The following material has been excerpted from: Metz, Cuseo, & Thompson (2013).

Peer-to-Peer Leadership:
Transforming Student Culture. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.

Leadership Self-Assessment:
Assessing Your Leadership Skills & Leadership Development

Effective leaders engage in an ongoing process of assessing how they’re doing and what they
need to do better. This self-assessment instrument is designed to support you in this process of
continuous leadership improvement. Be honest with yourself. This isn’t a test of your leadership
competence or potential; it’s an opportunity for you to recognize your strengths and identify
areas that you can target for future growth.

The leadership self-assessment questions comprising this instrument correspond to each of the
eleven chapters of the book. You may encounter some questions that are difficult to answer
because you haven’t yet had much formal leadership experience in college. If you do, that’s fine;
just answer these questions on the basis of any leadership-like experiences you’ve had in high
school or in other contexts (e.g., work or athletics). If a question asks you about something that
you’ve had no experience with in any setting, answer on the basis of how you think you would
respond.

You can answer these questions at any time during your leadership experience to either assess
you current reality (where you are right now), or to assess how you’ve changed and improved by
answering these questions twice—before and after you’ve had more leadership training or
experience.

When assessing yourself on the questions that comprise this instrument, use the following rating
scale:

5 = Strongly Agree 4 = Agree 3 = Not Sure 2 = Disagree 5 = Strongly Disagree

1.
Peer Leadership: Purposes, Power and Potential

1. ___ I have clear understanding of what “leadership” means.

2. ___ I’m aware of the multiple ways in which peer leaders can have a positive influence on
students’ success in college.

3. ___ I’m aware of the variety of roles and positions that peer leaders in college campuses.

4. ___ My decision to become a peer leader took place after thoughtful reflection and
consideration.

5. ___ My interest in becoming a peer leader stems from a genuine concern for helping others,
not just to receive social recognition or pad my resume.
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6. ___ I have learned about the personal attributes of effective leaders and attempt to embody
these attributes in my work as a peer leader.

7. ___ I take time to self-examine my leadership strengths and weaknesses.

8. ___ I seek feedback from others on my leadership effectiveness.

9. ___ I’m able to successfully balance the roles of being “friend” and “mentor” to the students I
lead.

10. ___ I consult with other peer leaders and campus professionals to learn from their
experiences.

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2.
The Essence of Leadership:
Foundational Principles, Practices, & Personal Attributes

1. ___ I have learned about leadership research and theories, and I’ve used that knowledge to
help guide my leadership practices.

2. ___ I have reflected on whether my personal leadership interests and talents are a good
“match” the leadership position I hold.

3. ___ I’m a leader who is reliable and accountable (who can be counted on).

4. ___ Students see me as a leader who is “real” (authentic), not phony or hypocritical.

5. ___ I’m an honest and ethical leader.

6. ___ I’m very aware of remaining humble, not coming across as power-hungry or boastful.

7. ___ I model what I tell students to do.

8. ___ I am an enthusiastic and optimistic leader.

9. ___ I have high expectations for students and recognize their personal accomplishment and
achievements.

10. ___ I am a reflective leader who regularly reviews what I do to continually improve what I
do.

11. ___ I maintain a portfolio to track and document my leadership development.

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3.
The College Experience

1. ___ I can clearly articulate to students how college will benefit them.

2. ___ I encourage students to invest the same amount of time and effort in their college
education as they would a full-time job.

3. ___ I’m aware of the different types of student-support services and resources on my campus.

4. ___ I convey to students that the student-support professionals on our campus care about them
and can play an important role in helping them succeed.

5. ___ I suggest to students ways in which students can become actively involved in the college
experience, both inside and outside the classroom.

I promote students’ social integration into the campus community by connecting

them with:
6. ___ academic advisors.

7. ___ faculty

8. ___ student development (student support) professionals

9. ___ peers

10. ___ I help students see how they can take advantage of their college experience to find
meaning, purpose, and direction in life.

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4.
Social & Emotional Intelligence

1. ___ Students know that I care about them and want to see them succeed.

2. ___ I reach out to students and initiate relationships with them.

3. ___ I get to know students on an individual basis by collecting personal information about
them (e.g., their interests, talents, needs, and values).

4. ___ I show interest in students by asking open-ended questions that encourage them go give
more than one-word or one-sentence answers.
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5. ___ I ask students what they expect of me as a peer leader and mentor.

6. ___ I’m an effective referral agent who regularly connects students to student-support services
and campus resources.

7. ___ I’m good at “breaking the ice” with new students so they initially feel comfortable with
me.

8. ___ I make an intentional attempt to listen attentively and actively to students during my
conversations with them.

9. ___ I make students aware that I’m available to them if and when they need me.

10. ___ I share my experiences with students to encourage them to share their experiences with
me.

11. ___ I remain optimistic when my students continue to make mistakes or engage in
counterproductive behaviors.

12. ___ I encourage students to remain resilient when they encounter setbacks or
disappointments.

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5.
Setting Goals, Managing Time, & Maintaining Motivation

1. ___ I encourage students to set goals that will bring them closer to becoming the type of
person they would like to be.

2. ___ I stress to students the importance of setting long-range, mid-range, and short-range goals.

3. ___ I remind students that self-awareness is the first and most important step in the goal-
setting process and that meaningful goals are built on a deep understanding of
oneself.

4. ___ I help students set SMART goals—i.e., goals that are specific, meaningful, actionable,
realistic, and time-framed.

5. ___ I establish SMART goals for myself as a peer leader.

6. ___ I continually monitor the progress I’m making toward the leadership goals I’ve set for
myself.

7. ___ I help students prioritize tasks they must complete to reach their goals.
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8. ___ I encourage students to plan their time and use effective time-management tools (e.g., a
daily planner).

