Is Leadership Assessment Necessary for your Organization?

For many people, the ability to lead is a learned skill developed through years of trial and error and observation of those around them they consider to be good leaders. However, the capacity to lead is ingrained in some people, and the best way to discover any potential leaders within your staff is to perform a leadership assessment. You may wonder what is involved in such an assessment, and if it’s truly worth company time and money to find out the results. There are several different options for leadership assessments available, and they range from free to use to a paid course. The assessment provides information, either formally or informally, on the potential leadership capabilities of the staff members you choose to have the assessment performed on. The actual aptitude test itself is usually designed to check for some key signs of leadership. Often given in the form of a multiple choice test, the tester will give various scenarios, and the person undergoing the assessment will describe how they would react, or what their next action would be to either continue on the same course or change direction immediately. As well, the assessment will help to pinpoint certain necessary personality traits. These include communication and problem solving skills. Generally given in the form of a word problem, the LA will help to determine if the potential leader is able to think outside the box to solve a problem, and if they’d be able to properly delegate tasks to their staff. The main benefit of the assessment comes about when a position opens up with a significant leadership role. Filling a hole in your staff is best done from the inside, as they already understand operational procedure and company etiquette. However, choosing a member of staff can be difficult if you’re not sure which will make the best leader. The questionnaire is available in several formats. One option is to hire an outside company or contractor, who will look at body language and ease of speaking as well as give the test. The results are more personalized in this format, and a person defined as a potential leader will likely indeed be a leader in the making. Classroom-style exams are also readily available. You can either use a conference room or have staff attend a seminar in which the speaker will explain the test parameters before handing out and grading the test. While slightly less personalized than the one-on-one sessions available, the results are still quite accurate. The major benefit of this style of LA is the appeal of bulk testing: rather than paying for each individual session, you’ll only need to pay for one large group session. As well, online versions of the LA are available. Many offer kits that may be mailed or printed off for a fee or, in some cases for free. Unfortunately, these are the least customized and therefore least accurate tests available, and can result in those who weren’t meant to lead being labeled as strong leaders if the person taking it is dishonest or the exam is flawed. The best and least expensive way to perform an LA is to simply observe your staff. Watch how they interact with other staff members, and try assigning various members to be the head of projects to see how they perform. Leadership assessments can be extremely beneficial, especially when searching for a new department head or manager.