leadership-assessment

name: leadership-assessment description: > USE THIS SKILL when the user asks about succession planning, leadership pipeline, 9-box talent grid, talent review, leadership development, high-potential identification, 360-degree feedback, leadership competency model, bench strength, flight risk assessment, individual development plans, or leadership team effectiveness. Also trigger for "talent calibration," "succession readiness," "leadership capability," "emerging leaders," "executive assessment," "talent mapping," or any request to assess, develop, or plan for leadership capacity across any level of the organization.

Leadership Assessment & Succession Planning

Required Inputs

Execution Steps

1. Leadership Competency Model Framework

Define competencies customized by leadership level:

Core Competencies by Level:

Proficiency Scale:

2. Performance vs. Potential 9-Box Grid

9-Box Framework:

                          PERFORMANCE
              Low (1)          Medium (2)         High (3)
         +------------------+------------------+------------------+
         |                  |                  |                  |
  High   |  ENIGMA          |  HIGH POTENTIAL   |  STAR            |
  (3)    |  High potential   |  Strong potential |  Top talent      |
         |  but not          |  needs continued  |  Ready for       |
P        |  delivering yet   |  performance      |  significant     |
O        |  Invest &         |  development      |  advancement     |
T        |  redirect         |  Accelerate       |  Stretch & retain|
E        +------------------+------------------+------------------+
N        |                  |                  |                  |
T   Med  |  DILEMMA         |  CORE            |  HIGH PERFORMER  |
I   (2)  |  Moderate         |  CONTRIBUTOR     |  Strong performer|
A        |  potential,       |  Solid, reliable  |  moderate        |
L        |  underperforming  |  backbone of org  |  potential       |
         |  Coach or         |  Develop in role  |  Reward & retain |
         |  redeploy         |  & expand scope   |  selectively     |
         +------------------+------------------+------------------+
         |                  |                  |                  |
  Low    |  UNDERPERFORMER  |  EFFECTIVE        |  WORKHOUSE       |
  (1)    |  Wrong role or   |  Adequate in      |  High performer  |
         |  wrong person    |  current role     |  reached ceiling |
         |  Manage out or   |  Maintain or      |  Recognize &     |
         |  reset           |  right-size role  |  retain in role  |
         +------------------+------------------+------------------+

Calibration Methodology:

Performance Assessment Criteria (separating performance from potential):

3. Succession Planning Framework

Critical Role Identification:

Roles scoring 3.5+ are critical roles requiring active succession planning.

Successor Readiness Assessment:

Bench Strength Rating:

Emergency Succession Plan:

4. Leadership Pipeline Analysis

Bench Strength Dashboard:

Target Bench Ratios: C-Suite: 1.5:1 minimum; VP: 2:1; Director: 2.5:1; Manager: 3:1

Pipeline Flow Analysis:

G4 (Manager)     →  G5 (Director)    →  G6 (VP/SVP)      →  G7 (C-Suite)
[X] leaders         [X] leaders          [X] leaders          [X] leaders
[X] HiPos           [X] HiPos            [X] HiPos            [X] HiPos
[X]% promote rate   [X]% promote rate    [X]% promote rate    --
Avg time: [X] yrs   Avg time: [X] yrs    Avg time: [X] yrs   --

5. 360-Degree Feedback Framework

360 Design Parameters:

360 Analysis Template:

Key Insights to Extract:

• Blind spots: Self-rating significantly higher than others (gap > 0.5)
• Hidden strengths: Self-rating significantly lower than others
• Rater group divergence: Large gap between direct reports and manager (indicates different leader in each context)
• Consistent development areas: Low scores across all rater groups

6. Individual Development Plan (IDP) Template

IDP Structure:

Development Actions (70/20/10 Model):

7. High-Potential Identification Criteria

Three-Factor HiPo Assessment:

HiPo Threshold: Score 3.5+ on ALL three factors. Missing any one factor disqualifies from HiPo designation.

Common HiPo Identification Pitfalls:

8. Leadership Team Effectiveness Assessment

Team Effectiveness Dimensions:

Scoring: Below 3.0 on any dimension = dysfunction that requires intervention.