9. ___ I follow up with students to see if they’re making steady progress toward their goals.

10. ___ I help students maintain their motivation by providing them with supportive (yet
realistic) feedback and personal encouragement.

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6.
Becoming a Learning Coach

1. ___ I’ve taken the time to familiarize myself with research and theory on effective learning.

2. ___ I help students understand the difference between “deep” and “shallow” learning.

3. ___ I share effective learning strategies with students.

4. ___ I model effective learning strategies for students to observe and emulate.

5. ___ I provide students with feedback on their learning habits and strategies.

I encourage students to:

6. ___ complete assigned prior to class.

7. ___ take thorough notes in their classes.

8. ___ review their notes and reflection them between class sessions.

9. ___ participate in study groups.

10. ___ use the results of tests and assignments as feedback to improve their future performance

11. ___ I can articulate to students what critical thinking is and how they can demonstrate it.

12. ___ I remind students that learning effectively not just a “school thing, but a process that will
benefit them throughout life.

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7.
Holistic Leadership:
Leading & Developing the Whole Person
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1. ___ I’m aware of the key elements or components that comprise the “self.”

2. ___ I encourage students to set goals for developing different dimensions of self (social,
emotional, physical, spiritual, etc.).

3. ___ I take interest in students as a “whole person” and support them in ways that go
beyond just academics.

4. ___ I can articulate the concept of “wellness” to students and why it’s important.

5. ___ I helps students maintain awareness of how their eating and sleeping habits can affect
their academic performance and general well-being.

6. ___I’m familiar with common eating disorders among college students and am able to
recognize them if I see them.

7. ___ I can recognize and explain to students what constitutes sexual abuse, sexual assault, and
sexual harassment.

8. ___ I can detect the telltale signs of substance abuse and am aware of effective strategies for
helping students who may be experiencing it.

9. ___ I’m aware of the telltale signs of anxiety and can provide students with stress-
management strategies for reducing it.

10. ___ I’m aware of the telltale signs of depression and can provide students with self-help
strategies for coping with mild or moderate depression.

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8.
Leading Groups

1. ___ I am knowledgeable about group dynamics and patterns of group interaction.

2. ___ I engage groups I lead in setting goals and monitoring their progress toward these goals.

3. ___ I use team-building activities into the groups I lead to create a sense of interdependence
and camaraderie among group members.

4. ___ I collaborate with group members to establish ground rules (norms) for how we should
interact with and treat each other.

5. ___ I encourage the groups I lead to periodically revisit the ground rules they’ve established to
assess whether they’re working effectively.
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6. ___ I strive to improve my public speaking and presentation skills so I can communicate
effectively to groups I lead.

7. ___ I use a variety of group-interaction formats to keep group work interesting and engaging.

8. ___ I strive to develop co-leaders for the groups I lead.

9. ___ I request feedback from the groups I lead about the effectiveness of my group-facilitation
skills.

10. ___ I engage group members to reflect, assess, and discuss how well they’re performing as a
team.

11. ___ I organize recognition and celebration events for group accomplishments.

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9.
Leadership for Diversity

1. ___ I can articulate to students the meaning and value of diversity

2. ___ I remind students to consider how their background (ethnicity, socioeconomic status,
gender, etc.) can influence their beliefs and behaviors, and how it may have affected their
access to certain opportunities and privileges.

3. ___ I initiate discussions of diversity among students I lead.

4. ___ I make an intentional attempt to welcome students from diverse backgrounds onto campus
and into groups I lead.

5. ___ I make a point of interacting with people from diverse backgrounds.

6. ___ I reach out to students who appear to be isolated, segregated, or marginalized.

7. ___ I encourage students to learn from and about different cultures.

8. ___ I urge students to step beyond their comfort zones to interact with students who are
different than themselves.

9. ___I intentionally form groups or teams comprised of students from diverse backgrounds.

10. ___ I confront students who engage in stereotyping, prejudice, or discrimination.

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10.
Organizational Leadership

1. ___ I’m aware of the mission of my college or university, and I clearly and persuasively
articulate the mission of my campus to others.

2. ___ I can articulate the mission and vision of my student organization to others and how it
relates to the campus mission.

3. ___ I periodically review the mission and vision of my organization with its members to
ensure that we are faithfully implementing it and modeling it.

4. ___ I understand the difference between authoritative and authoritarian decision making, and I
engage members of my organization in participative decision making.

5. ___ I disperse leadership across my organization by delegating responsibility to different

groups and committees.

6. ___ I’m aware of the purpose of committees and task forces, and I use them effectively to
help my organization accomplish its mission and goals.

7. ___ I establish procedural rules to ensure that meetings of my organization run in an orderly
and equitable manner.

8. ___ At all organizational meetings I facilitate, an agenda is set and minutes are kept.

9. ___ I read the campus newspaper regularly to learn about sources of student interest,
concern, and dissatisfaction that I may help address as a peer leader.

10. ___ I question and supportively challenge campus processes, policies, and practices that
appear to be unfair or are interfering with the quality of education experienced by
students.

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11.
Civic Leadership

1. ___ I can articulate to students the meaning and value of “community”, and the different types
of communities to which they belong.

2. ___ I challenge students to display civility as members of their campus community (both
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inside and outside the classroom) and confront students who do not.

3. ___ I can articulate to students the meaning and importance of civic engagement.

4. ___ I engage in community service activities.

5. ___ I alert students to community service opportunities.

6. ___ I can articulate to students the variety of benefits they experience by engaging in
community service.

7. ___ I help organize community service projects.

8. ___ I encourage students to take on leadership roles in community service projects.

9. ___ I urge students to vote in national, local, and campus elections.

10. ___ I encourage students to become engaged in political efforts to help solve current and
recurrent social problems (e.g., poverty and homelessness).