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Leadership Assessment

How it Works and What You Can Expect

If you’re looking for the right hire for an executive position or to develop self-aware and empathetic leaders internally, you may have found traditional methods fall short.

Research shows that resumes and interviews only provide a glimpse into the strengths and potential risks an applicant can bring to your business. A professional leadership assessment can predict deep-seated behaviors you can’t glean from a resume or a series of interviews, meaning you’re more likely to make the right hiring decision for your organization.

With over three decades of experience, our proprietary leadership assessment process is proven to provide critical intelligence about who’s ready to lead today and what it takes for others to be ready tomorrow.

Understanding your leadership team

There’s no denying that the leadership team is integral to organizational success. No matter if you’re hiring someone for a leadership role from outside the company or looking to fill the position internally, you want to ensure you’re choosing the best person for the job.

Today, assessments are a common part of the hiring process alongside interviews and resumes. Personality tests help determine if a candidate is a good fit for the role and company culture. Assessments determine if the applicant has the critical and strategic thinking skills necessary. And psychological interviews can provide insights where computer-generated assessments fall short.

Leadership, however, is a much more abstract concept. An executive must have a unique combination of soft and hard skills as well as a personality that’s right for the organization. A leadership assessment process is used to gain valuable insight into who is ready to be a leader based on a number of different factors.

Competencies of an effective leader

One of the most important things a leadership assessment process determines is whether a candidate has the necessary leadership competencies, such as:

  • Achievement focused
  • Strategic thinking
  • Inspiring
  • Calm under pressure 
  • Empathy
  • Curiosity
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Organization and resilience
  • Self-confidence
  • Delegation

Similarly, a professional assessment can be used to help employers understand if a candidate’s leadership style will complement the existing executive team.

Our approach to leadership assessment

At The Bailey Group, we have seen how objective insights set the stage for success. Our unique approach to leadership assessment gives organizations greater insight into their external and internal talent for a comprehensive understanding of who is ready to take on the responsibilities of the role. 

Here is our six-step approach to leadership development:

1. Clarify the competencies and expectations for the role. This may require talking with existing leaders in the position for their insight into what it takes to complete daily responsibilities.

2. Administer objective and professional assessments to identify personality characteristics, motivations, values, critical thinking and occupational aptitudes. This is where it becomes clearer if a candidate has the leadership skills necessary for the role. 

3. Conduct an in-depth psychological interview with each candidate to understand their deeper motives, strengths and weaknesses that are critical to the position. 

4. Summarize results and recommendations for growth and development that can help make a hiring or promotion decision easier.

5. Debrief appropriate leaders and/or candidates. Depending on the goal of the assessment, the leaders or candidates will want to know the results and the next steps to take.

6. Develop an onboarding and/or professional development plan for the candidate if they are deemed a good fit for the position or have the latent potential to succeed in the role.

A leadership assessment is not just a computerized test or interview; it’s a combination of professional online assessments, an in-person psychological interview that provides a more comprehensive view of candidates’ self -awareness and emotional intelligence, and an in depth report that analyzes and integrates the data into an assessment of the candidates’ fit for the role.

Leadership assessment outcomes: What you can expect

Understanding the personality of potential leaders is essential because it’s something that will heavily influence their success in the role and will likely not change. Having someone with the characteristics for success in the role already built-in makes the transition into the role smoother.

Our assessment process is important to improve leadership potential within an organization and progress company goals. 

Here are some of the outcomes you can expect:

  • A clear picture of the ideal leader or candidate you’re seeking
  • Objective insights into how each individual compares against that ideal, including strengths, blind spots and ability to perform under pressure
  • Actionable recommendations for professional development
  • Better hiring, promotion and succession decisions
  • Reduction in turnover and hiring expenses

A healthy approach to CEO succession planning with leadership assessments

Forward-thinking organizations must continuously assess their leadership pipeline to ensure team members are ready to take on executive responsibilities. This not only provides a clear and promising career path for employees, but it also has a direct impact on the longevity of the business.

Succession planning is too often something organizations only begin to consider when it’s too late. However, when North Dakota’s leading health plan provider approached The Bailey Group to be proactive about creating a succession strategy, the team went right to work. 

With first-hand knowledge of the organization’s culture, TBG was tasked with reviewing three internal candidates in line for the position of CEO. We conducted 360 interviews and a number of qualitative and quantitative tests, like our leadership assessment, and determined that all three candidates were viable for the position and created an extensive development plan for each. 

Now, the organization is well-positioned to transition to a new CEO to reduce business interruptions when the time comes.

Get insight into your leadership

Leadership effectiveness is critical to your organization’s longevity and success.

If your business is looking to hire or promote someone into an executive role in the future, now is the time to begin assessing their skills and qualifications.

The Bailey Group’s unique approach to leadership assessment combines expertise in behavioral science, psychology and business practices to help organizations develop strong leaders.

Harness the power of knowledge today. Contact our team to schedule a free consultation. We’re looking forward to speaking with you.

Outcomes

  • A clear picture of the ideal leader or candidate you’re seeking
  • Objective insights into how each individual compares against that ideal, including strengths, blind spots, and ability to perform under pressure
  • Actionable recommendations for professional development
  • Increased odds of making better hiring, promotion, and succession decisions
  • Reduction in turnover and expense of hiring

Our Approach

  • Clarify competencies and expectations for the role
  • Administer objective assessments to identify personality characteristics, motivations and values, critical thinking, and occupational aptitudes
  • Conduct an in-depth psychological interview with each candidate
  • Summarize results and recommendations for growth and development
  • Debrief appropriate leaders and/or candidates
  • Develop an onboarding and/or professional development plan for the candidate

Harness the power of knowledge.

Gain actionable insights into developing stronger leaders. Contact us today and put our expertise in behavioral science and assessments to work for you.

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Suite #225
Minneapolis, MN 55422
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