Our Assessment Philosophy

The answer depends on what you expect them to deliver, how they must deliver it, and whether they can succeed not just today but over the long term. Yet, with so many possible “ingredients” to consider, the list of qualities can be long, unfocused, and hard to navigate.

So instead of relying on a complicated proprietary model, we use the iceberg as a simple, powerful metaphor.

The visible part of performance—knowledge, skills, and observable behaviors—is only a small portion of what drives effectiveness at work. Knowledge reflects what a leader has learned, skills show what they can do, and behaviors reveal how they act in the role. Experience, which sits at the waterline, is critical because it shapes and strengthens both knowledge and skills over time.

These visible elements matter, but they are not the strongest predictors of sustained success. The deeper factors below the waterline—traits, motives, and values—have a far greater impact.

Traits are enduring personality and cognitive characteristics (e.g., curiosity, resilience, judgment).

Motives are what drive a person’s behavior (e.g., achieving results, building relationships, seeking power and influence).

Values are the deeply-held principles that guide how leaders think and act (e.g., integrity, accountability, respect).

At Leadership Assessment Solutions, we assess both the visible and underlying factors to give you a comprehensive view of an executive’s current performance and long-term leadership potential.

Leadership Assessment Solutions stands apart in three important ways:

Customized to your context.

We build a clear, practical success profile tailored to your business, strategy, and situation, rather than relying on a generic model. We start with your priorities, expectations, and culture, then define what great leadership looks like in that context and design our assessments to fit.

Selective and sharply focused.

We do not try to measure everything; we concentrate on what truly matters for your decision. We pinpoint and assess the few critical competencies and deeper personal characteristics most closely tied to your strategy, business challenges, and cultural requisites, so the reports you receive are relevant and actionable. 

Designed for the leaders you’ll need next.

We look ahead, not just at today’s role. Drawing on our proprietary research into the leadership demands of the coming decade, we evaluate leaders for their ability to handle disruption, adapt to new ways of working, and grow with your business, ensuring your leadership pipeline is prepared for emerging challenges rather than yesterday’s realities.