9 Leadership assessment tools you must try in 2021

Leadership is an underrated quality. But at the same time, it constitutes the pillar of any organization. Good leaders do not only lead, but work, advise, manage, plan, and much more. They do not only set the vision but also inspire others to follow.

But whatever it is, leaders are not superheroes. It should be evaluated to find out what their strengths or weaknesses are, and to understand if they can meet certain standards. This can be done with the help of proper leadership assessment tools.

Although the concept is fairly alienated in most organizations, regular appraisals can improve the quality of leadership and thus direct the overall growth of the organization.

What does the leadership assessment tool do?

Leadership assessment tools identify an individual's leadership capabilities in various domains and describe what excels best within them. It is useful to know how a person would fit into a certain role in an organization based on the requirements of that role.

9 Leadership assessment tools you must try in 2021

Let's face it, with tons of leadership assessment tools and tests, it's pretty hard to figure out what works best for your needs and what isn't feasible. Well, considering we've lined up the top 9 leadership assessment tools to check out in 2021. Here are the top 9 leadership tools to watch out for this year.

1. 360 feedback
2. DISC
3. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
4. Gallup's Strengthsfinder
5. Saville evaluation
6. Enneagram
7. USC leadership style self-assessment
8. The emotional intelligence (EQ) of the IHHP
9. MindTools Leadership Skills Assessment

1. 360 feedback.

A good 360-degree feedback tool allows you to collect employee feedback on how their leader is working and coaching them. This data can then be analyzed to learn about the manager's strengths, weaknesses, and overall personality.

The 360-degree feedback tool promises various features that make the process easier and much faster. With an attractive user interface that offers both conversational and chat-style surveys, you will get a whopping 40% response rate.

Once the answers start coming in, you can quickly spot trends and patterns using the reporting dashboard.

2. DISC

If you've been researching leadership assessment tests, you're sure to be familiar with DISC. It is one of the simplest leadership assessment tools out there. The DISC name represents the four most important traits/profiles that the tool looks for in a person.

• (D) ominance- (task-oriented and active)
• (I) nfluence - (people-oriented and active)
• (S) teadiness - (people-oriented and reserved)
• (C) onscientiousness - (task-oriented and active)

The concept used to formulate this tool is quite simple and this makes the tool popular. The tool takes into account the remarkable behavior of a person and thus, the results can be predicted in advance.

The tool is presented in different versions and the most advanced one allows differentiating the behavior that the person exhibits at work and home. The final results of the test will let you know if you are more of a people person or a task-oriented person.

The main concern regarding this tool is that it provides only a superficial understanding of a person's capabilities. Also, since the results are predictable, subjects can easily give wrong inputs to turn the tide in their favor.

3. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

This assessment test has been in the field for over 50 years. Compared to the DISC assessment, MTBI is a bit more complex but much more effective. The test results provide detailed information about a person's character traits and abilities.

The MTBI identifies 16 personalities and they are represented using the combination of four letters, as shown below:

• Extrovert (E) vs Introvert (I)
• Think (T) vs Feel (F)
• Judge (J) vs Perceive (P)
• Sensitivity (S) vs Intuition (N)

One drawback to this assessment tool is that everyone who uses it must know the four-letter combinations. Without a deep understanding of these categories, the results are meaningless.

4. Gallup's Strengthsfinder (formerly Clifton StrengthsFinder)

True to its name, the test gives you very detailed information about a person's strengths. The test is widely used to identify where the test can perform better and suggests areas for improvement.

The tool motivates people to work on their strengths, instead of developing their weaknesses. Find out their top 5 traits/strengths of the batch and provide constructive feedback to improve them.

Gallups Strengthsfinder is great for personal training purposes as it helps people identify the fields in which they are best, but the tool doesn't prove its usefulness when considered in the context of the team.

5. Saville evaluation

The Saville leadership assessment test is perfect for testing an individual's aptitude and personal skills. The aptitude test comprises a set of questions that assess a person's numerical, spatial, linguistic, mechanical, and error-correcting abilities.

Meanwhile, the personality assessment tests personal and behavioral preferences and details the person's strengths and weaknesses. In addition to this, the test also reveals which cultural orientation would be the best match for the person.

The test is certainly complicated compared to MTBI and DISC, but the results obtained are easy to understand. The final results are given on a numerical scale that describes the various abilities of the person and where they should pay attention to improve.

6. Enneagram

The term Enneagram stands for Nine Types and categorizes people's behavior into 9 types with 9 subtypes for each section. In total, this assessment groups people's traits and behavior into 81 different categories.

Until now, the tests presented take into account the superficial behavior of people and then check if they are the ideal leaders that managers are looking for. In the case of the Enneagram, the motive for each action of an individual is thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the results are unpredictable and vary from person to person.

The tool visualizes the motivation that led to an action/reaction, and this says a lot about a person, more deeply than it seems. But the complexity involved in the whole process turns out to be a drawback, and for this reason, many organizations do not opt for this tool.

7. USC leadership style self-assessment

An accurate perception of oneself will help bring out the best in oneself. The USC Leadership Style Self-Assessment builds on this simple idea and tells you what kind of leader you are.

When you and your team are on the same side regarding your leadership style and trait, you can get the best performance. Not understanding what kind of leader you are can dismember your team and discourage them from continuing under your guidance.

This assessment helps you identify the right style and gives you constructive advice to get you on the right track for that particular leadership style.

The six-leader style predicted by this leadership assessment test is:

• Server
• First-line
• Transformational
• Metamodern
• Postmodern
• Contrary

Other than listing the leadership style that best fits your perceptions and traits, the tool doesn't help you identify your strengths or weaknesses. Also, the style is decided based on a limited quiz set, and once subjects master it, they can easily skew the result to the results they want.

8. The emotional intelligence (EQ) of the IHHP

This leadership assessment test developed by the Institute for Health and Human Potential tests two main aspects: emotional intelligence/quotient and performance under pressure. The test should be taken separately and the details should be compared together to analyze a person's performance as a leader.

The main idea behind this assessment is that the emotional quotient is twice as valuable as the intelligence quotient in determining an individual's success. According to IHHP, EQ is defined as the ability to identify, recognize and manage one's own emotions and inhibitions.

As a leader, you will have to face several situations that challenge your emotional stability and to be successful, you must balance positive and negative emotions.

When it comes to evaluating performance under pressure, the tests revolve around the simple concept "No one performs better under pressure." When you are under pressure, the negative side of a person's emotions is activated. As a leader, one needs to be sane in such situations and lead the team along the path that yields the best solution.

IHHP offers the tests separately, but to determine a pattern, you must take both tests.

9. MindTools leadership skills assessment

The MindTools Leadership Skills Assessment evaluates a person's leadership skills based on a questionnaire consisting of 18 questions. They inquire about your different actions and instances in your professional life and detail whether you are already at your best personal moment or if there is room for improvement.

The results are driven by three basic character traits:

• Self-confidence
• Personal attitude and perspective
• Emotional intelligence

Once the leadership style is predicted, you can take a more detailed test followed by an article that explains that particular leadership trait in detail.

Undoubtedly, all of these leadership assessment tools/tests are complex in their way, but here's a pro tip: It's always best to take two different tests and then come to a final decision. This helps you find out two things: if the evidence is reliable and if the person is giving manipulated/honest input.