9. Flight Risk Assessment

Flight Risk Scoring Model:

Flight Risk Rating:

Retention Intervention Toolkit:

10. External Talent Market Mapping

External Pipeline for Critical Gaps:

11. Talent Review Meeting Facilitation Guide

Pre-Meeting Preparation (2-3 weeks before):

Meeting Agenda (3-4 hours per session, 10-20 leaders reviewed):

Facilitator Ground Rules:

• Evidence-based: every placement requires specific examples
• Challenge bias: ask "would you say the same if the person were [different demographic]?"
• No anchoring: manager presents, then others share independent assessments
• Separate performance from potential: likeability is not a criterion for either
• Document actions with owners and deadlines

12. Leadership Development Program Design

Program Design by Level:

Output Template

# Leadership Assessment & Succession Plan: [Organization]

**Date:** [Date]
**Scope:** [X] leaders assessed across [X] levels
**Assessment Methods:** [9-box calibration, 360 feedback, succession review, etc.]
**Facilitated By:** [Name/Team]

---

## 1. Executive Summary

[2-3 paragraphs: overall leadership health, key strengths, critical gaps, bench strength, recommendations]

**Total Leaders Assessed:** [X]
**High Potentials Identified:** [X] ([X]% of population)
**Critical Roles with No Ready-Now Successor:** [X] of [X]
**Overall Bench Strength:** [Strong / Adequate / Weak]
**High Flight-Risk Leaders:** [X]
**Key Recommendation:** [One-line]

---

## 2. Leadership Competency Assessment

### Competency Model
[Competency framework by level per Step 1]

### Aggregate Competency Scores
| Competency | Avg Score (All Leaders) | Strongest Level | Weakest Level | Development Priority |
|-----------|----------------------|----------------|--------------|---------------------|
| | | | | |

---

## 3. 9-Box Talent Grid

### Aggregate Distribution
| Box | Count | % | Action |
|-----|-------|---|--------|
| Star (High/High) | | | Stretch and retain |
| High Potential | | | Accelerate development |
| High Performer | | | Reward and retain |
| Core Contributor | | | Develop in role |
| Enigma | | | Redirect and coach |
| Underperformer | | | Performance manage |

### Key Talent Profiles
[Individual profiles for Stars, HiPos, and concerning cases]

---

## 4. Succession Plan

### Critical Roles and Bench Strength
| Role | Criticality | Ready Now | Ready Soon | Bench Strength | Action |
|------|-----------|-----------|-----------|---------------|--------|
| | | | | | |

### Emergency Succession
[Emergency succession for top 5-10 critical roles]

---

## 5. Pipeline Analysis

[Bench strength dashboard by level, pipeline flow analysis]

---

## 6. Flight Risk Assessment

[High and critical flight-risk leaders with retention interventions]

---

## 7. Development Priorities

### Organization-Wide Development Themes
[Top 3 competency gaps requiring programmatic investment]

### Individual Development Plans (Top Talent)
[IDPs for Stars and High Potentials]

---

## 8. External Talent Needs

[Roles requiring external search due to pipeline gaps]

---

## 9. Leadership Team Effectiveness

[Team effectiveness assessment for senior leadership team]

---

## 10. Recommended Next Steps

1. [Immediate action with owner and deadline]
2. [Second action]
3. [Third action]

Quality Checks

• Performance and potential are assessed separately with distinct criteria -- never conflated
• 9-box calibration includes evidence requirements and bias mitigation -- not manager opinion alone
• Succession plan identifies ready-now, ready-soon, and ready-future for each critical role -- not just "successor TBD"
• Emergency succession is documented for CEO and all C-suite roles
• Bench strength is quantified with ratios by level and compared to targets
• High-potential identification uses three-factor model (Ability, Aspiration, Engagement) -- not just performance
• 360 feedback analysis includes rater group divergence and blind spot identification
• Flight risk assessment uses multi-factor scoring, not manager gut feel
• Individual development plans follow 70/20/10 model with specific actions, not generic "attend training"
• Leadership competency model differentiates behaviors by level -- same competency, different expectations
• Talent review facilitation guide includes bias mitigation protocols
• Pipeline analysis includes promotion rates, time-in-role, and demographic diversity checks
• Development program design differentiates by leadership level with appropriate content and experiential elements