Effective

Leadership
An Assessment Tool

Do you have it?

Are you delivering it?

How do you know?

Leadership matters as never before. Every organization—
large or small, public or private sector, an entire enterprise
or an internal group—needs strong and able leaders to suc-
ceed. And this is not just a question of strong leaders at the
top. Managers, supervisors, employees and volunteers, wher-
ever they sit, need to lead and lead well: the world is chang-
ing too rapidly and the environment is too complex for
strategic intelligence, decision making and initiative to
come from the top alone.
Why has leadership become such an urgent issue? One reason
is the pace and unpredictability of change: organizations
have to be more efficient, more effective, more innovative
and, in the case of business, far more competitive. Also, the
workforce is changing. Employees today demand respect, fair
treatment and an opportunity to contribute. Without that,
they are going elsewhere—at a time when the labour market
is tight and getting tighter.
How effective is leadership in your organization? The follow-
ing two templates provide a tool that you can use to assess
how you are doing—a "starter set" to help you take a quick
pulse check and map a plan for action:
THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL
ON LEADERSHIP
These templates were developed under the auspices
of the National Council on Leadership, a group of 27
CEOs and equivalents in government, education and
the voluntary sector that was formed in 1999. The
templates are based on material provided by EDS,
IBM Canada Ltd., the Niagara Institute, survey data
on changing leadership requirements, and related
research by The Conference Board of Canada.
The purpose of the National Council on Leadership is
to stimulate effective leadership in all sectors of
Canadian society through:
• communicating the urgency of the issue
• celebrating the best
• inspiring youth
• developing leaders

• Organizational Leadership Template—assess your organi- The following organizations are represented on the
zation’s characteristics against those of a well-led organi- Council:
zation to identify strengths and gaps.
Cabinet Office, McGill University
• Personal Leadership Template—consider what makes a Government of Ontario Montreal YMCA
successful leader today, decide what mix of characteris- Canadian Centre for Motorola Canada Limited
tics you and/or your leadership team require and assess Management Development,
how you compare. Government of Canada National Quality Institute
Canadian National Railway Noranda Inc.
How should the templates be used? Depending on your
Company Placer Dome (CLA) Limited
organization and circumstances, you can use them in
a variety of ways: Clarica Life Insurance Privy Council Office,
Company Government of Canada

1 As a catalyst for team dialogue and action plan-

ning: Leadership teams at the top and throughout the
Culinar Inc. Queen’s University
Department of Finance Royal Canadian Mounted
organization can use the Organizational Leadership Canada Police
Template to assess their effectiveness—each individ-
ual does his or her own assessment against the Dofasco Inc. Syncrude Canada Ltd.
descriptors of a well-led organization, then the team EDS Toronto District School
discusses points of agreement and differences, impli- Export Development Board
cations and priorities for action. Similarly, leadership Corporation Toronto Hydro Corporation
teams can use the Personal Leadership Template to
IBM Canada Ltd. TransAlta Corporation
assess the overall strength of the team, identify gaps
and develop strategies for addressing them. Industry Canada United Way of Greater
JetForm Corporation Toronto
2 As a tool for individual reflection: You can use the
Personal Leadership Template as a checklist for identi-
Marriott Hotels of Canada
fying your leadership strengths as well as significant
gaps—the first step in developing focused strategies
for personal development. The template can also be To access the assessment tool and
used for team discussion of what counts most in your the templates on-line, go to
particular organization and circumstances. The Conference Board of Canada’s Web site:
www.conferenceboard.ca/ncl/resources.htm
3 As a basis for surveys: The Organizational Leadership
Template can be the basis of an internal employee
For further information, contact us at
survey, identifying organizational strengths and areas
The Conference Board of Canada
that may need to be addressed. The Personal
255 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M7 Canada
Leadership Template can be used to obtain feedback
Tel. 1-866-711-2262, Fax. (613) 526-4857
from others, for example, as the basis of a 360-degree
feedback process.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEMPLATE
This template offers a tool for assessing the effectiveness of leadership in your organization, enabling you to compare the characteristics of your
organization against those of well-led organizations. In other words, this template is based on key outcomes of good leadership, as reflected in indi-
vidual behaviours and organizational practices.

FIVE STEPS TO IMPROVING ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

1. Agree on what organizational characteristics are critical to success for your organization. Modify the following list to make it your own.
2. Ensure senior executives are committed to communicating and building these organizational characteristics.
3. Assess measurement, management, reward and promotion systems to ensure they support the desired organizational leadership factors, then
make necessary changes.
4. Carry out periodic employee surveys based on these factors, provide feedback to leaders and take appropriate improvement actions.
5. Periodically verify/modify the organizational characteristics critical to your organization’s success, as the business evolves.

For each item below, give your organization a score—High (3), Medium (2) or Low (1).
Then tally your results to give you an overall reading on how your organization is doing.

