How can you improve your leadership skills with assessment results?

Over the years we have been exposed to multiple assessment tools in an earnest desire to help leaders become better at managing/ inspiring teams or leading others. Leadership is a complex subject and most such interventions stay at surface unless the so called “leader” takes upon oneself to dive deep and take the feedback positively. In my view leadership change happens through self ignited insights or situations where reflections are truly valuable. Organisation led assessment could be viewed skeptically with having ulterior motives. Most often than not all key stakeholders- HR function, the concerned leader, the manager and feedback provider/ assessor are not enabled to give or receive or interpret assessment pragmatically!

When everything is falling into place - directions are clear, timetables are met, people are supportive, projects are moving, you are recognized - you are motivated to work. But when things turn upside down, you want to quit. If your motivations are driven by your circumstances, your success takes a passenger seat. Worse, your purpose takes a backseat. A clear purpose should keep you in motion. Not your emotions, or your surrounding expectations

1. Understand Assessment Results: Review Feedback: Carefully go through the feedback from the assessment. Understand your strengths and weaknesses as perceived by others. Identify Patterns: Look for recurring themes or patterns in the feedback. This can provide insights into consistent behaviors or areas that need improvement. 2. Set Clear Goals: Prioritize Areas for Improvement: Based on the assessment results, prioritize the key areas where improvement is needed. Focus on the most impactful changes first. Set SMART Goals: Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This clarity helps in tracking progress.

When it comes to leadership assessments, I have realized the immense value of integrating them as a "Compass" instead of just relying on them as evaluative tools. Rather than seeing assessments solely as judgment mechanisms, I have found them to be powerful instruments for self-reflection and personal growth. These assessments highlight leadership tendencies and styles, allowing you to embrace the results not as fixed labels but as guides that shed light on your strengths and areas for development. One notable challenge lies in the potential oversimplification of reducing the richness of leadership capabilities into predefined categories.

Assessments can be a helpful guide, but they're not a be-all, end-all. I've had certification for doing a myriad of assessments and administering them to leaders for their professional development.  Most of the testing administered was more of a gut check against me or others fairly good read on people. Assessments were for EQ or emotional intelligence, business acumen, plus key motivators and sometime a Myers-Briggs, Big 5, or DISC. While I've had extensive training on assessment types, reading, and administrating them for leaders and teams, in the end, assessments are like a folding paper map of the territory. At best, a map may get you from point A to point B, but a map should never be conflated with the actual territory.

In my experience with leadership assessments, one aspect that warrants thoughtful consideration is the nuanced relationship between self-perception and objective reality. While these assessments offer valuable insights, the interpretation of the results and the translation into actionable goals require a delicate balance. However, assessments do offer a baseline by which leaders can track their progress over time. While the initial results may be influenced by subjectivity, the subsequent assessments can provide valuable indicators of growth, highlighting areas where intentional development efforts have borne fruit.

5FDP- five finger death punch Similar to the power that all five fingers bring when clenched into a fist, our team can deliver its best when we unite despite our differences. Each team member, like the unique fingers, possesses distinct strengths and perspectives. By empowering and celebrating these individualities, we not only embrace diversity but also ignite creativity and motivation. Together, our differences make us stronger, just as the combined force of all five fingers forms an unstoppable punch.

The leadership assessment allows you to assess your competencies in the most structured and comprehensive manner. And one of the main advantages of it is the ability to fairly accurately predict future performance in a specific position.

You want to get better. This the nature of humans. We all want to get better. Better outputs. Better results. Better relationships. Assessments can provide insight for those journeys. What are your blindspots? What are your strengths? What skills can you improve?

Leadership assessments are an important tool to help one understand his or her true potential, strengths & weaknesses, thus this self introspection , leads to identifying avenues to build & strengthen qualitative skills. Hence ,one gets a finer direction to becoming better Leader.

The challenges of using leadership assessments may include: Self-reporting Bias: Individuals may present themselves in a way they believe aligns with leadership expectations, leading to a potential bias in self-reported assessments. Limited Perspective: Assessments might not capture the full range of leadership skills and qualities, focusing on specific traits and neglecting others. Dynamic Nature of Leadership: Leadership is dynamic, and assessments might not capture the evolving nature of leadership qualities over time.

