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Model 01 of 74 · Leadership & People

Leadership Maturity Assessment

A self-assessment for individual leaders: character, judgement, leading and developing others, results and self-development.

Pillars & areas

Character

Who you are

  1. 01Character & Integrity
  2. 02Presence & Composure

Competence

What you know

  1. 03Critical Thinking & Judgement
  2. 04Leading Others
  3. 05Developing People

Action

What you do

  1. 06Achieving Results
  2. 07Self-Development

Levels

  1. 1EmergingBuilding foundations
  2. 2CompetentConsistent delivery
  3. 3MultiplyingElevating others

01 Character & Integrity

Who you are when it matters most. Values, ethics, discipline, and the trust you build.

0/4 answered

CI-1How consistently do you act in line with your stated values, especially when it's difficult or costly?

Think about times when doing the right thing conflicted with what was easy, popular, or politically advantageous.

CI-2How do you handle situations where you've made a mistake or been wrong?

Consider your most recent mistake — did people hear about it from you first, or did they find out another way?

CI-3How much do people trust you to do what you say you will do?

Trust is built through consistent follow-through on commitments, large and small.

CI-4How do you respond when you see unethical behaviour or decisions that conflict with organisational values?

Think about whether you speak up when something isn't right, even if it's uncomfortable or the person involved is senior to you.

02 Presence & Composure

How you show up. Confidence, resilience, emotional regulation, and the example you set.

0/4 answered

PC-1How do you behave under pressure or during a crisis?

Think about how your team would describe your demeanour during the last high-pressure situation.

PC-2How well do you regulate your emotional responses in professional settings?

Consider whether your team can predict your mood, or whether they walk on eggshells depending on the day.

PC-3How effectively do you lead by personal example?

Think about whether you hold yourself to the same standards you expect from your team — or higher.

PC-4How do you recover and help your team recover from setbacks or failures?

Resilience is not about avoiding failure — it's about how quickly and constructively you bounce back.

03 Critical Thinking & Judgement

How you think. Decision-making under pressure, mental agility, and sound reasoning.

0/4 answered

CT-1How do you approach decisions when you don't have all the information?

Leaders rarely have complete information — this is about how comfortable and effective you are deciding with incomplete data.

CT-2How actively do you seek out perspectives that challenge your own thinking?

This is about whether you surround yourself with people who agree with you, or people who will tell you when you're wrong.

CT-3How well do you adapt your approach when circumstances change?

Think about whether you stick rigidly to the plan, or whether you adjust course when the situation demands it.

CT-4How effectively do you prioritise when everything feels urgent?

Consider whether your team has clarity on what matters most, or whether they feel pulled in too many directions at once.

04 Leading Others

How you direct, motivate, and influence people to achieve shared goals.

0/4 answered

LO-1How clearly do you communicate what success looks like for your team?

Think about whether every person on your team could independently describe the team's goals and their role in achieving them.

LO-2How do you influence people who don't report to you?

Leadership extends beyond your direct team — think about how effective you are at getting buy-in from peers, stakeholders, and senior leaders.

LO-3How well do you motivate people whose work is difficult, repetitive, or thankless?

Not all work is exciting — this is about whether you help people find meaning and motivation even in the hard or boring parts.

LO-4How effectively do you delegate responsibility, not just tasks?

Delegation is not just handing out work — it's giving people genuine ownership and the authority to make decisions.

05 Developing People

How you grow the capability, confidence, and careers of those around you.

0/4 answered

DP-1How actively do you invest time in developing each person on your team?

Think about whether development conversations happen regularly, or only during annual reviews.

DP-2How do you give feedback?

Consider whether people on your team would say they get enough honest, useful feedback — not just praise or criticism.

DP-3How willing are you to let go of your best people when they're ready for their next role?

Think about the last time someone on your team was ready for a bigger role elsewhere. Did you help them get it, or try to keep them?

DP-4How effectively do you create an environment where people can take risks and learn from failure?

Think about whether your team members feel safe to try something new, make a mistake, and learn from it without fear.

06 Achieving Results

How you drive execution, accountability, and sustained performance.

0/4 answered

AR-1How do you hold yourself and your team accountable for results?

Accountability is not about blame — it's about clear ownership, honest tracking, and following through.

AR-2How do you balance short-term delivery with long-term goals?

