Social Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire
This is a self-development instrument for assessing Social Leadership attributes. It is NOT a test, but rather a survey or learning activity that will help you gain critical insight into your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
This questionnaire contains statements about Social Leadership. Next to each statement, circle the number that represents how strongly you feel about the statement by using the following scoring system:
- Almost Always True — 5
- Mostly True — 4
- Occasionally True — 3
- Seldom True — 2
- Almost Never True — 1
Be honest about your choices, as this will help you to reflect on your strengths and areas that need improvement. If you are not in a leadership position, try to relate each question to similar actions or behavior you have displayed in the past.
The Social Leadership Survey
| 1. | I can place myself in someone's shoes (empathy) when trying to understand their thought processes when facing a problem and choosing a solution. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2. | I can predict how my team will react to change, as I understand what is important to them and what motivates them. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 3. | When faced with situational changes, I adapt my performance by being flexible, rather than being locked into my impulses. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4. | If there is resistance or conflict, I'm a mediator and coach, rather than someone who gives orders. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 5. | I enjoy discussions with others whose point of view differs from mine because I'm able to empathize with them. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 6. | When I hear an organizational change is coming, I am thoughtful about the discussion I need to have with my team members so that it lessens their concerns. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 7. | I stay true to my values and passions when I adapt or change my behavior to a situational change. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 8. | When organizational change or challenges are about to occur, I help my team understand the full details of it, and what they can expect from me to meet the challenge. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 9. | One of the reasons I enjoy learning about a person's ideas and dreams is so I can better serve them. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 10. | Having insight into my team member's values and passions allows me to help them draw out their ideas on how we can best react to new challenges or problems. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 11. | It is important that I change and adapt my behavior to new situations so that I not only help my team members from failing, but more importantly to help them develop themselves. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 12. | A vision will only be a dream if I cajole my team, rather than coach, mentor, and train them so they fully understand the reason to achieve the vision. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 13. | It is important to empathize with people if you want to understand their attitude in achieving a goal. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 14. | I can readily tell my manager how my team members will react to a change because I understand what is important to them and what motivates them. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 15. | Although my instincts often tell me how to react to a new situation, I know it is better to think the problem through as a more flexible solution may hit the sweet spot. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 16. | I listen closely to my team member's concern when discussing a vision, and try to incorporate their ideas into the plan so that it becomes our vision, rather than mine. |
5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Scoring
1. Sum the responses for items 1, 5, 9, and 13 (Perspective Taking) - Score _____
2. Sum the responses for items 2, 6, 10, and 14 (Social Perceptiveness) - Score _____
3. Sum the responses for items 3, 7, 11, and 15 (Behavior Flexibility) - Score _____
4. Sum the responses for items 4, 8, 12, and 16 (Social Performance) - Score _____
More information of the four categories (Perspective Taking, Social Perceptiveness, Behavior Flexibility, and Social Performance) can be found at Social Judgment Skills for Leaders.
Interpreting Your Score
This self-assessment questionnaire is designed to measure your social skills by assessing the four Social Judgment Skills of Perspective Taking, Social Perceptiveness, Behavior Flexibility, and Social Performance (for more information see Social Leadership):
- Perspective Taking - Using empathy to understand other's attitudes towards goals, problem solving, solutions offered, and their points of view.
- Social Perceptiveness - Having insight and awareness to how employees will react to organizational change by understanding what is important to them and what motivates them.
- Behavior Flexibility - The ability to change and adapt one's behavior to situational changes by being flexible rather then locked in to one's impulses.
- Social Performance - Understanding the employees' perspectives in order to communicate a vision to them. If there is resistance or conflict, be a mediator and/or coach, rather than a boss who gives orders.
By reflecting upon your scores for each of these dimensions, you can determine your stronger and weaker skills. The maximum score you can receive for each dimension is 20, while the lowest you can receive is 4. Scores in the upper range indicate stronger social leadership skills, while scores in the lower range indicate weaker attributes.
You should reflect upon the weaker score, identify opportunities to improve them, and create an action plan that will help you implement your plan.
Reliability and Validity
Since this survey is a learning tool used in training programs such as leadership development, rather than a research tool, it has not been formally checked for reliability or validity. Unlike most of the other questionnaires on this site, this is a fairly new one and I have trialed it only a couple of times, thus I have received very little feedback about it. Please email me is you have suggestions to improve it.
Next Steps
Return to the Social Leadership page