Most private and public firms have made a habit of handing out self-appraisals at the end of a quarter of the work year. This allows employees to rate their performance on scales of 1 to 10 or 100. However, according to the Dunning-Kruger effect, people usually believe they are more capable and smarter than they really are.
So, how does one rate their competency without any personal bias? It may be a hard pill to swallow, but the only way to truly assess leadership skills and development is to put personal perceptions aside. So, here’s everything you need to know about leadership assessments and how to use them.
Leadership Assessment Defined
This may sound slightly silly, but if a performance questionnaire goes out to most leaders globally, most would rate themselves above average. What’s even worse is that some above-average leaders may equally rate themselves low because of what many may call “fake humility.” Leadership assessments make it easier for leaders to review their management strengths.
Leadership assessments are the use of tests and analyses to rate leadership competencies instead of relying on self-perception. In a professional setting, firms use leadership assessments in a few main ways. One way is to help identify strong and capable candidates for promotions and managerial positions.
Another way guides individual leaders who are going through training or any kind of academic or professional development. The tests and analyses will help identify any areas that need improvement while equally showing progress in areas of continued excellence.
Additionally, leadership assessments can be used as a firm’s organizational tool. They help reveal what ways the management can productively and adequately communicate with team members and inspire them. The testing process employs different areas from the individual’s cognitive skills, emotional quotient, creativity, problem-solving skills, motivational abilities, and overall business mindedness.
Leadership Assessment Types
There are numerous kinds of assessments individuals and companies can use to check managerial strengths. Some of the most common are outlined below:
- DISC: These tests focus on dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.
- Cliftonstrengths: This test focuses more on highlighting individual strengths.
- USC’s Interactive Leadership Style Assessment: The University of South California developed this assessment to help individuals discover their unique leadership styles.
- Energy Leadership Index: The ELI is more of an attitudinal assessment that focuses on how personal perceptions of the world can affect one’s thoughts, opinions, and behaviors.
- Leadership Blindspot Assessment: Blindspots refer to the skills and competencies an individual may not be aware of. This assessment was developed by the Princeton Management Consulting Group to help test-takers identify those blind spots and work on developing their hidden traits and skills.
Leadership Assessment Benefits
The importance of leadership assessment cannot be overemphasized. An assessment provides groups, companies, and individuals with various benefits, including the benefits described below.
1. Leadership Strength Optimization
Leadership assessments help to identify one’s hidden or existing management skills. When leaders can properly understand their personal strengths, it helps increase productivity and performance. When managers start making use of their skills and abilities via strategic self-awareness, factors like good communication, interaction, and persuasion automatically improve.
2. Management of Weaknesses
Some assessments are focused on unveiling weaknesses in a firm’s or individual’s management skills. This allows managers to focus on those areas that need improvement rather than continuing with a flawed managerial style.
3. Increasing Leadership Potential
Leadership assessments guide firms on hiring strategies and protocols when hiring new managers or promoting existing candidates.
4. Career Advancement and Development
There are diverse training paths for managers and aspiring leaders. Both supervisors and managers may not know which to choose without proper guidance. Leadership assessments help provide more insight into which training programs they should enroll in.
5. Improved Self-Awareness
According to James Monroe, many managers today were promoted because they were good at their old jobs. This means they have a lot to learn, and one of the fast ways to adapt is through self-awareness. Leadership assessment helps managers identify their skills and abilities while capitalizing on their own strengths.
Use leadership assessments to elevate your business’s chances for success and see what potential you can unlock in both yourself and your employees.