One common pitfall of leadership assessment is recency bias while evaluating self. A recent success or drawback may impact your answers leading to a specific use case only and not a holistic self assessment. One should focus on diverse situations and also experiences with different teams while evaluating. In my experience this certainly gives a realistic picture and definitive actions to work on.

Traditional Assessment Methods are usually based on self-questionnaires and subject to the mentioned self-reporting bias. Also, when we fill in a questionnaire, we are acting consciously. However, more than half (probably close to 80%) of our behaviors are steered by unconscious thinking. Only those assessments incorporating the Presence Effect of immersive VR can return results with so-called "ecological validity" which is when a "lab" (assessment) result truly reflects real-world behaviours. By applying organizational neurocience to measure the intrinsic behaviors of a leader, we can return actionable suggestions for development areas.

One of the biggest challenges in leadership assessment is the disconnect between the assessment results and their practical application. Many assessments fail to provide actionable guidance to leaders on how they can apply the insights to their day-to-day practices and challenges. To address this issue, leaders need to actively bridge the gap between assessment outcomes and real-world scenarios. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a leadership style often depends on the specific context.

In my experience, leadership assessments have issues. They depend on personal views that can be biased and may oversimplify leadership complexities. They often lack guidance for practical use. It's important to be critical and get different feedback sources to better understand your leadership style and how it applies in real situations.

Identify different types of assessment, such as 360-degree feedback, self-assessment, individual assessment, or skill-based assessment. Commit to organizational culture, values, and leadership style expectations. Reflect on your past leadership experiences, identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. Ask for feedback from colleagues, managers, or trusted individuals on your leadership strengths and areas for improvement. Be honest and clear in your answers. Demonstrate your ability to analyse situations, identify problems and find effective solutions. Demonstrate empathy, self-awareness and the ability to manage emotions in difficult situations.

Preparándose para una Evaluación de Liderazgo: Descubriendo la Autenticidad Ante una evaluación de liderazgo, la preparación implica descubrir la autenticidad. ¿Qué anhela verdaderamente el equipo del líder? Aquí, la conexión genuina y el liderazgo natural resplandecen. La pregunta clave: ¿posee el líder las habilidades necesarias, o está listo para desarrollarlas en busca de un liderazgo más auténtico y efectivo? La importancia radica en que el líder conozca sus virtudes y oportunidades de crecimiento. Este autoconocimiento no solo refuerza su autenticidad, sino que también marca el camino hacia un liderazgo que evoluciona de manera continua y genuina. ¿El líder está preparado para preparado para liderar auténticamente?

When preparing for a leadership assessment, it's important to approach the exercise as a chance for honest self-evaluation. Rather than presenting an idealized version of oneself, it's crucial to showcase authentic leadership capabilities. This means being candid about both strengths and weaknesses at that specific point in time. Embracing vulnerability in this context means acknowledging and discussing perceived weaknesses with a genuine intent to improve. Ultimately, viewing the assessment as an opportunity to reveal strengths and areas for growth is key.

One helpful tip before a leadership assessment is to prepare well. Pick an assessment that fits your goals and situation. Be honest in your answers—don't try to guess what's wanted. Find a quiet spot to concentrate without interruptions. Take your time, follow instructions carefully, and double-check your answers before finishing. This prep ensures the assessment gives you the best insights for your leadership journey.

To prepare for a leadership assessment, i personnaly will do these following tips : Understand the Assessment to amiliarize myself with the process and focus areas Practice similar assessments or scenarios Prepare Examples Stay Authentic Use some techniques to manage my stress before the assessment Pay attention and understand how the assessment will be conducted Be open to learning and growth from the feedback provided

Reflect on the result: -Carefully review the feedback provided in the assessment results. -Identify strengths and areas for improvement mentioned by assessors.

Carefully go through the result ,many times. Develop a detailed strategy Work on the weaknesses first , analysing ways & methods to improve them, like identifying Mentors or Peers to look work with, books to read, so on & so forth. Monitor the progress periodically, maybe weekly or quarterly & improve further if still lacking. Taking opinion periodically from peers should be an important agenda.

Descifrando Resultados: Claves para el Éxito ¿Cómo convertir números en acción? Etiqueta lo bueno, identifica áreas a mejorar. Con un toque de liderazgo natural, comunica resultados con empatía y establece metas alcanzables respaldadas por estadísticas. No son solo datos, son la brújula para el crecimiento. Transforma evaluaciones en pasos concretos hacia el éxito.

