Assessing

Leadership
Capability
Why it’s important for
current and future leaders
What are leadership capabilities?
Leadership capabilities are the behaviours, actions and thinking
processes that set people apart as being a suitable leader –
whether they be a potential leader or in a current leadership role.
For a potential leader, leadership capabilities are what they
need. For a current leader, leadership capabilities are what they
are working to improve on.
High performers?
High-performance employees who excel at their work aren’t
always cut out for leadership responsibilities.
This is where assessing for leadership capability comes into
play. It evaluates whether your employees are the high
potentials (HiPos) you need for leadership.
 Critical
Leadership
Capabilities
 Communication
A leader needs to be able to effectively convey information and vision to their team
while also keeping an open line of communication for feedback.

Integrity
People need to know they can trust their leader. Leaders should hold themselves
accountable, be reliable, honest, and possess emotional stability.
 Decisive
It’s a leader’s job to communicate focus to the team, as well as set goals and
performance expectations. Employees are confident in a leader who has confidence
in themselves and their decisions.

Collaborative
A leader should be able to work effectively with others to achieve the best outcomes,
whether it be within their team, with other teams/leaders or within the company.
 Problem-solving
A leader needs to be able to effectively convey information and vision to their team
while also keeping an open line of communication for feedback.

Motivation
In addition to being motivated themselves, leaders need to have the ability to
motivate others. Part of leading is wielding influence, and sometimes leaders just
need to lead by example.
 Encourage growth
A leader should recognise potential and talent in their subordinates and actively aid
in their growth and development, both for the benefit of the individual and the
company's strategic priorities.
Benefits of
Assessing
Capabilities
 Employee engagement
For leaders, knowing your abilities and limitations can give a
sense of purpose and something to strive towards. A goal
for your own professional and personal development keeps
you engaged.
 Increase self-awareness
Assessment helps employees gain self-awareness, leading
to a better understanding of their own abilities and
limitations. This allows them to make better decisions for
their team and personal growth.
 Clearer career vision
Leadership development provides clarity on what current
leaders and potential leaders need to change or improve to
further their career.
 Developing better leaders
A leadership capability assessment should reveal that your
current leaders are capable and deserving of their role. Even
if they’re not up to date, an assessment will show them what
capabilities they need to improve on easily enough.
Leadership
Capability
Framework
What is it?
A leadership capability framework clearly defines the skills,
knowledge and behaviours required for leadership talent in an
organisation.
If you want to assess the leadership capabilities in your
business, you’ll want to make use of a leadership capability
framework. But how do you develop one?
 Define your framework or model
A leadership capability model should take into account the
context of the organisation, business strategies and priorities,
and the specific capabilities needed to deliver on those
strategies.
 Decide on assessment methods
Assessing leadership capability should include a mix of
interviews, personality quizzes and cognitive tests. This helps you
gain a better understanding of individuals and their potential as
leaders.
 Track and measure progress
Don’t just assess once and be done with it. Everything in
leadership development is an ongoing and continuous process,
designed to build on what came before to develop what will
come next.
 You can learn more about this
topic by checking out the full
article:

https://acornlms.com/enterprise-learning-
management/leadership-capability