Executive assessments have revolutionized how organizations select and develop senior leaders. These deep-dive evaluations uncover patterns of behavior that more accurately predict future performance than traditional interview techniques (Van Iddekinge et al, 2012). As practitioners, we routinely see firsthand how comprehensive assessments reveal insights that individuals themselves may be unaware of, creating a foundation for both selection excellence and developmental growth.
Beyond Stock Answers
The traditional hiring process often resembles a theatrical performance. Individuals arrive with practiced answers to predictable questions like "What's your greatest weakness?" The executive hiring landscape is particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon, as senior leaders have typically mastered the art of impression management through years of experience.
Levashina and Campion (2007) found that interview faking is pervasive, with up to 90% of candidates engaging in some form of bluffing during interviews. This presents a particular challenge when hiring for executive positions, where the stakes are extraordinarily high. A poor executive hire can cost an organization between 213% and 400% of annual salary when considering ripple effects throughout the organization (Smart, 2005).
Going deeper
It's no surprise that biographical assessment has emerged as the gold standard for executive evaluation precisely because it overcomes these limitations. Rather than asking hypothetical questions that invite rehearsed responses, biographical assessments explore an individual's actual experiences, decisions, and leadership behaviors throughout their journey. By examining patterns across a leader's history rather than isolated examples, we can identify their actual approaches to leading. We do this through:
- Career narrative analysis: Examining the story arc of decisions, transitions, and pivotal moments
- Cross-contextual consistency: Identifying patterns of behavior that persist across different organizations, roles, and challenges
- Motivation archaeology: Uncovering the deeper why behind decisions
McClelland (1998) demonstrated that these implicit patterns are far more predictive of executive success than self-reported traits or capabilities.
The Science and Art of Executive Assessment
Effective executive assessment exists at the intersection of rigorous science and nuanced art. This combination is one of the key differentiators between exceptional and adequate assessment. Silzer and Jeanneret (2011) demonstrated that assessment approaches integrating both behavioral sensitivity and scientific methodology showed validity coefficients 0.28 higher than approaches emphasizing either dimension alone. Kahneman and Klein (2009) called it disciplined intuition, insights that emerge from the sweet spot between systematic analysis and experiential wisdom. The science of executive assessment includes:
- Hypothesis testing: Generating and systematically testing alternative explanations for behavioral patterns. Exploring divergent hypotheses and seeking disconfirming evidence, instances where the executive behaved differently than our working hypothesis, reduces confirmation bias (Dearborn and Simon, 1958).
- Data triangulation: Cross-referencing insights from a range of sources to identify consistent themes
- Cognitive mapping: Charting decision-making across complex simulations
The art lies in the assessor's ability to read subtle behavioral cues, pick up on shifts in language, energy, engagement, and fluency, and create an immersive, open environment where genuine patterns emerge. Hogan and Blickle (2018) found that skilled assessors who demonstrate high behavioral sensitivity identify leadership derailers with 47% greater accuracy than those relying solely on structured methods. These techniques are particularly important when assessing executives who have mastered impression management.
Beyond Selection: Onboarding and Leadership Development
The value of executive assessment extends far beyond the hiring decision. The comprehensive leadership profile generated during assessment serves as a powerful accelerator for onboarding and ongoing development initiatives. Traditional onboarding often focuses primarily on organizational orientation rather than performance acceleration. Executive assessments provide a strategic roadmap for integration. Research by Bauer et al. (2018) demonstrates that leaders who receive onboarding assessments reach full productivity 40% faster than those experiencing traditional onboarding processes. Furthermore, executives who receive integration support based on assessment insights are 58% more likely to reach break-even point (the time at which their value-add equals their cost) within six months rather than the typical 12-18 months (Watkins, 2013). Onboarding assessments work by:
- Identifying potential adjustment challenges before they emerge
- Highlighting specific cultural elements that require focused attention
- Clarifying where the executive's natural strengths align with organizational needs
- Proactively addressing potential blind spots that could derail early success
Beyond onboarding, Day and Dragoni (2015) established that developmental assessments have 3.5 times the power to generate behavior change than generic leadership programs. Executives participating in such assessments often achieve vertical development (Petrie, 2014), an expanded ability to think in more complex, systemic, and strategic ways rather than simply acquiring more knowledge. Developmental assessments are often a catalyst for stretch assignments that build specific capabilities and cross-functional exposure designed to broaden perspective. This precision approach accelerates development by focusing resources exactly where they will create maximum impact for both the individual and the organization.
Conclusion
The true magic of executive assessments lies in their ability to reveal what would otherwise remain hidden, consistent patterns of leadership behavior, motivation, and decision-making that predict future performance. By taking a biographical approach to assessment, organizations can see beyond the rehearsed responses and social desirability that plague traditional hiring processes. They can identify the real leader beneath the polished exterior and make selection decisions accordingly.
In a business environment where the cost of executive failure is measured in millions or billions and the impact of exceptional leadership is transformative, investing in comprehensive assessment is not merely prudent, it's essential.
References
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Day, D. V., & Dragoni, L. (2015). Leadership development: An outcome-oriented review based on time and levels of analyses. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2(1), 133–156.
Dearborn, D. C., & Simon, H. A. (1958). Selective perception: A note on the departmental identifications of executives. Sociometry, 21(2), 140–144.
Hogan, R., & Blickle, G. (2018). Socioanalytic theory: Basic concepts, supporting evidence and practical implications. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of personality and individual differences (pp. 110–129). SAGE Publications.
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Peterson, D. B. (2007). Executive coaching in a cross-cultural context. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 59(4), 261–271.
Petrie, N. (2014). Future trends in leadership development. Center for Creative Leadership.
Silzer, R., & Jeanneret, R. (2011). Individual psychological assessment: A practice and science in search of common ground. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 4(3), 270–296.
Smart, B. D. (2005). Topgrading: How leading companies win by hiring, coaching, and keeping the best people. Portfolio.
Van Iddekinge, C. H., Roth, P. L., Putka, D. J., & Lanivich, S. E. (2012). Are you interested? A meta-analysis of relations between vocational interests and employee performance and turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1167–1194.
Watkins, M. D. (2013). The first 90 days: Proven strategies for getting up to speed faster and smarter. Harvard Business Review Press.
