Activity 1: Credibility Scale

Instructions. One of the key elements of inner leadership is the leader's credibility with his or her coworkers. Having credibility allows coworkers to trust the leader enough to undertake necessary actions with sincerity.

Following are some elements of credibility.

Rate yourself on each of the items using the following scale:

_____ 1. I state my position clearly.

_____ 2. My coworkers and/or subordinates always know where I stand.

_____ 3. I listen to other people's opinions carefully and respectfully.

_____ 4. I accept disagreement from my coworkers.

_____ 5. I try to integrate my point of view with that of others.

_____ 6. I encourage and practice constructive feedback.

_____ 7. I encourage and practice cooperation.

_____ 8. I build consensus out of differing views.

_____ 9. I help my coworkers develop needed skills.

_____ 10. I provide frequent positive feedback and encouragement to stakeholders.

_____ 11. I hold myself and others accountable for actions.

_____ 12. I practice what I preach.

Total: _________

Scoring key: Add up your rating for all twelve items. The maximum score is 48. A higher score indicates demonstrations of behaviors that build credibility. Are there any items for which you have a low score? If yes, those are areas that you need to target in order to build your credibility. List items with a low score. What can you do about them? Focus on clear and specific behaviors. Develop short-term and long-term goals. When will you know that you have improved? How will you measure yourself?

Activity 2: Are You a Team Leader?

Instructions. Inner leaders build work communities and engage members in working successfully in these communities. This instrument will help you determine your present capacity to lead such communities.

Rate yourself on each of the following items using the scale provided here:

_____ 1. l enjoy helping others get their jobs done.

_____ 2. Leading others is a full-time job in and of itself.

_____ 3. I am good at negotiating for needed resources.

_____ 4. People often come to me to help them with interpersonal conflicts.

_____ 5. I tend to be uncomfortable when I am not fully involved in the task that my work community is doing.

_____ 6. It is hard for me to provide people with positive feedback.

_____ 7. I understand organizational politics well.

_____ 8. I get nervous when I do not have expertise at a task that my work community is performing.

_____ 9. An effective inner leader needs to have full involvement with his or her team.

_____ 10. I am skilled at goal setting.

Total: ____

Scoring key: Reverse score items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 (1 = 5, 5 = 1). Add your score on all items. Maximum possible score is 50. The higher the score, the more work-community leadership skills you have.

What are the implications for you of your score? Compare your score with that of others. What does your relative ranking in the work community tell you about yourself?