We usually know our strengths and recognize our weaknesses. By identifying areas of improvement and by writing them down and adding them to our development plan, we stand a much greater chance of success.

Sometimes it's not easy to admit our areas of weakness, and harder yet to document and track our progress. In order to make progress we first must "own" the gap and be open and willing to grow in that area and accept suggestions for improvement!

These 10 tips provide a simple way to conduct a self assessment and identify areas that may require work to help you become a stronger leader.

Tip 1 - Be self-aware
Self awareness helps you discover clues about what's going on inside you and in your environment.

Tip 2 - Manage your emotions
Self control is important. Manage your feelings instead of allowing your feelings to manage you.

Tip 3 - Seek feedback
Solicit feedback about what you're doing well and also about what you're not doing well.

Tip 4 - Take the initiative
The best leaders are proactive. They find and solve problems and meet and create challenges.

Tip 5 - Engage a coach
The best leaders have coaches and the factor most important to coaching effectiveness is the quality of the relationship between the coach and the person being coached.

Tip 6 - Set goals and make a plan
The leaders who are most successful set and share achievable stretch goals and establish an action plan.

Tip 7 - Practice, practice, practice
At times leaders are required to step out of their comfort zone and apply new or unfamiliar methods or behaviors. Rehearse what is new to you. This could include role playing, making presentations or speeches, or having a one-on-one dialog with your coach.

Tip 8 - Measure progress
Exemplary leaders and learners create a system to monitor and measure progress on a regular basis.

Tip 9 - Give rewards
Connect performance to rewards. If new behavior is not rewarded it will be quickly forgotten.

Tip 10 - Be honest with yourself and humble with others
Credibility is the foundation of leadership. People like people who show they are human.

(tips excerpted from Leadership Practices Inventory by James Kouzes and Barry Posner

About the Author: Mike Kublin

Mike Kublin is the founder and President of PeopleTek, Inc. (http://www.peopletek-coaching.com), a coaching and leadership development company dedicated to transforming business professionals into successful leaders. Mike is involved with both the Society for Human Resource Management and the International Coaching Federation.

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