear cut strategies which are fit into both the individual and the context, for enhancing leadership effectiveness. This will ensure that leaders are never complacent but are continuously working towards improvements.
Follow – Up
No leadership tool is complete without the right follow up. As the challenges faced by leadership multiply focussed efforts are being taken by organisations for coaching. The 363 for Leaders offers a simple and cost effective mechanism for coaching.
A follow up report on the 363 for Leaders Assessment is a coaching supplement which lists out the 24 leadership practices of the leader with the respective rating from highest to lowest in the self-assessment. The same is also indicated in terms of the raters scores. The rating of the leader in each of practice is then compared to the “norm for leaders” which is the average score that is extrapolated from the reports of leaders who have taken the assessment to date.
This is then used to build a matrix for the leader which provides insights on strengths as well as challenges which are expected and unexpected. This can be used to design and deliver leadership coaching that is highly personalised.
