Ten dimensions. One honest read on how close you actually are.
The same criteria I watched decide promotions. About twelve minutes. Your score the moment you finish.
About 12 minutes · your score on screen instantly · no email needed to see it
The same criteria I watched decide promotions. About twelve minutes. Your score the moment you finish.
About 12 minutes · your score on screen instantly · no email needed to see it
This is your score. Your full read is below: what each dimension means, and the specific moves to close your gap.
This is a practitioner-developed framework grounded in established leadership research. It is not a clinically validated psychometric instrument. Its credibility rests on four foundations.
All 10 dimensions map directly onto established frameworks: CCL Benchmarks® for Executives, the Korn Ferry Leadership Architect's 38 competencies, and the academic literature on the senior manager to executive transition. These constructs are documented differentiators in promotion research, not invented categories.
Built on a decade in Talent Acquisition, including in-house executive hiring and partnering with executive search firms: observing, across hundreds of hiring and promotion decisions, what actually differentiates the candidates who advance from those who don't.
Indicators are framed as recent observable behaviours rather than attitudes or self-perceptions, reducing social desirability bias. "In the last 30 days" and "in the last 60 days" framing anchors ratings to evidence, not aspiration.
Dimensions are weighted to reflect their differential importance at director level. Strategic Mindset and Influence carry more weight than Learning Agility because the research evidence for their role in promotion decisions is stronger and more consistent across studies. Weights are transparent and explained.
| Dimension | Weight | Primary Research Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic MindsetHow you think and operate at system level beyond your immediate remit | 15% | KF Leadership Architect #33 · CCL Benchmarks® for Executives |
| Influence & Stakeholder LeadershipHow you move people and decisions without formal authority | 15% | Cialdini — Influence Science · KF Leadership Architect #24 Persuades · #32 Balances Stakeholders |
| Executive PresenceHow you show up in high-stakes situations | 10% | KF Leadership Architect — Traits & Presence Cluster · CCL Benchmarks® · Hewlett (2014) |
| Self-Leadership & Inner AuthorityHow you relate to your own authority and capability | 10% | Ibarra — Working Identity · Dweck Growth Mindset · CCL: Self-Awareness · KF #29 |
| Business & Commercial AcumenHow confidently you operate in the commercial and financial language of the organisation | 10% | KF Leadership Architect #5 Business Insight · #17 Financial Acumen · CCL 70-20-10: P&L access gap for women |
| Visibility & Personal BrandHow clearly your value is seen beyond your immediate team | 10% | Ibarra — Outsight Principle · McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2024 · HBR Sponsorship Research |
| Leadership of PeopleHow you develop and multiply capability in others | 10% | CCL 70-20-10 Research · KF Leadership Architect #13 Develops Talent · #34 Builds Teams |
| Decision Making & OwnershipHow you operate in ambiguity and take full accountability | 10% | KF Leadership Architect #12 Decision Quality · #1 Ensures Accountability · CCL: Learning from Experience |
| Digital & AI Leadership ReadinessHow confidently you lead in and through an AI-enabled workplace | 5% | Korn Ferry AI-Ready Leader Framework (2025) · Microsoft Work Trend Index 2024 · KF CEO & Board Survey 2025 |
| Learning Agility & AdaptabilityHow you grow from experience and adapt to genuinely new situations | 5% | Korn Ferry viaEdge® — Learning Agility · CCL: Lessons of Experience · KF #22 · #31 |
Your score is a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict. The most useful thing it does is identify precisely where focused development will have the highest return on your path to director level.