Top 7 Psychometric Assessments To Use For Leadership Development Coaching 10 Month Ago · 5 min read

Talyaa Vardar

Talyaa Vardar, MA, FCPC, MCC
Executive Coach, Psychologist & Art Therapist

There are several psychometric assessments that are widely used in leadership development coaching to gain insights into individuals' personality traits, leadership styles, and areas for growth. While multinational corporations usually have their own assessments that are adapted to their leadership competencies; other organizations might be using some of these already. It is also possible that an organization may ask the leadership development coach or corporate coach to introduce their own leadership development psychometric assessment tools. 

Below, we share some popular psychometric assessments often used in leadership development coaching:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI):

Focus: Personality type indicator.

Benefits: Helps individuals understand their preferences in how they perceive the world and make decisions. It is useful for gaining self-awareness about personal preferences. 

DISC Assessment:

Focus: Behavioral styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness).

Benefits: Provides insights into how individuals approach tasks, interact with others, and respond to conflict. It creates an awareness and reflection opportunity for the manager about their communication style and helps them for improving communication and collaboration.

VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths:

Focus: Identifying and developing strengths and values.

Benefits: Helps individuals discover and leverage their signature and flexible strengths and values. We also use it to enhance personal and team performance by focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses.

Emotional Intelligence Appraisals (e.g., EQ-i 2.0):

Focus: Emotional intelligence competencies.

Benefits: Assesses emotional intelligence factors such as self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal skills, decision-making, and stress management. Useful for leaders aiming to improve their emotional intelligence.

Leadership Circle Profile:

Focus: Leadership competencies and creative competencies.

Benefits: Offers insights into a leader's effectiveness in terms of both reactive (limiting) and creative (enhancing) competencies. It helps leaders understand the impact of their behaviors on their leadership effectiveness.

Hogan Assessments (Hogan Personality Inventory, Hogan Development Survey, Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory):

Focus: Personality, derailers, values, and motives.

Benefits: Provides a comprehensive view of an individual's personality, highlighting potential strengths and areas of risk. Useful for identifying behaviors that could hinder leadership effectiveness.

360-Degree Feedback Surveys:

Focus: Multi-rater feedback on leadership competencies.

Benefits: Collects feedback from multiple perspectives, including superiors, peers, subordinates, and self-assessment. It offers a holistic view of a leader's strengths and areas for development.

When using psychometric assessments for leadership development coaching, it's essential to ensure that the assessments are valid, reliable, and administered by trained professionals. Additionally, combining multiple assessments can provide a more comprehensive understanding of an individual's leadership capabilities and areas for improvement.