Danielle Peters - I took the Change Leader Inventory on May 26, 2010

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:57:00 GMT

The Change Leader Inventory (CLI) was more of a self-realization tool than I thought it would be. As a person who has lead environmental groups, initiatives, and projects for 2 years of college with no prior experience, taking this inventory made me realize a lot about myself as a leader that would have been extremely valuable for when I first became involved with those groups. Taking a leadership role goes beyond just wanting to fix something and doing something about it. You are responsible for the ways that others go about completing tasks and addressing various issues as well; their success depends upon your ability to lead them. Because of this, knowing about yourself, and knowing how you interact with and concern yourself with people other than yourself is extremely important, and this is what the CLI tells you.

I believe that the CLI provides young, impassioned leaders with the wisdom found in an experienced leader of change. The CLI first takes you through a series of questions that relate to yourself and to leading groups. Afterwards, the self-scoring system allows you to see how you rate in various categories of leadership. You begin to get a feel for how strong of a leader you are, and gain knowledge about the areas of leadership which are most important. The most crucial piece of the CLI is the debriefing session about your scores. Face-to-face, you are paired with a professional with years of experience on the aspects of Change Leadership. I found journaling to be helpful during the debrief session. This way, I captured both the strong areas I have in Change Leadership as well as the areas I wish to strengthen.

One of the strongest characteristics of a leader is being able to look at themselves constructively. Another great aspect is that they are a person who learns both from themselves and from others. The Change Leader Inventory asks, “When you are guiding a group, what are the things that seem important to you, and are they aligned with what a group really needs to succeed?” Being asked the deeper questions in the CLI, I paused to truly ask myself “How can I grow as a leader?”

The information acquired about yourself in the CLI gives you the insight to being a leader than can take years of experience to know about yourself and group dynamics. I would recommend taking the Change Leader Inventory and the debriefing session to any person who strives to and believes that they can influence positive change, and wants to do it from a young age.

How I learned that I was a Change Leader...

Danielle Peters - I took the Change Leader Inventory on May 26, 2010