Leader Competency Prioritization and Assessment | Burns Leadership Consulting
Coaching Onboarding

Leader Competency Prioritization and Assessment

Leaders get a clear view of where to focus. Sponsors get a specific way to support what matters most. Together, it gives your coach real ground to work from.

Step 1 of 4

Before You Begin

Whose perspective is this?
I'm the Leader

Completing this as the person being coached.

I'm the Sponsor

Completing this on behalf of a leader you're backing — their manager, mentor, or sponsor.

Where is this leader today?
Emerging Leader

Preparing for a first formal leadership role, or leading informally and building readiness for more.

Incumbent Leader

Already in a leadership role and developing effectiveness within or beyond it.

Step 2 of 4

Sort: What This Role Requires

This step is about the role, not the person. Sort based on what the role requires, weighed against where it and the business are headed, not just what's needed today. How well these are currently demonstrated comes next, in Step 3.

Every competency gets placed. The limits are deliberate: they force the tradeoffs that make this useful in a coaching conversation.

Easiest way: use the buttons

Each card has three buttons. Click Essential, Important, or Lower to place it. Click a different button any time to move it.

Or drag, if you prefer

Drag a card into a column, between columns, or back down to the library to reconsider. Click "Show details" on a card to see what success requires and what it looks like in practice.

Essential Now — 6Non-negotiable for effectiveness right now.
Important Next — 10Matters, but not the first constraint.
Lower Priority — 16Valuable generally, not the focus right now.
0 of 32 sorted
Essential Now 0 / 6
Important Next 0 / 10
Lower Priority 0 / 16
Competency Library 32
Step 3 of 4

Rate: Current Ability

Now the focus shifts from the role to the person. Complete the sort in Step 2 first. The 16 competencies placed in Essential Now and Important Next will appear here for rating, 1 (limited) to 7 (a recognized strength).

1 = Limited, or a known trip point under pressure  ·  4 = Solid but untested at this level  ·  7 = A recognized strength others rely on

Step 4 of 4

Review & Submit

This is your sort and your ratings. The interpretation happens in the debrief with your coach.

Complete the sort and the ratings to see your summary here.

Status

Complete the sort and ratings, then submit.

Meaningful. Measurable. Results.