Most people overestimate their leadership abilities. That’s assuming they have performed any type of personal leadership assessment. In our leadership training sessions, after some basic leadership level setting, the first, and longest, topic we discuss is assessing one’s leadership abilities. This includes assessing who the participants are as a person, who they are as a leader, how their leadership is perceived by others and their situational influences. This are usually a very illuminating exercises as they learn more about themselves and the perceptions of others they work with. After all, if you don’t know yourself, how can you expect to lead others. Additionally, in leadership, perception is everything. If the people around you don’t perceive you as a good leader they may resist following you. On the other hand, if they perceive you as a good leader, they will probably follow you almost anywhere.