Communications and leadership Profiler « Canadian Youth Business Foundation

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Communications and leadership Profiler

Complete a self-assessment to learn more about your preferred style of communication, leadership and problem-solving.

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Complete this easy self-assessment to get a custom Profile of your preferred style across several categories. We encourage you to save and share this Profile with your mentoring partner. Discuss your similarities and differences to help you maximize the value of your time together.

There is no right or wrong answer and your style may change over time as you and your business change. For some questions, there may be more than one response that describes you - simply select the response that is most appropriate today.

Select a Category to Begin:

* make sure you click SUBMIT before moving on to the next category.

Here are your customized results of the CYBF Profiler!

This quiz was created to provide some general insights to entrepreneurs and mentors who are members of the CYBF community. Each section includes a brief description of your personal style followed by some suggestions and considerations for seeking a mentoring partner. When reading your results, you will notice that there are links to read more about the other styles. Additionally, at the conclusion of each section of your Profiler, we have included some questions you may want to ask a potential mentoring partner to further explore your styles and how you could work together.

Your Profile is a great starting point for the mutual dialogue that you will need to get your mentoring partnership off to a great start. Make sure you and your ultimate mentoring partner both bring your results to one of your early meetings!

Communication Style

The communication method that I prefer is ←Required
- Telephone
- Email
I find it more interesting to hear about ←Required
- New theories
- Established facts
During a discussion I am most likely to ←Required
- Think about my ideas and share only my best one
- Share my ideas as they come to me
I prefer to ←Required
- Keep my opinions to myself
- Be open about my opinions
It is more frustrating to have ←Required
- A lot of detail
- Too little detail
During a conversation, I am more likely to ←Required
- Speak more than others
- Speak less than others
In a meeting I will usually sit ←Required
- Off to one side of the room
- In the centre of the room
I often contribute to meetings by ←Required
- Guidng the conversation
- asking tough questions
When working with a team I like to ←Required
- Be assigned tasks
- Volunteer for tasks
When an unexpected question is asked I ←Required
- Allow someone else to answer while I reflect
- Am often the first to react
I value ←Required
- Competition
- Cooperation
I am more of a ←Required
- Talker
- Listener

Submit

If you're like most people, your personal communication style will vary depending on the specific situation including who you are communicating with, the subject being discussed and your role in the conversation. Everyone has a preferred style of communication that comes most naturally to us and feels most comfortable. Understanding this personal style of communicating can help you work more effectively with everyone - including your mentoring partner.

Your Personal Style:

Effectively communicating with your mentoring partner is the cornerstone of a successful relationship. Invest some time in exploring your preferences and establish the foundation of how you will communicate with one another.

Follow-up Questions

What method of communication are you most comfortable with? Why?
What are two of your non-verbal cues - things that you do to convey information?
If we experience a breakdown of communication, what can we do to get back on track?

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Decision Making Style

When making a decision I am more likely to rely on ←Required
- How I feel about my choices
- Group consensus
- Comparing the pros and cons of each option
- Thoroughly analyzing the facts and figures
When I need to make a decision I am most likely to ←Required
- Proceed with caution
- Move quickly
- Wait for others
- Pace myself
When I speak to others about a decision, I am most likely to ←Required
- Compare several alternatives
- Provide detailed data that supports my decision
- Share only my preferred alternative
- Ask what they would do
I am more likely to trust ←Required
- My intuition
- What other people tell me
- My past experiences
- Researched facts and probabilities
People would most likely describe me as ←Required
- Collaborative
- Pragmatic
- Analytical
- Instinctual
When I find an alternative that I like I usually ←Required
- Compare it to other alternatives
- Check the facts once more before acting
- Move quickly to implementation
- Ask peers if they believe it will work
There is an element of risk in every decision. Risk can be best described as ←Required
- A gamble because there are no guarantees
- Unavoidable? you can't predict the future
- Minimal because I have weighed the options
- The odds of success that can usually be predicted in advance
When thinking about a decision I am most likely to ←Required
- Verify facts and complete a due diligence checklist
- Talk about my preferred choice with a trusted friend
- Survey a number of people regarding what they think
- Make a list of Pro's and Con's for each alternative
When it comes to meeting deadlines, I am most likely to ←Required
- Ask for others to assist me to meet the deadline
- Request an extension to complete the work
- Complete the work thoroughly, even if it means missing a deadline
- Take some shortcuts to complete the work in the time available

Submit

Every entrepreneur makes decisions on a daily basis that will impact the long-term success of the business. By understanding your personal decision-making approach, you can better contribute to your mentoring partnership whether you are an entrepreneur or a mentor.

