Leadership the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment

Leadership

The Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire measures such core traits as self-awareness, transparency, ethical or moral perspective, and balanced processing (Avolio, Gardner & Walumba 2010). As the self-assessment questionnaire evolved over time, creators Avolio and Bass eventually distilled the core leadership traits into nine single-order factors that are frequently cited in leadership literature (McCann 2008). Increasing the number of single-order factors for self-assessment has increased the accuracy of the test, making it applicable in the diverse workplace as well as across the world. Cultural differences, gender differences, and other factors not often taken into account in leadership factor measures can in some way be addressed via a multi-factor analysis such as the one used in the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Although not foolproof, the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire (ALQ) does offer a fairly accurate representation of leadership strengths and traits. When individuals like me take the ALQ, we can learn about what types of leadership roles best suit our characteristics, which also increases harmony between employers and team members.

As McCann (2008) points out, early versions of the ALQ that relied on only six instead of nine factors nevertheless built upon "both transformational and transactional styles." The nine-factor leadership model is similar, addressing a range of qualities that pertain to transformational and transactional leadership. Both transactional and transformational leadership "may be linked to achievement of goals and objectives," (McCann 2008). Most organizations demonstrate both transactional and transformational leaders.

As I took the Authentic Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire, I could not help but notice that the factors were apparent in the self-assessment measures and that individual taking the test can easily offer false responses. Because it is designed as a self-assessment measure there is ample room for padding, and I asked myself how honest I can possibly be when assessing myself on issues such as "I listen closely to the ideas of others who disagree with me." After all, I imagine that I listen closely to the ideas of others who disagree with me, and seek out others' opinions. However, I wonder if I really do those things in practice. For this reason, a self-assessment questionnaire can never be accurate enough to provide an unsullied picture of the individual. In fact, what the ALQ and similar self-assessments do achieve is the encouragement of greater self-awareness. They do not so much measure exactly who I am as a leader now, but how I perceive myself.

For this reason, the ALQ has some merit. As I take the self-assessment measures and internalize the concepts I can more accurately and easily understand the areas that need growth and change. For example, I scored quite high on the self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, and relational transparency set of traits but not as high on balanced processing. I can take this information to inform how I can change to become a better leader.

One noticeable weakness in the scoring measures is the fact that the questions must be answered in too absolute a manner. There is no room for flexibility or for answering in ways such as, "I normally accept the feelings I have about myself, except when I am in a bad mood." There are also differences in the ways I react to other people and to group pressures: it all depends on the people who form the group and my reaction to them in particular. When working with others who are less experienced than I am, I tend to be more confident. Yet if I am working with a group of others who are more experienced or have higher status than I am, I may be less prone to being assertive, sharing my opinion, or expressing myself as a leader. This bit of self-awareness sprung as I was taking the ALQ. Although self-awareness is one of the core leadership factors measured by the ALQ, I cannot help but wonder what value the questionnaire actually has in the real, applied world of work.

Self-awareness itself is an important trait for leadership, which is why it is included in the nine-factor model. According to the staff at Teacher's College of Columbia University (n.d.), "Research has demonstrated positive links between leaders' self-awareness and their performance." The more self-assessment questionnaires we leaders take, the more likely we are to notice the areas that repeatedly show as weaknesses or strengths.