“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine de Saint—Exupery, author of The Little Prince
There is little question that leadership is a commodity in today’s business world, one to be nurtured within one’s self, nurtured within the corporate environment, and of course, nurtured in the world in general. We need more great leaders.
So why should YOU take a leadership assessment test?
There are bookshelves full of tomes written to specifically define what leadership is, how to recognize it, how to boost it, how to profit from it, how to exploit it in others, and how to ensure that it grows freely within your own organization.
But leadership is as individual as your fingerprints, and it already exists inside you. It cannot be taught, because it is a talent, however, like all talents, it can be coached.
Before we look closely at the reasons why you personally should take an assessment, let’s look a bit closer at why your company wants you to take one.
It Helps Companies Place the Right People in the Right Jobs
Get a look at the strengths and liabilities of team members
Data for which person fits which role best
Better understanding of both candidates and team members
Identify Trends and Correlations in the Data
It Allows Companies to Develop their Internal Leaders
Develop and Train Managers and Existing Leaders
Create Plans of Succession
Determine Indicators of Success
Determine Who Shows Those Indicators
When Leadership Fails, It Hurts Everybody
Opportunities Could Be Lost
Goals Might Not Get Met
Loss of Employee Morale
Replacement Costs for Executives Can be Very High
Leaderships Failures Cost $$$
Executive Turn-over costs
On-Boarding and Training Costs
Logistics & Stationery Costs
The Losses that defined the Failure of Leadership in the First Place
Whether recruiting new leadership from outside, or nurturing one of your own to take the reins, every choice is a high-stakes gamble for the company, so having accurate information is crucial to making the right choice for the organization.
Leadership assessment testing looks at a wide variety of psychological and decision-making skills, looking for those indicators of leadership potential. Things like:
Emotional Intelligence
Communication Skills
Positive Outlook
Confidence
Motivational Abilities
Empathy and Support Abilities
Critical Thinking
Business Ethics
Responsibility
And much more
So now you know why it is good for your company, but why is it a good idea for YOU to take a leadership assessment test?
“The demands and stress levels of leadership teams have been stretched since March 2020, and the caliber of leadership expected by employees has also increased. We have seen a shift in crisis leadership to inspirational leadership.”Susan PowerCEO, PowerUp Leadership
Many leadership assessments are self-assessments, meaning that they provide results based on the person’s perception of themselves.
They ask questions that encourage the test-taker to think deeply about their values and characteristics, allowing them to become more self-aware and recognize their strengths and weaknesses more easily in the workplace.
Leadership assessments often use growth-based results, so even people who have a low aptitude for leadership can identify ways to make improvements based on their personality and work style.
Recognize Within Yourself the Talent for Leadership
The world is full of talented, hard-working people who never reach the heights they might reach, if they had more confidence in themselves.
There is an old expression, “If you want to do something, you will find a way. If you do not, you will find an excuse.”
So many people make the mistake of not believing in themselves enough to invest in their own success. They make excuses for why they cannot do it. Self-doubt is crippling. Not knowing is stifling.
But having a plan is liberating. Having a plan instills within us the drive, and showcases the ability to meet our goals. So, simply put:If you want to be a leader, there is no better step you can take than a clear assessment of your potential. Find out what you are capable of, and build on that.
Foster Within Yourself the Culture of Growth
“Corporate Culture” or “Office Politics” or the “Team Dynamic,” call it what you want, but it is the result of everyone’s contributions. But like every organic culture, it usually requires a catalyst to make it a specific type of culture, the difference between sour milk and yogurt.
Knowing what your strengths are can help you to reach out to others in your circle who might need help in those areas, to help foster their growth, which is leadership.
Knowing what your weaknesses are can prompt you to reach out to those within your circle to help you to overcome whatever limitations you may be working on. This allows them to stretch their leadership muscles as well which, quite frankly, is also leadership.
Improve the Development Efforts of Your Organization
Just as a rising tide raises all boats, developing your own personal leadership skillset will improve the quality of your team dynamics, whether you are the boss or not.
And as the general atmosphere leans more toward a growth mindset, or taking great pride in the work, the quality of the workflow will improve, which helps to reinforce the cycle. Business gets better because the business operates better.
This in turn helps leadership determine the ultimate course, having better teams lends itself to reaching further than previously possible.
Foster Self Awareness
Outside of perhaps your mom, nobody knows you like you do.
But exactly how well do you in fact know yourself? How deeply have you looked within yourself?
Taking a leadership assessment test can help put the self-knowledge you have into the context of your working career. It can help you focus your strengths, and make adjustments for weakness, more directly in line with your career goals.
Maybe some of the questions provoke further thought, and lead you to even greater insights?
Give Yourself a Starting Point to Track Your Progress
A serious self-examination and skill cataloging as part of leadership assessment can be the ideal way to begin a journey toward leadership. Just as your GPS cannot give you accurate directions to drive to your destination without knowing your starting point, you cannot chart a course for your career without knowing from where you begin.
Which Leadership Assessment Test Should You Opt For?
Well, it depends on what you are looking for.
Leadership Blind Spot Assessment
This assessment looks at how you receive and give feedback. This assessment finds “blind spots” or areas of improvement, on an individual level and within a team, company, or market.
CliftonStrengths
After you rank the accuracy of 177 statements in relation to your characteristics, CliftonStrengths analyzes your answers based on 34 common themes.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The MBTI or Myers-Briggs is a personality test that divides people into 16 distinct personality types based on the psychological tendencies of introversion or extroversion, sensation or intuition, thinking or feeling and perceiving or judging.
Keen Alignment’s Leadership Development Program can help you personally, or help your organization, determine the leadership potential inherent in all of us.
Take the KeenAlignment Leadership Assessment!