Your Personal Style:

Your personal style has been created by your experiences and knowledge and may continue to evolve over time. You are encouraged to share these insights with the mentoring partner you work with and have confidence in your personal style - it's gotten you where you are today!

Follow-up Questions

What approach do you use when making a difficult decision?
What source of information do you rely on most to help with important decisions?
What have you learned about making decisions in business that you would share with others?

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Experience and Knowledge

How many organizations have you worked for in the past ←Required
- Less than 3
- 3 or More
How many different positions have you had in the past 10 years ←Required
- Less than 3
- 3 or More
My background can best be described as ←Required
- Many different careers crossing industries or functions
- A single career within a single industry or function
The business reading I do can best be described as ←Required
- General reading that could be applied in many industries
- Specific to my industry or trade
My last formal learning opportunity was ←Required
- A familiar subject related to my current position
- A new subject that complemented my current knowledge
I would be most valuable to a friend asking ←Required
- General questions in most areas
- Specific questions in my area of specialty
How many of these functions do you have experience with ←Required
- Less than 3
- 3 or More

Submit

Entrepreneurs and mentors often claim that creating a strong match of the mentor's experience and knowledge with the needs of the business is one of the important first steps in forming a mentoring partnership. It is unlikely that a mentor will be a perfect fit for all the needs of any business, however selecting a mentor who best matches the needs of the business contributes to creating a strong mentoring partnership.

Your Personal Style:

Working to find the best mentoring match will ensure that the mentor's natural talents can best be used and the entrepreneur has support he or she needs. The partner that you select today must match the needs of the business however as the business grows through different phases, it may be necessary to add additional mentors or even to make a change. We recommend that you review with your partner when this may become necessary as part of your initial discussions.

Follow-up Questions

What experiences have you had that will contribute to this mentoring partnership?
What common knowledge do we share that is important to the success of the business?
Consider our mentoring partnership and the key needs of the business in the next two years - what gaps exist in our knowledge or experience? How will we ensure we can obtain this information in other ways?

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Leadership

When telling someone about a task that has to be done I am most likely to ←Required
- Refer the individual to the procedures manual
- Leave it up to the individual how and when the task is completed
- Offer to work with the individual to complete the task
- Describe the desired outcome or objective of the task and offer suggestions
When I am asked for guidance on how best to complete a task I usually ←Required
- Suggest a number of alternatives and allow them to choose
- Tell them how it must be done
- Encourage the individual to ask others
- Share how I would do it
When I see someone completing a task incorrectly, I would most likely ←Required
- Demonstrate the proper way
- Observe and offer suggestions for improvement
- Immediately correct them
- Allow the person to continue so they can learn from their mistake
When communicating about a change, I am most likely to ←Required
- Provide lots of literature and be available for questions
- Appoint a person to share the news with others
- Use my influencing skills to sell the change
- Discuss the impact with employees and ask open questions
It is most important for a leader to be ←Required
- Charismatic
- Available
- Insightful
- Accurate
While a task is being completed ←Required
- I pitch in and help to ensure others aren't overburdened
- I am alert for opportunities to recognize the success of others
- I need to receive regular progress updates
- I assume that things are on track unless I hear otherwise
When an employee disagrees openly with a leader ←Required
- It puts the leader's credibility at risk
- The employee is probably right
- The employee is upset with the leader
- It contributes to the creative process
During the meetings that I chair ←Required
- I am frequently silent while others discuss a problem or issue
- Others are silent unless I call on them
- The conversation usually gets diverted from the initial subject
- Most comments or questions are directed to me as the leader
When it comes to my coaching style, I concentrate on ←Required
- What the employee has asked for help with
- What the employee is upset about
- What the employee has accomplished compared to their goals
- What the employee is doing wrong
Nothing is more important than ←Required
- Personality
- Relationships
- Achieving goals
- Productivity
As a leader, I make decisions ←Required
- According to guidelines
- In line with my bosses preferences
- That the employees support
- That are best for the organization
The most important talent an employee can bring to any organization is ←Required
- Commitment
- Efficiency
- Self-management
- Teamwork
If an employee was not performing as expected I would ←Required
- Spend more time helping them
- Ask them to create a plan for improvement
- Document their deficiencies
- Ask another employee to watch out for them
For a leader to be successful, he or she must be ←Required
- Diligent
- Politically aware
- Friendly
- Inspiring
As a leader I spend most of my time on ←Required
- Contemplation
- Assisting with the work
- Coaching
- Administration

Submit

In a mentoring relationship there is not a single 'leader' in the traditional sense. The mentor plays a leadership role as they provide guidance and insights and the entrepreneur demonstrates their leadership abilities in all aspects of business ownership. We have included Leadership Style as a section of the Mentoring Profiler so that each individual can reflect on how their personal style can best be used to contribute to the success of the mentoring partnership.

