Having a business is essentially trying to build a puzzle and, in some cases, playing a giant lifesize game of Jenga. You have to find the right pieces that fit into each other and build on each other without toppling over. But, when you are doing the interviews, you can never know if the person you are interviewing will be that perfect leader-fit for the job. You can only find out after they have been at the company for a while. And that is not exactly a good thing. But what if there was a way to hire and hit the “employee, who is a leader” bullseye every time? That’s exactly what you get with a leadership assessment tool. Let’s talk about it.
The Power of Data in Leadership Development
What if you could determine the strengths and weaknesses and the leadership potential of every employee with little error? What if you could make decisions about an employee’s potential without relying on conjecture? You can do that with a leadership assessment tool. Essentially, it is a crystal ball that allows you to see into the future of a potential employee. Data-organized assessments evaluate the employee through a broader lens looking at competencies such as problem-solving, emotional intelligence, decision-making, and more. By analyzing this leadership development data, companies can find employees who not only are adept in their jobs but also have the potential for leadership.
Making Better Decisions, Faster
Modern tools make estimating unnecessary, offering the numbers to confirm your hypotheses. With employee assessment technology, HR pros don’t have to rely on the perceptions of one or two supervisors. Instead, they can use every piece of evidence available to assess an employee’s abilities — both in terms of what they’ve already accomplished and how they can help in the future. That way, they can form a clearer picture of the situation more quickly.
So, let’s say there’s a worker who continually delivers for team efforts — that doesn’t mean anyone realizes they have leadership potential. But, when an HR professional activates an assessed tool, they can interpret this employee’s potential leadership status. They do this by identifying previously hidden leadership qualities. For example, the ability to think ahead and to keep their team together. What’s important is that HR pros identify hidden leaders — the ones who don’t look like the next corporate leader but have leadership in their DNA.
Why Data-Driven Assessments Are the Future of Leadership
The working world is transforming, just like the most in-demand leadership abilities. Being the most likable and having the most tenure are no longer indicators of high-potential leadership. It’s all about being compassionate, being able to jump on to any technological advancements, and being able to pivot — no matter what’s being thrown at you. Luckily, employee assessment technology helps companies more precisely identify this evolving skill set. Organizations can now collect crucial data related to various competencies — from emotional intelligence to cognitive flexibility. This has provided some fresh insight as to what really makes someone a great leader.
Nurturing Leadership Potential
We can talk about having data that points you to that perfect leader in your company until we are blue in the face – but it means nothing if you don’t do anything with it. Once those future leaders have been identified, it’s time to put that potential to use. We need more leaders, but we need more effective and confident leaders. By using the data gathered in leadership assessment tools, companies can create programs for a company’s unique leadership challenges. They are able to measure with data how different potential possessors are impacting the organization’s success. Data will also showcase certain program methods or model programs that display the highest rates of improvement for leadership capability in future leaders.
When organizations use their data for leadership development, they can create better programs that help potential leaders become the best leaders they are capable of being as soon as they ascend to leadership.
Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
Nothing gets done without some quality leaders – that’s just a fact whether you like it or not! So, if you want to ensure that your business won’t just survive but thrive – and will do so for years to come you need to make sure you know a great leader when you see them. And one way to do that is to start by using a behavioral leadership assessment tool!
