Leading a fast-growing small or medium-sized business is exciting, and demanding. As your company grows, the leadership skills that got you to this point may not be enough to take you where you want to go next.
That’s where leadership assessments come in.
If you’ve never used leadership assessments before, you’re not alone. Many SMBs delay using these tools because they think assessments are only for large corporations. In reality, assessments are one of the smartest, most strategic moves a growth-stage company can make.
What Are Leadership Assessments?
Leadership assessments are structured tools designed to evaluate leadership skills, styles, and potential. They provide objective insights into how individuals lead today — and how they can lead even better tomorrow.
Assessments can measure things like:
- Decision-making styles
- Understanding how leaders make decisions under pressure or uncertainty helps the business ensure that critical initiatives move forward. Some leaders are naturally decisive, while others may delay or avoid tough calls. Knowing these styles enables better team balance and targeted development.
- Communication strengths and blind spots
- Effective communication is the foundation of leadership. Assessments reveal whether leaders are clear, inspiring, and effective—or whether they unintentionally create confusion, frustration, or disengagement across the team.
- Emotional intelligence
- Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a major predictor of leadership success. Leaders with high EQ are better at managing their own emotions, understanding others, and building trust—especially crucial during times of rapid change or conflict.
- Strategic thinking and execution ability
- Growing companies need leaders who can think beyond today’s operations and chart a path toward future success. Assessments uncover how well leaders can set strategic direction and, equally important, drive execution to achieve business goals.
- Adaptability to change
- Change is inevitable in fast-growing businesses. Leadership assessments identify how well individuals adapt, pivot, and maintain team stability during periods of uncertainty—skills that are critical to surviving and thriving through growth phases.
- Readiness for bigger leadership roles
- Not every high performer is ready for senior leadership. Assessments help predict who can step up to larger roles with expanded responsibility, reducing the risk of promoting someone into a position where they might struggle and ultimately hinder the business.
Think of a leadership assessment as an X-ray for leadership skills: it reveals strengths you can build on, gaps you need to close, and potential you can unlock.
Why Leadership Assessments Matter for Growing Businesses
Fast growth puts stress on leadership teams. Without clear insights, you risk:
- Promoting the wrong people into leadership roles
- Losing high-potential talent due to lack of development
- Growing operational complexity faster than leadership capacity
- Allowing hidden performance issues to grow into major obstacles
Leadership assessments help you:
- Identify future leaders earlier
- Target leadership development efforts for maximum ROI
- Make smarter hiring, promotion, and succession decisions
- Build a leadership bench that grows with the business
In short: assessments de-risk your growth.
Where to Get Leadership Assessments
- Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Firms
- Many executive coaching companies offer leadership assessments as part of broader development programs. They can help you interpret results and create actionable development plans.
- Professional HR Consulting Firms
- HR consulting partners often provide standalone assessments for leadership selection, development, or succession planning.
- Assessment Vendors and Online Platforms
- Tools like Hogan Assessments, Korn Ferry, and Predictive Index offer leadership-specific assessments, often used by certified coaches or consultants.
- In-House HR or Talent Teams (for larger SMBs)
- If you have an HR leader with organizational development expertise, you might build internal assessment capabilities over time.
Popular Types of Leadership Assessments
- 360-Degree Feedback Surveys
- Collect input from peers, managers, and direct reports to provide a well-rounded view of leadership effectiveness.
- Personality and Behavioural Assessments
- Tools like DiSC, MBTI, and Hogan help leaders understand their styles and interpersonal impact.
- Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Assessments
- Measure a leader’s ability to recognize and manage emotions — crucial for building trust and managing teams under stress.
- Strategic Thinking and Execution Assessments
- Evaluate a leader’s ability to set direction and drive initiatives to completion.
How Leadership Assessments Help You Grow Smarter
Leadership assessments are powerful because they enable you to make better promotion decisions based on data, not just intuition. You’ll move the right people into bigger roles with greater confidence, reducing the risk of costly missteps. Instead of relying on generic leadership development programs, assessments allow you to tailor development plans to each leader’s real strengths and gaps, maximizing the return on your investment.
By identifying future leaders earlier, you strengthen your succession planning and prepare your organization for the demands of future growth. You won’t be caught scrambling to fill critical roles when your business needs them most. Perhaps most importantly, leadership assessments improve overall team performance. Leaders who understand their own styles, capabilities, and blind spots lead others more effectively, which drives higher engagement, better collaboration, and stronger results across your company.
What to Watch Out For
- Don’t use assessments as “pass/fail” tests, they should guide development, not punish.
- Choose assessments that are scientifically validated and business-relevant.
- Make sure you have a plan to act on the insights, assessments alone won’t drive change.
Next Steps
If your business is growing fast, your leadership capacity needs to grow even faster.
Leadership assessments are not just for big corporations. They’re smart, scalable tools that give growing SMBs a competitive edge by building leadership strength from the inside out.
A strong leadership bench isn’t a “nice to have” for growth-stage companies, it’s a necessity.
Start early. Invest wisely. And watch your leadership team grow right alongside your business.
New to assessments? Refer to our resources page to download them for free.
