---
title: Measuring gaps in leadership skills | Leadership Success
description: Measuring leadership skill gaps can be done through on-the-job observations, self-assessments, 360 feedback or situational judgement tests.
---

1. [Guides](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/guides)
2. [Critical leadership skills ](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills)
3. Measuring critical leadership skills

This is much a much more difficult and complex issue than it may first appear. There are a number of ways of gathering data and each has an appropriate application.

## Ways to measure knowledge and skills gaps:

There are four main criterion you can use to determine the most appropriate way to measure [critical leadership skills](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills) gaps:

- **Objective** - Is not subject to the bias of an individual, or groups of indivduals
- **Practical** - Is scalable, cost-effective and delivers an acceptable user experience (i.e. people will actually complete the assessment)
- **Reliable & Accurate** - Data coming back must be consistently relied upon to make accurate decisions about what training should be delivered

Using the criteria above, there are a number of ways you could potentially assess a persons knowledge and skill level.  For the purposes of a leadership knowledge and skills assessment, we consider 4 different methods:

- On the job observation
- Self-assessment
- 360 feedback
- Situational judgement tests (Scenario-based testing)

### On the job observation:

This method involves systematic observation of employee behaviour on the job, over time. Lets' examine this method's suitability for measuring [critical leadership](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills) skills gaps:

- It is extremely time consuming and expensive - **** Not practical**
- You would have to find qualified experts to assess each individual - **** Not practical**
- You need a very clear set of tasks you are asking the person to perform and a way to rate this performance - **** Potentially subjective, not reliable**
- In the case an individual is not displaying the right behaviours, it is impossible to determine whether that is because: 
    - The individual doesn't know what to do (a knowledge and skills issue) OR;
    - Some other individual issue (e.g. personality) OR;
    - Extraneous factors inhibiting the behaviour on the job (e.g. culture & climate) OR;
    - A combination of some / all of the above - ** **Not accurate**

* *

Using on the job observation to identify critical leadership skills gaps FAILS to meet the required criteria for measuring critical knowledge and skills gaps.

![Businessman on ladder pointing at sandglass picture on wall](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/hubfs/Stock%20images/Businessman%20on%20ladder%20pointing%20at%20sandglass%20picture%20on%20wall.jpeg)

On the job assessments take too long and are impractical for measuring leadership skills.

### Self-assessments

Although an extremely common method of conducting a [Training Needs Analysis](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills/what-is-a-training-needs-analysis) and often even taught in Organisational Development degrees / courses, self-assessment forms are actually an extremely unreliable method for measuring knowledge and skills gaps in individuals.

- Assessments can be delivered quickly and easily to large numbers of people - **** Practical**

Let's consider some of the most common questions you will find in a self-assessment style Training Needs Analysis and why they give you the wrong data:

I feel confident in performing the leadership tasks my role requires

- This subjective question actually relates to attitude/personality NOT knowledge or skill
- **Not objective or accurate**

I perform these tasks to the required standard

- People tend to overrate their own competence, with the least effective being the worst judges of their own proficiency ([See the Dunning Kruger effect](https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740))
- **Not objective, accurate or reliable**

Training would help me be a more effective leader

- Question likely relates to attitude/personality
- **Not objective, accurate or reliable**

* *

Although Self-Assessments are practical, they FAIL to meet the required criteria for measuring critical knowledge and skills gaps.

### 360 degree feedback

A common strategy is to ask the 1-up manager, their peers or their direct reports about a particular managers performance and areas for development. Whilst excellent for collecting data about how an employee is performing, these types of assessments are not suitable for measuring critical leadership skills gaps.

- Assessments can be delivered quickly and easily to large numbers of people - **** Practical**

360-degree question examples:

Person A uses their time effectively (1-up manager question)

- If the answer is “DISAGREE/NO/LOW SCORE", it is impossible to tell WHY
- Is this a Knowledge and Skills Issue or some other factor causing the performance issue such as Personality, Attitude, Climate, Culture etc.?
- **Not accurate or reliable**

Person A makes it clear what is expected of me (team member question)

- If the answer is “DISAGREE/NO/LOW SCORE", it is impossible to tell WHY
- Is this a Knowledge and Skills Issue or some other factor causing the performance issue such as Personality, Attitude, Climate, Culture etc.?
- **Not accurate or reliable**

Working alongside Person A, I can rely on them to get things done on time and to the required standard (peer)

- If the answer is “DISAGREE/NO/LOW SCORE", it is impossible to tell WHY
- Is this a Knowledge and Skills Issue or some other factor causing the performance issue such as Personality, Attitude, Climate, Culture etc.?
- Any more than 1 statement per question is poor question design
- **Not accurate or reliable**

* *

Although 360 degree assessments are practical, they FAIL to meet the required criteria for measuring critical knowledge and skills gaps.

![analysis](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/hubfs/icons/analysis.svg)

You need to ensure you are choosing the right method for measuring critical leadership skills

### Situational judgement tests (Scenario-based testing)

Scenario based testing is a way of objectively testing someone without having to observe them performing the tasks in real life. It approximates real life by using real-world scenario-based questions.

- Assessments can be delivered quickly and easily to large numbers of people - **** Practical**

Situational judgement tests use completely different questions to those you would find in a self-assessment form or 360 degree feedback survey, as you can see by the questions below:

![Scenario based assessment](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/hubfs/dashboardscreens/scenario.jpg)

---

- By asking both the BEST and WORST way you should handle a situation, it's extremely hard to guess answers -** ** Accurate and reliable**
- A standard scoring mechanism removes any individual bias  - **** Objective**
- You can specifically isloate knowledge and skills from personality, climate, or behaviour- ** ** Accurate**
- The assessment, delivered online is the same every time - **** Reliable **
- As the assessment is standardised, you can build benchmarks and compare managers to the benchmark - **** Accurate and reliable**

* *

Using scenario based testing to identify critical leadership skills gaps meets the required criteria for measuring critical knowledge and skills gaps.

 Learn more

 Next: [Data driven insights **](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills/data-driven-insights)

[** Prev](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills/defining-critical-leadership-skills)

[Next **](https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills/data-driven-insights) 

![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=3438513&fmt=gif)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "",
    "url" : "/author/"
  },
  "dateModified" : "February 13, 2024, 02:20:45",
  "datePublished" : "2021-02-23 16:16:17",
  "description" : "Measuring leadership skill gaps can be done through on-the-job observations, self-assessments, 360 feedback or situational judgement tests. ",
  "headline" : "Measuring gaps in leadership skills | Leadership Success",
  "image" : [ "" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.leadershipsuccess.co/critical-leadership-skills/measuring-critical-leadership-skills-gaps",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/5064420/leadership-success.png"
    },
    "name" : "Leadership Success"
  }
}
```