KidLead


Social Influence Survey

An Assessment Measuring Leadership Aptitude in 6-18 Year Olds

$30 Value FREE at this site, underwritten by the developer, Dr. Alan E. Nelson  

If you are submitting this Social Influence Survey as part of a KidLead (LeadNow/LeadWell) training program application, we highly recommend using the online format below that is faster and more secure.  Please only use the PDF or Word doc formats if you are unable to use the online survey. This helps avoid losing the SIS or it needing to be re-keyed by the Trainers.   NOTE: Parents receive automated responses and a key for their child's SIS only.  All others remain anonymous unless written permission is granted by the responder.  The info on this form is secure and will only be used by KidLead for research and Trainers for training purposes. Thank you!

Click HERE to download Social Influence Survey (PDF)

Click HERE to download Social Influence Survey (MS Word doc)

Also be sure to check out the book, KidLead: Growing Great Leaders, available at www.Amazon.com.  This book will help you better understand not only the assessment, but also how to develop the leadership potential of your child, whether small or large.  We recommend the book, LeadYoung (www.Amazon.com), for teens and college-age leaders, to help them develop their leadership potential. 

INSTRUCTIONS: The purpose of the Social Influence Survey (SIS) is to identify observable leadership behaviors in children & youth, in order to develop latent potential for present and future effectiveness.  While the SIS does not predict a lack of leadership potential, it is designed to help identify children & youth who have natural gifting, indicators that might otherwise be overlooked or wrongly assessed.  We’ve found this significantly beneficial for concentrated training, specifically ages 10 and older.

 This is an instrument that adults fill out about a child/preteen/youth.  There are 25 questions with multiple choice responses.  The SIS works best if the person completing it has seen the subject in various social settings and can respond anonymously.  These might include parents, teachers, coaches, religious instructors, after school program directors, family friends and neighbors.  This SIS can also be taken by teens on themselves.

 

There are no right or wrong, good or bad answers.  Circle the response that seems to fit best from your experience in observing the child.  If you do not feel you can adequately answer any question, feel free to mark “unsure.”  We use the terms child, student, youth and subject interchangeably.

 

Final Note to Teachers & Parents:  We’ve found that sometimes educators mix academic skills with leading.  Please try to distinguish between these when you respond, thinking in terms of the student’s social skills and ability to influence others toward a common goal (leading).  Parents, we’ve found that sometimes we like to project our wishes onto our children, so as much as possible, work to be objective in terms of actual behaviors witnessed in social settings.

 

Trainer's E-mail Address (If submitting as part of a specific training program.):
Student's First Name:  
Student's Last Name:  
Parent's First Name:  
Parent's Last Name:  
Parent's Email:  
Student's Home Town:  
Student’s City – State/Province – Country:
How long have you known the student:  
Name of organization hosting the training program (if known):
Your Relationship to Student:    
Student's Age:

INSTRUCTIONS: Mark the answer that best describes your observations of the student noted.

1. The child/youth tends to persuade or be persuaded by peers.  
2. The child/youth tends to be task oriented and/or goal oriented.  
3. The child/youth is observed to be opinionated and/or strong-willed.  
4. The child/youth connects well with adults and/or seems to be adult-like in terms of responsibility  
5. Peers seem to like and follow child/youth (on the playground, in the classroom, in the neighborhood)  
6. This child/youth has been disciplined or critiqued for being “bossy”.  
7. This child/youth sticks to his/her principles, even when peers deviate or disagree.  
8. Child/youth initiates new projects and tasks.  
9. How independent does this child/youth seem to be?  
10. If you needed to step away from your class or team for a while, how likely would you be to put this child/youth in charge while you were away?  
11. The child/youth negotiates options, compromises, “deals.”  
12. The child/youth is decisive.  
13. When child/youth interrupts a conversation...  
14. Child/youth exudes confidence in pressure situations.  
15. Demonstrates ambition / vision.  
16. Child/youth initiates supervision of younger children socially.  
17. Child/youth is optimistic.  
18. Use of humor and sometimes the “class clown.”  
19. Exudes a can-do spirit and perseveres.  
20. Child/youth is willing to takes risks and try new things.  
21. Child/youth challenges rules that don’t seem to make sense or seem unfair.  
22. Child/youth is not afraid of healthy conflict, confronting a person/situation.  
23. This child/youth is competitive.  
24. The child/youth demonstrates strategic thinking skills / solving a problem without a lot of resources or adult intervention.  
25. Organizational leadership: The ability to influence others as a group, toward accomplishing common goals.
Based on the above definition of organizational leadership, how would you rate the observed organizational leadership qualities of the child/youth?  
Please respond to these questions if the student you’re responding to in this SIS form is applying for the LeadNow (ages 10-13) or LeadWell (ages 14-18) training program. Your answers are important to the candidate’s consideration. Thank you!
Give an example of where you’ve seen this child/youth lead a group of peers or others.
What was the goal/project?
How did the child/youth behave?
What went well and what did not?
Why do you think this preteen/teen should be considered for a leadership development program?
Feel free to add any other comments about what you’ve observed regarding this youth's ability to influence others.