Assessing CEOs and Senior Leaders

Assessment of executive and senior-level positions requires special consideration.

Executive assessment is a specialized application of individual psychological assessment that is focused on executive and senior leadership positions. This population warrants special consideration because of the large and lasting impact they have on the health and vitality of an organization. Hiring or promotional mistakes can be costly.

Executive assessment generates valuable information to support decision‑making in circumstances characterized by uncertainty, subjectivity, and high‑stakes outcomes. The increasing pace of change in the economic and technological landscape has highlighted the need for forward‑thinking organizational leaders, and for consultants who provide guidance to organizations in the selection and development of those leaders.

Written for graduate students, practitioners, and other professionals interested in better understanding or working with this population, this book provides an overview of the theory and practice of senior leadership assessment, the contexts in which such assessment frequently takes place, and the tools and methods often used.

This text also covers complicated ethical issues and considerations for future directions of these assessments.

Introduction

• Chapter 1. What is Executive Assessment?
• Chapter 2. Understanding the Context of Assessment
• Chapter 3. Ethical and Legal Considerations
• Chapter 4. How to Assess Senior Leaders
• Chapter 5. Technological Developments in Assessments
• Chapter 6. Professional Development and Future Directions in Executive Assessment

Glossary
References
About the Author

J. Ross Blankenship, PhD, is a consulting psychologist and entrepreneur in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Blankenship is the cofounder and CEO of Leadhr, an enterprise software platform that helps companies measure and influence their organizational culture to improve engagement, retention, and performance.

His previous experience includes working in the leadership advisory group of a leading multinational executive search firm, where he consulted with clients across industries on initiatives related to executive assessment and development, top team effectiveness, and organizational culture assessment and transformation; and founding and leading the leadership assessment practice of an executive search firm where he worked with private-equity backed software companies to assess and develop high-performing executive teams.

He has also previously served as adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) where he led leadership development programs and conducted research. He is coauthor of “Coaching the Derailing Leader,” in the CCL Handbook of Coaching in Organizations, and his research and writing has been published in The Leadership Quarterly and Forbes.

He holds an MS and PhD in consulting psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego.