First — which best describes where you are right now?

Individual contributor aiming for my first leadership role

New manager — leading a team for under two years

Experienced manager aiming for senior leadership

Founder or executive sharpening my edge

A high-stakes project needs a team to deliver it. What's your natural move?

I do the critical work myself — it's faster and safer

I hand out tasks but stay deep in every detail

I delegate clear outcomes and check in at milestones

I build ownership — people bring me solutions, not problems

How often do you deliberately develop someone else — feedback, mentoring, a stretch assignment?

Rarely — my own workload fills the week

When someone comes to me for help

Regularly, whenever things are calm enough

Weekly — developing people is built into how I work

Could you explain your organization's strategy — and how your work moves it?

Honestly, I focus on my own tasks, not the big picture

I know the headlines, but not how my work connects

I can link my team's goals to company priorities

I could pitch the strategy — and challenge it — in one page

Two attractive projects, capacity for only one. How do you choose?

Whichever feels more urgent — the loudest voice wins

Whichever I'm personally better at delivering

I weigh effort against impact and take the better return

I pick what serves the strategy — and explain the trade-off upward

You get five unplanned minutes with senior leadership. How does it go?

I'd freeze or ramble — the details would swallow my point

I can report status, but tough questions rattle me

I present clearly and handle most questions well

I lead the conversation — headline first, data ready, clear ask

There's bad news to deliver upward — a delay, a miss. What do you do?

Put it off and quietly try to fix things first

Soften it and tuck it into a routine update

Flag it early and honestly, with the reasons

Flag it early — with the impact, the options, and my recommendation

Can you name your top leadership strengths — and your #1 growth gap?

I have a vague sense, mostly from performance reviews

Yes — with concrete examples of both

I know them, track them, and work on the gap deliberately

When did you last ask someone for critical feedback?

I can't remember — feedback has to find me

Within the last year, in a formal review

Within the last month, from my manager or a peer

I run a standing feedback loop — manager, peers, and reports

Do the people who decide promotions know you want the next role?

No — I assume good work speaks for itself

My manager knows — we've talked about it

It's explicit, with agreed criteria and a timeline

Could you show results from the last 12 months that go beyond your job description?

Not really — I've delivered what was asked of me

One or two, but they're not written down anywhere

Several — and my manager knows about them

Yes — documented, quantified, and known beyond my team

Are You Ready for Your Next Leadership Role? The Promotion Readiness Scorecard

You're doing great work — but is it adding up to your next role? In under 3 minutes, score yourself across the five dimensions promotion decisions actually hinge on:

Leading & developing others
Strategic thinking
Executive presence & communication
Self-awareness & growth
Career momentum & visibility

You'll get a readiness score out of 100, your personal leadership radar, and the specific gaps to close first. Answer honestly — the score is only useful if it's true.