Leadership Development Business Impact Diagnostic

This diagnostic assesses whether your leadership development approach is designed to translate leadership capability into measurable business performance. It focuses on alignment to strategy, application to real work, reinforcement by managers and systems, and measurement discipline.

Rate each statement based on how your organization operates today.

Scale: 1 Strongly Disagree, 2 Disagree, 3 Neutral, 4 Agree, 5 Strongly Agree

Contact Information

Section A: Strategic Alignment and Outcomes

Leadership development priorities are explicitly linked to current strategic objectives.
We define a small set of leadership behaviors that matter most for business results.
Target outcomes are expressed in operational or business terms (cycle time, quality, customer outcomes, cost, retention).
Business leaders co-own the goals, not just HR or L and D.
Leadership development is treated as a performance lever, not a program calendar.
We can explain how leadership development will change how work gets done, not just what leaders learn.

Section B: Design for Application to Real Work

Leaders apply learning to current, high-priority business work within 30 days.
Development includes real decisions and trade-offs leaders must own.
Leaders are accountable for outcomes tied to their development commitments.
Development assignments are timeboxed with clear deliverables.
Leaders practice decision framing (problem, options, criteria, trade-offs) as part of development.
We intentionally build capability through the work, not only through workshops.

Section C: Manager Reinforcement and Coaching

Direct managers reinforce development goals in regular 1:1s.
Managers coach judgment and thinking, not just task completion.
Leaders receive feedback specific to the behaviors being developed.
Development progress is reviewed using evidence from real work.
Senior leaders model the behaviors expected from participants.
Leaders are supported to practice new behaviors even under pressure.

Section D: System Reinforcement

Performance management reinforces the behaviors being developed.
Incentives and recognition reward ownership, follow-through, and collaboration.
Meetings and operating rhythm support timely decision-making and execution.
Role expectations are clear enough to allow application of what leaders learn.
Escalation is disciplined. Leaders do not default to seeking approval for routine calls.
Psychological safety supports candid discussion of risks, mistakes, and learning.

Section E: Measurement and Business Impact

We track behavior adoption and application during and after development.
We track business outcomes long enough to detect impact (not just immediate reactions).
Measurement focuses on transfer to the job, not only satisfaction.
We establish baselines for key outcomes before programs begin.
We review evidence and adjust design based on what is working.
We can cite examples where leadership development changed a measurable business outcome.

Section F: Portfolio Focus and Scalability

Our leadership development portfolio is focused. We do fewer things with higher rigor.
We have a repeatable method for translating strategy into behaviors, practice, and measurement.

Optional Context

Request a Brief Consult

If you want, I can review your results and outline practical next steps to increase transfer to the job and business impact.