This Digest provides a brief survey of basic issues in the measurement of leadership potential. Selection of a school leader is a high-stakes decision that is often hindered by too many applicants and too little information. After screening applicants through resumes and cover letters, most districts rely on the personal interview to make their final choice. The cost of paying an ineffective administrator thousands of dollars a year is readily apparent but putting a price on lost opportunities is nearly impossible. Viewed in that light, using objective information to supplement the usual interview process is simply good sense.
Formal assessments provide several advantages.
Second, they are designed to systematically explore key leadership qualities. Third, feedback from the assessment allows districts to measure candidates against a much larger pool, comparing them to a field of thousands rather than the handful typically invited for interviews. To be useful, any test requires a clear conception of what is being measured. Over the years, leadership has been correlated to social dominance, vision, intelligence, interpersonal competence, energy, technical skills, charisma, and many other qualities. Every test thus reflects a particular set of assumptions about leadership.