A Framework for Assessing Leadership Potential
One of the most challenging aspects of senior or strategic level leadership can be evaluating leadership potential in fellow team members. Do they really have the drive they claim for greater responsibility, or do they just want a bump in pay? Are they capable of effective leadership at the next level, or will that create more headache than relief?
Many stick with the old maxim that “past performance is the best indicator of future performance.” However, I’d like to offer a more nuanced perspective on the topic of assessing leadership potential. Organizations are complex entities and multi-variate analysis is almost always needed for substantive decision-making. So, rather than just looking at a team member’s present performance and considering this single variable as the sole indicator of their leadership potential, I’d suggest examining their performance and using three questions as the basis of your assessment. When considering their successes or failures, an important question to ask is: was this failure or success the consequence of the situation, their skills, or our systems? Answering these questions will help you more accurately assess their relationship to their performance.
The first part of this assessment process is determining which of the three categories most likely fits their leadership success or failure. I’m defining situational successes or failures as those unique situations for which there was no training or preparation. Some unique issue arises and, in the moment, they had to make a leadership decision or take action. Those skill-based scenarios are where you’ve recognized evidences of their leadership potential in one area, but the area where they currently serve doesn’t permit them to exercise those skills regularly. I’m defining systemic issues as those where the problem lies not with the people, but within the system where they operate.
Once you’ve placed their decisions and outcomes into these broad categories, here are some suggestions I’d recommend you include in your assessment. I’ve found them helpful in conducting my own assessments of team members in every field I’ve been blessed to lead in (the military, education, non-profits, and business).
If their success or failure is situational…
Leadership, by nature, places you in difficult spots. No one can foresee the situations people find themselves in. You couldn’t possibly sit down and game plan for every scenario. A great many leadership decisions are simply the consequence of a necessary momentary judgment call, especially in fast-paced environments. Sometimes these decisions are excellent and sometimes they miss the mark. So, how do these situational challenges factor into assessing potential?
I’d suggest that in these situational scenarios:
DO: Provide an “on-the-spot” celebration for success or an “on-the-spot” correction for failure
Develop the ability to recognize the judgment calls of your leaders. When they make a good call in an unplanned, unforeseeable situation, let them know! This “on-the-spot” celebration, even if it’s just a quick word of encouragement, reinforces their good judgment and spurs on the decision-making you need from them. I’d suggest making the celebration as close to the decision as possible, and that you also commend their good decision publicly when the time is right.
Conversely, if they made a poor decision, provide them an “on-the-spot” correction. Walk them through the situation, coaching them on where they got off-track, and help break down their decision-making process as much as is feasible. If it’s possible to pull them away from the situation into a private space, that’s preferable. If not, make sure you address it as close to the decision as possible. A private correction is all that’s needed here.
DON’T: Read too much into their future potential based on this singular outcome
Even the best of us can place too much weight on unimportant variables. Don’t find isolated situational failures in decision-making and assume that their potential for leadership is limited (if these become a pattern, that can be indicative of deeper issues, but that’s not what I’m addressing here). When you conduct your assessment of their potential, grant plenty of grace for the occasional poor decision (obviously, this assumes that their decision wasn’t catastrophic, unethical, immoral, etc.).
If you provide an “on-the-spot” correction, give them time to process and learn from it, and then move on. Continue to observe their decision-making and coach them toward better outcomes, but consider it an opportunity for future growth rather than reading too much into it.
If their success or failure is skill-based…
All of us are uniquely created with various gifts and strengths that, when utilized, maximize our value to the team (if you’re interested in learning more about your strengths, I use a particular assessment in my coaching that I love. Shoot me an email and I’d love to talk about it with you). Sometimes, what we’re seeing is not a matter of the lack of potential, it’s a mismatch of a team member’s skills with their role.
Every single one of us would thrive in certain roles but under-perform in others. In many cases, what we may initially diagnose as a lack of potential is simply someone occupying the wrong chair. How do you assess these cases?