PURPOSE
People throughout the organization can
articulate and are committed to the organi-
zation’s strategic direction and vision.
They communicate a sense of energy and
excitement, and they demonstrate a
commitment to achieving results.
People throughout the organization know
what the organization’s goals and perform-
ance benchmarks are, and they work to
achieve them.
People throughout the organization feel
their work is worthwhile.
Employees and customers are proud of
how the organization contributes to the
economic, social and environmental well-
being of society.
Employees would recommend their
department/organization as a great place
to work.
Employees understand the organization’s
business, the financial picture and the
realities of the external environment; they
have good business acumen.
EMPOWERMENT AND DECISION MAKING
People clearly understand the results they
are expected to achieve and are empow-
ered to act to achieve them.
Functional and personal boundaries of
responsibility and accountability are nego-
tiated and clear.
People can accomplish their work objec-
tives without unnecessary rules or proce-
dures getting in the way.
People have the skills, resources and tools
to do their work well, individually or in
teams.
People are appropriately involved in deci-
sions that affect them, especially ones that
modify their roles. The same is true of
teams.
People feel free to take informed risks to
achieve their job objectives. They also
understand boundaries and consequences.
ALIGNMENT
Vision and strategic direction are trans-
lated into realistic but stretch goals.
Measurement and management systems
are in place to ensure implementation of
organizational goals, and results are acted
upon.
Measurement and management systems
encourage desired behaviours in leaders
and employees, reinforcing organizational
values, and results are acted upon.
Recognition and rewards encourage
desired behaviours, reinforcing the organi-
zation’s values.
People can see the connection between
their work and the organization’s success.
People know who their customers are and
anticipate their needs.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AND PERSONAL
GROWTH
People are encouraged to share their
knowledge with others, and the organiza-
tion provides opportunities for them to do
so.
People are encouraged to put forward
their views and their suggestions for
improvement.
People are satisfied with their opportuni-
ty for growth and development. They are
motivated to take personal responsibility
for learning.
Leaders agree that they play a key role
in developing future leaders, and they
act accordingly.
Managers have the confidence and
competence to provide effective feed-
back and coaching to their employees.
People receive timely, ongoing and gen-
uine feedback on their progress.
Performance and feedback discussions
are formally documented at least
annually.
RECOGNITION AND FEELING VALUED
People receive frequent, sincere and
timely recognition or praise for their
contributions.
People feel cared about as people (not
just as employees) by their managers.
People agree that the right people are
being recognized for the right behav-
iours and results.
People feel their opinions count.
People are periodically surveyed for
their opinions, and they see action on
their recommendations.
People feel supported by their leaders in
balancing work–life
commitments.
Tally:
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP TEMPLATE
This is a tool for assessing your personal effectiveness and the effectiveness of your leadership team. Use it to weigh your existing characteristics and
competencies against those required for good leadership today.

EIGHT STEPS TO IMPROVING PERSONAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY

1. Discuss with colleagues what characteristics are critical to successful leadership for you and your organization. Modify the following list to make it
your own.
2. Based on your own self-assessment, and/or feedback from others, identify your top strengths and the areas most needing improvement.
3. Given your personal desires and the needs of your current role, decide which three of these leadership characteristics you want to focus on—to
build on a strength or improve on a weakness.
4. Decide on three observable behaviours you will stop/start/continue doing to close the identified gaps.
5. Discuss your conclusions with those who originally provided you with feedback to get their agreement that these behaviour changes will improve
your leadership.
6. Select appropriate developmental opportunities to help you achieve the desired changes in behaviour.
7. Seek ongoing feedback from a trusted mentor, coach, colleague or friend on your progress.
8. After an appropriate period, seek feedback again, using this same template to assess your progress based on others’ perceptions of improvement.
For each item below, give a score—High (3), Medium (2) or Low (1).
Then tally your results to give you an overall reading on where you are today.

VISION: has a broad world view; balances
short-term demands with a longer-term
perspective; sees and engages others in
opportunities for positive change, based
on a sound understanding of stakeholder
needs, of the organization and of econom-
ic, political and societal developments that
affect it.
DRIVE TO EXCEL: challenges the status
quo; excited by challenge; committed to
results; successful at implementation;
clear about accountabilities; embraces
stretch goals and pushes to achieve them.
INNOVATIVE THINKING: entrepreneurial;
generates ideas; constantly looks for ways
to improve; takes calculated risks; encour-
ages organizational transformation and
process change; moves ideas to action.
PASSION AND COMMITMENT: enthusiastic
and dedicated, with an emotional bond to
the organization and its mission; excited
about the work, with a strong desire to win.
ASSUMPTIONS
FOCUS ON LEARNING: seeks out new
ideas and "out of the box" thinking; open
to challenge; reflective and learns from
mistakes.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: consulta-
tive and a good negotiator; elicits agree-
ment and consensus; inspires commit-
ment; addresses issues openly and can-
didly, even at personal risk.
TEAM ORIENTATION: works collaborative-
ly with colleagues and across organiza-
tional lines; encourages team behaviours;
creates team spirit and drive to achieve
within the group; builds shared sense of
trust among team members; acts to
ensure team success.
Tally:
COACHING AND MENTORING: shares
knowledge and experience; fosters
strategic thinking in others; encourages
learning in the workplace; takes person-
al responsibility for developing others.
DECISIVENESS: takes and acts on diffi-
cult decisions, proactively and quickly;
courageous; does not avoid negatives;
able to deal with uncertainty and ambi-
guity.
CAPACITY TO INSPIRE: credible in the
organization; demonstrates integrity in
words and deeds; consistently "walks
the talk" of organizational values and
priorities; celebrates personal success
and success in others; supports and
coaches others through difficult change;
committed to helping others succeed;
has the courage to do what is right.

• People support what they help create.
• In today’s environment, successful organizations
must embrace some key values: teamwork, cus-
tomer service, ethical behaviour, risk taking, inno-
vation and accountability.
• Organizational leadership includes corporate social
responsibility.
• Leadership is an art. Checklists and templates help
because they offer tools for reflection, but they
are just the first step.
• Leadership is an "organization deep" issue. That is,
it must permeate all levels of the organization,
regardless of hierarchy and formal position.
• Leaders can improve their effectiveness in leading.
Whether leaders are "born" or "made" is not the
issue.
• An important role of senior leaders is to coach and
develop other leaders throughout the organization.
• Teamwork between different units carrying out dif-
ferent functions is critical to an organization’s suc-
cess. And effective teamwork is built on trust.