IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR BASIC DRIVES (Assessment)

This tool is designed to help educational leaders develop a deeper understanding of “who they are” and the basis for the leadership styles in which they engage, based in part, on “basic drive preferences.” Drive preferences influence the goals one sets, the priorities one selects, methods of work, and the decisions one makes. Each drive type has its positive and negative traits. The tool will help educational leaders identify both the positive and negative traits of their preferred drive preferences. The positive traits usually contribute to success and wellbeing, whereas the negative traits can cause one's leadership to be less effective and in some cases can cause a career to stall or derail. Nevertheless, the key to understanding and personal change is often more related to increased understanding of negative characteristics or things one tends to avoid. Improvement and learning are enhanced when educational leaders can “face up” to the dominant and other subtle traits that block them, as well as build on the strengths that are usually obvious to them and others.