I’d suggest that in these skill-based scenarios:
DO: Have the team member take a reputable strengths assessment and use that as the basis for dialogue about serving in different roles
When I took my first strengths assessment, I was astonished at how accurate it was. I was also shocked at how much it helped normalize what I knew about myself. I served in so many roles where I tried to make it work and wanted to make it work, but I just wasn’t a good fit…and almost every client I work with has that same experience.
Many times, the dialogue that we’re afraid to have is exactly what’s needed to alleviate pressures and fears about performance and potential. These reputable, research-based assessments provide a platform to have productive conversations about these important issues. These assessments give you a lens through which you can reliably assess your team members.
DON’T: Assume that a team member’s skill/role mismatch is reflective of their attitude, work ethic, or potential for other roles
I’ve been in situations where a senior leader assumed that because someone wasn’t performing up to their standard, it meant they were lazy. They assumed that their heart wasn't in it and they didn’t have a place on the team. They mistakingly and sadly tied their performance to their character. Please, don’t do this to your team members. In many cases, they simply aren’t a great fit for the role they’re in.
I’d recommend putting more weight in a reputable, research-based assessment tool and the conversations that follow with your team members than what your eyes may tell you about the role they currently serve in. You want to give your team members every chance to succeed, so give them the benefit of the doubt where they are rather than create negative assumptions about them as a team member. Negative assumptions almost always result in negative outcomes.
If their success or failure is systemic…
Even the best leaders can crumble if placed within a broken system. And, don’t make the mistake of underestimating how many systems are broken! I’ve found that leaders get attached to certain systems for a variety of reasons: they personally like it, they like the output the system generates, they like what data gets input, etc. However, even the best systems are imperfect and should be constantly analyzed and tweaked to best fit the team you have, the work you do, and the direction you want to go.
Before you unfavorably assess your team members, consider whether the systems you have in place are actually conducive to growing and developing leaders. You may be in a situation where you need a systemic overhaul. That’s a heavy investment, but it’s certainly better than putting your people through a meat grinder of a system and then blaming them for getting chewed up.
I’d suggest that in these systemic scenarios:
DO: Take a hard, objective look at your systems and their output on both products and people. Survey your people to get a wholistic picture of system suitability. Be open to systemic change if that’s what’s needed.
Talk directly, openly, and honestly with your people (especially your best team members) and get their opinion on the system they work in. They know it well and honest, substantive feedback can be the best data. Some leaders don’t take this step out of fear, but it’s a great way to show your team you care about them, value their voice, and are willing to look at everything to help them.
If growing and developing leaders is a priority for you (which it should be), then you can’t afford not to look at your systems as a potential inhibitor of growth. Taking a hard, objective look at your systems and their relationships to both products and people should be a regular part of your assessment.
DON’T: Assume that your people are always the problem. If your assessments trend negative, it may be the system(s) they operate in that need a critical assessment.
One huge mistake leaders make is assuming that all problems are tied to people. It’s too easy to “write someone off” without considering whether or not the environment you’ve given them is actually beneficial. The world of athletics is full of inspiring stories of people whose career experienced a “comeback” after they were written off and assumed to be the problem. This recent example of Seahawks QB Geno Smith is a great one.
Don’t make the mistake of being quick to judge your people and slow to judge your systems. Systemic change can be overwhelming, but it is possible to change what feels like everything and achieve amazing results while not losing your people. I’d recommend Jim Collins book “Good To Great” as he provides multiple examples of companies who did this.
Good leadership is not only complex and challenging, it’s also critical. If you’ve served in leadership for any length of time, I’m sure each of these categories are familiar to you. Assessing your people is often viewed as a necessary evil reflected in the dread many experience in conducting performance evaluations. But, I’d encourage you to shift your perspective to seeing it as an opportunity to develop your team, invest in your people, put them where they thrive, and tailor their environment to grow your people as well as your business.
The work you do as a leader is important, and I hope this framework helps you in this important area of assessment.