Tools you can use.

Leadership Report

Information processing preferences (i.e., strategic styles) generate behaviors that determine how a person will "naturally" lead others. For example, strategic styles can determine how much emotion is used, the character of communication, type of planning that is used and the kind of environment that will be created. These "natural" elections will appeal to some people and be resisted by others. Managing this process is an essence of leadership.

You may also be interested in our Advanced Leadership Report or Leadership Coaching Report

Report Details

The Individual Leadership Report is intended to alert a person to their "built-in" tendencies. This knowledge can help focus the person on adjustments that can help improve their success as a leader.

Leadership is a universally useful skill. A leader is defined by the dictionary as someone that someone else follows. By this definition, everybody is, has been or will be leader. The Individual Leadership Report can be used with benefit in almost any situation.

The "I Opt" Learning Report uses the "I Opt" 24-question survey as its input document. This is the same survey as used for all other "I Opt" reports. Since they are based on the same technology, these reports will not conflict and can be used in an combination. For example, the Leadership Report might be used with the Sales Report in developing sales people. One report talks about how to do sales. The other centers on how to lead others in a sales (or any other) environment.

How "I Opt" Works

No one has to change to work effectively in a group. People just have to be plugged in

There is no "right" or "wrong" way to process information. They all work. But they are different. Each style uses particular kinds of information, has unique methods of "processing" and produces results with particular characteristics. Every strategy is vital to any complex undertaking. However, they address different aspects of situations and can conflict.

In organization design, complementary skills and capabilities are what counts. "Teamwork" is best approached as a sociological phenomenon. No one has to change to work effectively in a group. People just have to be "plugged in" right so that their unique skills and abilities are meshed with those of others on the team. The "I Opt" individual report shows how to begin to go about doing this.

"I Opt" can also help a person identify preferences in work situations. The insights provided could help identify situations where people can make significant contributions and avoid others that are likely to frustrate them. This information can help navigate opportunities and obstacles that arise in the ordinary conduct of a working life.

This information can improve personal productivity and job satisfaction. At the same time, it increases the value of the individual to the organization of which they are a part. "I Opt" is designed to be an inherently "win-win" tool of Organizational Development and design.

The Individual Leadership report can be used in either individual or group settings. It is constructed so as not to offend anyone while still being valuable to everyone. Every leadership style has strengths and vulnerabilities. Everyone will have both. The report centers on magnifying strengths and offsetting vulnerabilities.

On a one-on-one basis, the report can be useful in counseling leaders. It can be especially valuable in teaching leaders that their approach is not the only one. It shows that the leader’s approach will be uneven (favorable sometimes, difficult at other times). It focuses the leader on strategies that can be used to improve overall effectiveness.

The report can also be used with groups in general leadership classes. It is compatible with all principles of leadership and helps make classroom learning personally relevant. This means that the report can be integrated with any valid existing leadership program as well as one created around it. The use of the report can be expected to improve knowledge acquisition, retention and application.

Obtaining a Report

People with an internet account can access the report directly from their Internet. Turnaround time is currently under 5 minutes.

Individual instance users can obtain the report from Professional Communications Inc. (the owner of "I Opt" technology) in any manner preferred by the client (e.g., email, fax, surface mail, private courier, telephone, etc.). Turnaround time is usually less than 24 hours. Contact us for more information.

Report Contents

The "I Opt" Leadership Report uses the "I Opt" 24-question Survey as its input document. This is the same survey as used for the Strategic Style, Learning, Sales and Change Management reports. Since they are based on a common base, these reports will not conflict and can be used in combination. Only a single "I Opt" Survey is needed to access any of these reports.

The Leadership Report is written at an 8th grade reading level but in a mature and respectful tone. It neither "speaks down" nor embellishes its content. It:

Identifies the primary and secondary style the person prefers. It stresses that others may not use this same approach. To lead effectively the first step is to "know thyself." The next step is to know the people that are being lead.
Reviews the behavioral characteristics inherent in anyone choosing to use that style. These are framed in terms relevant to any theory of leadership (e.g., planning, coordination, motivation, etc.). This is what makes the report universally applicable.
Explains what was measured in the survey and how this translates into a particular profile the person will employ in leading others. The ability to “translate” the leader's direction into the language of the follower is shown as a key leadership skill.
Reveals the patterns of behavior that are generated by the combination of the person’s primary and secondary styles. It describes the kind of environment that will be set up by a person using this approach. This can be ideal for some people and damaging to others. This knowledge can help a leader manage exposures and opportunities.

The report identifies the effects the leader’s style will have on other individuals who chose to navigate life using a different information processing style. It is careful to describe the kind of value these people bring to the leader and how they might be managed.
Notes that the leader must lead groups of people as well as individuals. This requires the leader to adopt a posture that is effective with that particular combination of people. The report outlines effective strategies that can be used with different kinds of groups.
The overall leadership profile or style is outlined graphically. This can be compared to other leaders as a way of examining similarities and differences with other leaders.
If the person has a "split style" an additional page is produced. This occurs in less than 15% of the cases. A split style is not bad but must be managed a bit differently than more traditional frameworks. This page spells out some of the considerations involved.

The Individual Leadership report can be used at any level. However, it is particularly well suited for aspiring or newly appointed leaders. It is brief and its use is manageable in short timeframes. It also avoids issues that may not be highly relevant at junior levels (e.g., policy). The Advanced Leader Report is available for use with seasoned executives who more regularly confront these issues.