Think about whether urgent work always wins, or whether you protect time and resources for strategic priorities.

AR-3How do you manage underperformance?

Consider whether underperformance is addressed quickly and fairly, or whether it lingers because the conversation is uncomfortable.

AR-4How sustainable is your team's performance?

Think about whether results come at the cost of burnout, or whether your team can sustain this pace long-term.

07 Self-Development

How you invest in your own growth, self-awareness, and continuous improvement.

0/4 answered

SD-1How well do you understand your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader?

Self-awareness is the foundation — think about whether you could honestly list your top 3 leadership weaknesses without hesitation.

SD-2How actively do you seek feedback on your leadership from your team, peers, and manager?

Think about the last time someone told you something about your leadership that surprised you — and whether you created the conditions for that to happen.

SD-3How do you invest in your own learning and professional growth?

Consider whether your growth is intentional and structured, or whether it only happens when the organisation provides it.

SD-4How do you reflect on and learn from your leadership experiences?

Reflection turns experience into insight — think about whether you take time to process what happened and why, or just move on to the next thing.

Self-assessment report

Leadership

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the Leadership maturity model

Great leaders are not born — they are built through deliberate practice across three dimensions: who they are, what they know, and what they do. This model is strongly inspired by military leadership doctrine, which holds that leadership is a profession that can be learned, measured, and improved at every level.

The core principle: leadership is not a title or position — it is a responsibility to develop yourself, develop others, and achieve results with integrity. The best leaders don't just perform — they multiply leadership capability around them, creating organisations that thrive beyond any single individual.

This model assesses leadership as a whole-person discipline — character, competence, and action — not just management effectiveness or people skills in isolation.

28 questions across 7 key areas, assessing leadership capability across the full spectrum of who you are, what you know, and what you do. Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Designed to be used by individual leaders for self-assessment, or by organisations to benchmark leadership capability across teams and levels.

Who this assessment is for

  • Leaders and managers at all levels (frontline to executive)
  • Aspiring leaders preparing for their first leadership role
  • HR and talent development teams assessing leadership pipeline strength
  • Executive teams benchmarking organisational leadership culture
  • Anyone who influences others, regardless of formal title

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 — Emerging: The leader is focused on personal performance and learning the basics of leading others. They may have good intentions but lack consistent practices. They lead through positional authority or individual effort rather than influence. Self-awareness is developing, and feedback is received but not actively sought. Others follow because they have to, not because they choose to.
  • Level 2 — Competent: The leader demonstrates consistent, effective leadership practices. They communicate clearly, make sound decisions, and take ownership of outcomes. They actively develop their people and seek feedback to improve. They lead through influence, not just authority. Others trust and respect them — they follow because they want to.
  • Level 3 — Multiplying: The leader builds leaders, not just followers. They create environments where others grow, take initiative, and lead themselves. They think beyond their own team, contributing to organisational culture and strategy. Their leadership sustains performance even in their absence. Others grow because of them — the leader's impact multiplies through everyone they develop.

The 7 areas assessed

  1. Character & Integrity — Who you are when it matters most. Values, ethics, discipline, and the trust you build.
  2. Presence & Composure — How you show up. Confidence, resilience, emotional regulation, and the example you set.
  3. Critical Thinking & Judgement — How you think. Decision-making under pressure, mental agility, and sound reasoning.
  4. Leading Others — How you direct, motivate, and influence people to achieve shared goals.
  5. Developing People — How you grow the capability, confidence, and careers of those around you.
  6. Achieving Results — How you drive execution, accountability, and sustained performance.
  7. Self-Development — How you invest in your own growth, self-awareness, and continuous improvement.

How this model relates to other frameworks

  • US Army ADP 6-22 (Army Leadership and the Profession) — Be-Know-Do framework
  • British Army Leadership Code
  • Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) research
  • Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team
  • Jim Collins' Level 5 Leadership

Frequently asked questions

What is the Leadership maturity model?

A self-assessment for individual leaders: character, judgement, leading and developing others, results and self-development. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Emerging, Competent and Multiplying), assessed through 28 questions across 7 areas: Character & Integrity, Presence & Composure, Critical Thinking & Judgement, Leading Others, Developing People, Achieving Results and Self-Development.

How long does the Leadership assessment take?

Most people finish in 11–17 minutes. Each of the 28 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Emerging), 2 (Competent) or 3 (Multiplying). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.