Free leadership self-assessment
The Signal Check: a free leadership self-assessment
Most leaders get plenty of signals, like your gut flagging a hire or your energy dropping every time a certain project comes up. The trouble is that somewhere between noticing it and doing something about it, the signal gets lost, and it's usually lost in the same place every time.
This leadership self-assessment shows you where yours gets lost. It's 12 questions and takes about five minutes, and you'll leave with one thing to try this week. Answer for how things actually are, not how you'd like them to be.
Your answers stay in your browser. When you reach a result, the site adds one to a count for this tool, with no answers, names or cookies attached.
The Signal Check, a leadership self-assessment by Rory Nicol · rorynicol.com/leadership-self-assessment
Where your signal gets lost: Noticing
The signal isn't reaching you.
When this is where it gets lost, it's usually because your thinking gets there first, so by the time you've built the case your first reaction is already gone. Your gut tends to know before the spreadsheet does, but you have to catch it early to hear it.
Try this week: Before your next real decision, write down your gut reaction in one line before you open anything else, and then in two weeks look back and see how often it was right.
Where your signal gets lost: Naming
You catch it, but you keep it to yourself.
You see more than you say, and that can feel safer in the moment, but it means the people around you are working without what you know and you end up carrying it on your own.
Try this week: In one meeting this week, say one thing you'd normally hold back. Keep it to one sentence without softening it, and then notice what happens in the room.
Where your signal gets lost: Acting
You know what needs to happen, but you haven't moved on it yet.
You can name the problem, and you've probably named it more than once already. Where it stalls is the step after, and that's usually the step that costs you something, like a hard conversation or letting go of a plan.
Try this week: Pick the decision you keep putting off and ask yourself what the delay is protecting you from. Then set a date this week to decide it or drop it, and tell one person the date.
Where your signal gets lost: Finishing
You move on before it's done.
You're good at the next thing, so the last thing never quite closes, which means the lessons don't land, the wins don't register and the work follows you home.
Try this week: After your next milestone, take 15 minutes to write down what worked, what didn't and what you'd do differently, and then go do one thing that has nothing to do with work.
Your result
Your signal is coming through clearly.
That's not common, so it's worth checking against how other people see you, since most of us are a bit generous when we rate ourselves.
Try this week: Ask two people who work closely with you which signal they think you miss most, and just listen to what they say.
A 30-minute conversation, online
Want to talk through what came up? I coach founders, engineers and executives, online by video.
To keep a copy, choose "Save as PDF" in the print window. You might also like the leadership style quiz, which shows how you lead under pressure.
Questions
What is a leadership self-assessment?
It's a short set of questions you answer about how you actually lead from day to day. This one looks at what happens to the signals you get, from your gut and from the people around you, between noticing them and acting on them. That gap is where I look first for leadership blind spots.
How do I know how self-aware I am?
Self-awareness mostly shows up in how quickly you catch what's happening while it's happening. A self-assessment like this one is a start, and asking the people who work closely with you will tell you more. Coaching is one way to work on it in real time, with someone pointing out what they notice as it happens.
Is this a psychological test?
No. It's a reflection tool for leaders. It isn't a validated measure and it doesn't assess your mental health. If you're struggling with your mental health, talk to your doctor or a registered mental health professional.