Once at work, I finished a leadership test. I checked what I was good at and where I could do better. I looked at team feedback and reviews too. Then, I made a plan to improve my leadership skills with clear goals. I used what I learned each day and asked for advice. Tracking progress and celebrating small wins kept me going strong.

Take the rough with the smooth... Use constructive criticism to your advantage and grab it with both hands! There's always room for development.

Ensure leadership actively supports and communicates the purpose and benefits clearly. Align assessments with organizational goals, provide timely feedback, and offer accessible training and resources. Involve employees in the process, acknowledge positive outcomes, and cultivate a continuous learning environment. Allow flexibility, implement targeted development programs, and regularly refine processes. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements, encourage peer collaboration, and emphasize development as an ongoing process.

If leadership assessment tools are going to be an integral part of the Performance Management System, then this has to align with the organization’s Values. The purpose and its impact on decision making would also need to be entrenched as a Culture. This would also be cascaded down the line to other employees. It would also reflect its Reward system.

Being vulnerable about your strengths and gaps is extremely powerful. When you lead by example, others follow. I have found that when I’m am open about receiving feedback or things I’m working on, others are more willing to listen to my feedback and work on improvement. Establishing this trust leads to psychological safety, which leads to a learning culture, which in turn leads to high achieving (and happy!) teams.

Cultura de Desarrollo: Números, Liderazgo Natural y Habilidades en Armonía Transforma los números en datos, no etiquetas de bueno o malo. Inicia una cultura de evaluación centrada en el desarrollo, no en juicios. En cifras altas, detecta riesgos; en cifras bajas, identifica oportunidades de crecimiento. Con un liderazgo natural, destaca el aprendizaje y la mejora constante. Utiliza los números como guía para desarrollar habilidades. Que la evaluación sea el trampolín hacia un crecimiento conjunto, donde cada cifra impulse el desarrollo de habilidades clave.

Simplicity trumps complexity. Shift away from a top-down approach to development or improvement. Encourage employees to share feedback and be open about their suggestions. By empowering them, they'll naturally contribute ideas and pave the way for their own development. Cease micro-managing, and witness the team become self-organized. Similarly, refrain from pushing assessments and development; instead, foster a culture of mutual growth, and observe the transformative change unfold.

Every person is unique and so are the leaders as they posses very authentic native skills like empathy, communication and understanding of human needs and how to address them and all this are combined with experience so yes it matters who uses the assessment tools and what are they doing with the information they've got after. You can have the best tool to assess but if the leader doesn't know how to use it, it's in vain! Therefore, from my experience I can tell that in business it's like in life, use a soft ballance between knowledge (rational) and emotional and keep in mind that people are not machines and sometimes a person might be unperformant in a company and in the next one, very similar, can be super-performant. So, you choose!

Leaders who prioritize understanding, communication, and adaptability tend to foster environments where individuals feel valued and motivated to contribute their best efforts.

Tres Claves Fundamentales para Evaluar el Liderazgo con Éxito Liderazgo Natural: Pondera la autenticidad y empatía como indicadores primordiales de un liderazgo efectivo. Números Convincentes como Brújula: Considera los números dinámicos, señalando áreas de riesgo en cifras altas y oportunidades de desarrollo en cifras bajas, guiando así el camino del liderazgo hacia una dirección más sólida. Evaluación como Guía: Enfoca la evaluación no como un juicio, sino como una brújula que orienta hacia un liderazgo en constante evolución y mejora. Estas tres piedras angulares forman la base para una evaluación integral que no solo mide, sino que impulsa el crecimiento y la excelencia en el liderazgo.

It's always good to reflect on your actions, and it requires wisdom to do it daily. Two aspects seems really important. The first one is evolution, if you assessing yourself but don't put that in a perspective way. What's the point. Second, it's thing is the team. You do the assessment for you, but you need to share not only the result but also the process in order to have effective and inspiring leadership.

Acho útil considerar que muitos líderes são colocados nessa posição e sem nenhum preparo. Não se entendem e se conhecem, como poderão fazer isso com seus liderados? O autoconhecimento e a autoliderança, penso serem fundamentais na construção de uma liderança humanizada e de resultados!