• Purpose

To provide feedback to participants concerning their effectiveness as leaders and their leadership behaviors and characteristics

• Users

Aspiring leaders, managers, and executives in all types of groups or organizations

• Time

Approximately 15 minutes to complete the 50-item assessment via the Internet

The Leadership Profile (TLP) is a 50-item 360-degree questionnaire that provides users with an assessment of their leadership capabilities and practices on ten specific dimensions. Users’ self-assessments are compared with the average perceptions of five or more “observers” who were asked to respond to the same 50-item questionnaire with respect to the characteristics and actions of the user. Users and “observer” respondents they select are assigned codes that enable them to access and complete the TLP on-line. Data are automatically compiled and analyzed and individual reports generated. The feedback is provided along with a detailed interpretive guidebook to assist users in making clear assessments of their own development needs and constructing individual development plans.

Details

The TLP is one of the few leadership assessment tools that is grounded in sound theory. The theory is presented in Leadership That Matters (published in 2003 by Berrett-Koehler and available on-line from bkconnection.com). While most leadership approaches focus on individual traits, behavioral skills (or competencies), or situational context factors, ours integrates all three into a comprehensive yet easily understood framework.

Ten dimensions of leadership are assessed. Two focus on good management and equitable reward practices. Four more measure specific areas of behavior that effective leaders engage in, such as caring for and respecting followers, and creating enabling opportunities for followers). Three dimensions address the crucial personal characteristics required of leaders: self-confidence, empowerment orientation, and vision. The final, tenth, scale measures the extent to which the leader is effective in building a sound organizational culture.

Twenty years of research provide strong evidence of reliability and validity of both the theory and the TLP measure, one of the few extensively researched and validated leadership assessment tools. The TLP has been shown to measure the sort of leadership that is associated with positive performance outcomes in military organizations, private sector firms (production, service, and retail), government, and non-profits. Research results show that leadership, as measured by the TLP, is associated with bottom-line measures of performance such as customer satisfaction, managerial goal attainment, and retail sales per square foot, as well as with the quality of the culture established by top-level leaders.

Respondents receive individual results in a four-page graphic and numerical report using standardized scores, that is, scores ranging between 0 and 100 on each dimension, with 50 representing the overall average for several thousand individuals. Both self-assessment scores and the average of observers’ scores are reported. In addition, individuals’ scores are compared with the averages for their peer group, when data are collected for a group of managers or executives in an organization. The feedback report is supported by an interpretive guidebook. The guidebook includes a brief introduction to the theory, detailed explanations of the leadership dimensions measured, and guidelines for beginning to construct individual development plans.

We recommend that feedback be given in the context of a group seminar or workshop and involve developing peer support for development, and specific development planning activities. Typical leadership development workshops last from one to five days. Individual one-on-one feedback consultations are strongly recommended in the workshop context.

A parallel form, The Leadership Profile-Individual Contributor, is designed for those respondents who aspire to positions of leadership but have no current supervisory or managerial responsibilities, such as professionals working in teams.

The Leadership Profile – Individual Contributor (TLP – IC)

The Leadership Profile – Individual Contributor (TLP – IC) is designed for those respondents who aspire to develop their leadership effectiveness but have no current managerial or supervisory responsibilities. It assesses and reports the same dimensions as the TLP and is priced the same. For a complete description see The Leadership Profile (TLP).