Pro Spective Assessment

ProSpective Assessment

Christopher Krofton's Assessment Results

These are your Top 5 Leadership Characteristics:
Creating the New and Different
You are able to envision a future that no one else sees and invent things that haven’t been
imagined. You focus a lot of your time on gathering information and asking good questions.
Because you value all points of view and look broadly for information, you are able to make
connections across many fields and use analogies that help you think differently about a
problem. During brainstorming, you value the outlandish and the absurd—which can spark
new thinking. You don’t judge. You don’t hem people in. You believe that many people with
different ways of looking at the world will always outperform any one individual’s ideas. You
are not afraid of failure. Fail early, fail often is almost a mantra for you. You expect a result that
will wow clients and strive to make it a reality.

Acting with Honor and Character
You know what you stand for. Your actions are rooted in a stable set of values. You can be
counted on to act consistently and stay true to your word. Others trust you because your
beliefs and actions match. People see you walking your talk. They sense your authenticity and
your character.

Managing Work Processes
You understand and manage processes well. You know that the best processes are dynamic
and require constant evaluation and tweaking. You see how all the pieces fit together and how
one affects the other. You build in feedback loops and monitor key metrics. Optimizing for
efficiency is something you focus on—you are always looking for continuous improvement.

Balancing Work/Life
You have multiple roles and interests in your life. You are clear about your priorities, and you

Korn/Ferry’s ProSpective Assessment is an online assessment tool created by Korn/Ferry International to assist LinkedIn users with their career
development. Leadership characteristics are based on research by Lominger International, a Korn/Ferry company. linkedin.kornferry.com

Copyright © 2011 Lominger International, a Korn/Ferry company. All Rights Reserved. Page 1 of 10


Balancing Work/Life: Top 5 Characteristics (Cont'd)

find balance that works for you. You recognize the need to be flexible on the work and
personal fronts. At times, you may work long hours because you’re on a deadline. Other times,
you take advantage of a lull at work and spend more time with family. You recognize the risks
and costs associated with how you choose to spend your time, and you are comfortable with
the choices you make.

Demonstrating Personal Flexibility
You are self-aware. Not only do you seek feedback from others, you can pick up on subtle
cues that you need to adjust your behavior or approach. You observe how people respond in
different situations and you adjust. You reflect on conversations and interactions so that you
can learn what to do differently. You are interested in improving yourself, developing skills, and
enhancing your performance on the job.





Potential Blind Spots
Blind spots are characteristics that you overestimate. You are likely to see yourself as stronger in these skills than
others see you. A self assessment can give you insight on potential areas for self improvement, however, asking
others for their input by doing a network assessment will give you far greater insight on your blind spots. Here are
your potential blind spots and some ideas for next steps:

Dealing with Trouble
One of the most difficult aspects of leadership is challenging the status quo, dealing with
dilemmas, and handling conflict with others. Leaders that fail to do this effectively risk a
divided team, a resentful staff, and a culture of mistrust.
• Take the long view – Giving negative feedback is uncomfortable in the moment, but
withholding such feedback can be a disservice in the long-term. Honest feedback opens
lines of communication and opens the door for development and improvement over time.
• Commit to transparency – Everyone should be held to the same standards of behavior,
and processes for receiving feedback and addressing problems should be uniform across
the team. Make sure everyone is clear on what the standards and practices are and try to
keep rules consistent over time.
• Build trust – Consistency, honesty, and respect are essential ingredients to building trust.
Feedback should be given consistently, in private, and whenever possible, in person.
Remove anger and generalizations from your message (i.e., “always,” “never”). Point out
specific behaviors that need changing and collaborate on a shared plan for improvement.

Being Open and Receptive
Stress is noisy, and when you’re overwhelmed, it can be very hard to quiet down and pay
attention to what others are experiencing. Part of effective leadership is learning how to turn
down the volume on your own stress so you can fully engage the people around you.




Being Open and Receptive: Blind Spots (Cont'd)

• Regulate your emotions – Among the first things to go when you’re pushed beyond your
limits are your openness and calm. Meditation, deep breathing, and long walks are not
health fads, they’re business tools. Develop a tool set for keeping yourself on an even keel.
• Open the door – Literally open your door to casual check-ins, spontaneous conversation,
and lending an ear to someone seeking advice. Figuratively open the door to hear others’
ideas or concerns. Essential in this effort is keeping your defensiveness at bay and
recognizing feedback as an avenue for addressing grievances and building stronger
relationships.
• Share – Listen ten times more than you talk. When you are ready to pipe in to the
conversation, don’t hesitate to share something about yourself, use humor, maybe even
combine the two and be self-deprecating. Showing your human side will reassure other
people that you are someone they can talk to.





Potential Hidden Strengths
Hidden strengths are characteristics that you underestimate. You are likely to see yourself as weaker in these
skills than others see you. A self assessment can give you insight on potential areas for self improvement,
however, asking others for their input by doing a network assessment will give you far greater insight on your
hidden strengths. Here are your potential hidden strengths:

Managing Up
You relate well with higher management. You manage your career well. You know what you
want in your career. You are proactive in positioning yourself—your career aspirations and
interests—to leaders who will influence your career trajectory. You do not hesitate to take
advantage of opportunities that showcase your skills to higher management. This requires
confidence, but gaining the support of your boss and senior leaders makes the risk worth it to
you.