Your Personal Style:

Adapting your leadership style to the situation is an important talent - one that most successful entrepreneurs and skilled mentors have mastered. By working in a mentoring partnership you will get exposure to other styles and the opportunity to add to your leadership repertoire.

Follow-up Questions

Tell me about a leader you consider a role model. What specifically do you admire about their approach?
Discuss how your personal leadership style fits the needs of your business.
What leadership talent would you like to develop and why?

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Personality

I often find myself thinking about: ←Required
- The future
- The present
I am more of a ←Required
- Realist
- Dreamer
If I had the choice, I would rather ←Required
- Live with 20 people
- Live on a deserted island
The quality I value more in myself is ←Required
- Sympathy
- Logic
My spare time is spent on ←Required
- A couple favourite activities
- A wide variety of activities
I would rather be ←Required
- Overly-analytical
- Overly-excitable
If given the choice, I would prefer ←Required
- A big party
- A small get-together
Others would describe my work area as ←Required
- Messy
- Organized
I usually prefer activities that are ←Required
- Individual competitions
- Team events
Meeting new people makes me feel more ←Required
- Excited
- Anxious

Submit

Personality is often noted as the largest contributor to the connections that people feel with one another. The nature of a mentoring relationship requires a high level of trust and understanding. Build your relationship with your mentoring partner by sharing your style and exploring theirs - investigate how you can work together in a way that accommodates both personalities.

Your Personal Style:

A mentoring partnership is a very personal connection. Discussing personality is not only about forging friendships but has some valuable business benefits and can ensure your mentoring partnership becomes high-performing very quickly.

Follow-up Questions

How has your personality contributed to your success in business in the past?
How do you leverage your personality when working with others?
What personality traits do you have that have the potential to get you in trouble?

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Problem Solving

When I encounter a problem I first attempt to determine ←Required
- What has been tried in the past
- The cause of the problem
When solving a problem ←Required
- I focus on the current situation.
- Review many possible outcomes.
When working with a challenging problem where no solution seems apparent, I am most likely to ←Required
- Choose the best solution from those available
- Continue to search for additional solutions
When I am solving a problem, I am most like ←Required
- An artist - creating the solution from a blank canvas
- A scientist - finding the right equation
- A detective - looking for clues to the solution
When comparing alternative solutions I am most likely to ←Required
- Rank the solutions in order of preference
- Select one solution and try it out
I prefer to ←Required
- Improvise as I go
- Make plans and adjust only if necessary
If I think about the most challenging problem I have faced in the past, I recall that I was very ←Required
- Concerned
- Energized
I believe that rules are ←Required
- Made to be broken
- There to be followed
When time is tight to find a solution I am most likely to ←Required
- Shorten the length of testing on my alternatives
- Skip the testing and spend the time I have on implementing one solution
In the business world it is better to ←Required
- Take risks in order to be first to market
- Prevent errors by carefully considering several alternatives
My overall approach to problem solving can best be described as ←Required
- Fixing the underlying problem
- Improving - a better way of doing things
- Exploring - searching for a entirely new approach

Submit

Problem-solving styles are the ways that individuals generate new ideas, respond to change, and resolve complex dilemmas. As most people have learned their personal style over many years, it is usually a consistent style with differences developing slowly over time.

Your Personal Style:

Understanding your personal style can not only provide you with insights into how to further develop alternative approaches to increase problem solving effectiveness but also will assist you in working more collaboratively in your mentoring partnership.

Follow-up Questions

Tell me about a recent business challenge you faced. What did you do to assess the situation? How did you select the best course of action?
What general advice would you give a colleague if he or she was attempting to solve a particularly difficult problem?
Describe the process you would use to generate alternative solutions for a problem. In comparison to your colleagues, are you typically faster or slower in making a final decision? Why?

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Tags: business assessment, business growth, business plan how-to, business planning, communiation, Débuter mon plan d'affaires, Devenir le mentor d'un entrepreneur, mentor, Mentorat, Mentoring an entrepreneur, mentorship, relation mentor, Starting my business plan, style de communication

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Explore the CYBF Business Resource Centre

Looking for resources to make your idea a reality?

Communications and leadership Profiler

Complete a self-assessment to learn more about your preferred style of communication, leadership and problem-solving.

Select a Category to Begin:

Here are your customized results of the CYBF Profiler!

Communication Style

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

Decision Making Style

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

Experience and Knowledge

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

Leadership

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

Personality

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

Problem Solving

Your Personal Style:

Follow-up Questions

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