Problem Areas
Problem areas can be hard to talk about. However, we want to arm you with as much information as possible
about the roots of success as well as known causes of derailment. Through studying the career trajectories of
thousands of individual contributors, managers, and executives, we’ve identified the five most common barriers
to career success. If you suspect one or more of these areas is a problem for you, the section below will provide
initial steps toward improvement.

Doesn't Inspire or Build Talent
One of the toughest career transitions you’ll ever face is making the switch from individual
contributor to leader. When you’re used to relying entirely on yourself, it can be a shock to find
yourself at the mercy of a team. Anyone in a new leadership role struggles with how to
relinquish control, trust others, inspire people to bring their best, build a sense of team
cohesion, identify individual strengths, and grow leadership capabilities in others. If you
struggle in these areas, welcome to the club. But if you want to be a leader, it’s essential that
you learn how to inspire and grow the people on your team by providing the right balance of
direction, coaching, and support. You will see improvements in this area as you begin to give
up some control and depend upon others. Not doing so will likely slow or stall your career
progress.
• Be a leader – Contrary to what many people believe, emerging as a leader is not about
dominating, outshining, and beating others to the punch. Great leaders are people who
know how to elicit outstanding work from their team and help develop leadership
capabilities in others. Great leaders listen closely to their team, cue into individual
strengths, and step aside so others can practice taking the lead.
• Keep it safe – Healthy debate is part of any strong team, but triangulation, favoritism,
trash-talking, or sabotage is not. If you’re leading a team, you’re also helping to set the




Doesn't Inspire or Build Talent: Problem Areas (Cont'd)

tone for what’s acceptable. Allowing for bad behavior makes the team unsafe and
unhealthy. It’s all right to be the downer sometimes, set limits, and referee so that people
can relax and connect and do their best work.
• Delegate to develop – Delegation is not only about leveraging your team and increasing
efficiency, it’s also about developing the members of your team. Bringing them closer to
tough decision making, complex problem solving, and personal investment means you’re
not overburdened, and they’re stretching and growing on the job.





Korn/Ferry Insights
Here’s how you compare to others:

Creating the New and Different
Creating the New and Different is correlated with strong performance at the manager and
executive levels. Most people’s skill level in Creating the New and Different is low, and it is
harder to develop than most leadership skills. For these reasons, it is a good idea to focus on
developing this skill as early as possible in your career. Your ability to generate breakthroughs
will be noticed, appreciated, and sought after because it is the source of competitive
advantage that companies seek.

Acting with Honor and Character
Acting with Honor and Character is ranked highest in importance compared to all other
leadership skills. It is the foundation upon which all other leadership skills are built. Most
people are highly skilled in Acting with Honor and Character. It is moderately difficult to
develop. Being trustworthy, consistent, and ethical are viewed by most employers as price-of-
admission leadership qualities.

Managing Work Processes
Managing Work Processes is highly correlated with strong performance at the manager level.
Managers are often responsible for seeing the big picture and understanding how the pieces
interrelate. Most people are low in this skill, and it is moderately difficult to develop. The ability
to see a process as a dynamic system and to understand how tweaks create ripple effects is a
vital contribution to a business and will differentiate you from other leaders.

Balancing Work/Life




Balancing Work/Life: Korn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

Balancing Work/Life ranks among the lowest skills for leaders at all levels, and it is harder to
develop than most leadership skills. Ultimately, the way you balance between work and life is
a personal choice. The ability to consciously make trade-offs and get what you want out of
your career and personal life helps you balance career achievement with other things you
value.

Demonstrating Personal Flexibility
Demonstrating Personal Flexibility is a very low skill for most people. It is also harder for
people to develop because it involves the willingness to respond to feedback and to change.
Change can be hard for people, and personal change can be even more challenging. Your
ability to adjust, adapt, and flex in response to feedback or changing conditions will make you
a resilient and nimble leader.

Managing Up
Managing Up is a strong skill for most people across all leadership levels. However, it may not
be surprising that the skill improves as leaders move up to the manager and executive levels.
Many people are not aware of their ability to manage up—it is one of the most common hidden
strengths for individual contributors, managers, and executives. Your ability to garner support
from senior leaders gives you the opportunity to position your ideas and influence your career
trajectory.

Dealing with Trouble
Dealing with Trouble is highly correlated with strong performance at the manager level.
Dealing with Trouble is a rare skill among individual contributors but improves at the manager
and executive levels. It takes courage to handle conflict, deliver tough feedback, and stick your
neck out for an unpopular idea. These are the things that make Dealing with Trouble harder to
develop. It is a good idea to begin to develop this skill as early as possible in your career so




Dealing with Trouble: Korn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

that by the time you lead and manage others, you are prepared to handle tough, controversial
situations.

Being Open and Receptive
Most people are moderately skilled in Being Open and Receptive, and it is moderately difficult
to develop. Listening, patience, and a relaxed sense of humor are qualities that will help you
build strong relationships with your colleagues and team.

Doesn't Inspire or Build Talent
Doesn’t Inspire or Build Talent is a staller that can slow your career progress. Compared to
other stallers, Doesn’t Inspire or Build Talent is the most likely to be a problem, and it is more
harmful to success. Many leaders underestimate this problem to some degree. This area is a
known derailer, especially at the manager and executive levels. The inability to select,
develop, and empower talent will choke your ability to get results and lead a healthy,
productive team.



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