If you had bad breath before an important meeting, wouldn’t you want to be told so you can pop a mint in your mouth before you walk in? If you made a delicious pie for a holiday dinner, wouldn’t you want to be told that it was delicious?

Feedback is valuable in our lives for improving what needs to be better and reinforcing what we do correctly. But surveying the leaders we’ve worked with so far in 2019, we discovered 72% have never had an honest, helpful leadership assessment from their current employer.

If leaders of your organization aren’t being assessed and given feedback by their peers, their top managers, and the people they lead, your organization is missing out on a major opportunity. Here are five risks you face by skipping out on annual leadership assessments.

1. The risk that your leaders might be unaware of their blind spots. The great Peter Drucker said when it comes to improving leadership skills, “We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.”

But how does a leader know what bad habits and bad leadership techniques they need to stop if they aren’t assessed and given honest feedback? They might feel their leadership style is getting the job done, and without feedback they may not see their blind spots that is causing disengagement and turnover.

2. The risk that your leaders might be unaware of what they’re doing well. Much like a leader may be unaware of their blind spots, some leaders might be unaware of what they’re doing that is unique and special to engage their team and excite them to come to work each day.

Also, praising conversations can be awkward and uncomfortable for some, but an assessment provides a platform to praise those that deserve it. Without an assessment, some leaders think their work might go unnoticed and unappreciated.

3. The risk of a culture of mediocrity. In his bestselling book, Good to Great, Jim Collins states, “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.”

Without a formal, constructive assessment, leaders often won’t bring their strong and weak skills to the forefront of awareness. With the right assessment, everyone can move up the chain to contribute more through leadership.

• Exceptional leaders become more exceptional.
• Good leaders are given the opportunity to become great.
• Average leaders can become good leaders.
• Below average leaders can step up and learn what keeps them from being good, putting them on a track for a brighter future.
• And poor leaders… Well… An assessment brings forth awareness to the organization on who might be causing issues and who needs to be let go.

4. The risk that your workforce doesn’t feel they have a voice. Everybody wants to know their voices will be heard, so give your employees a platform to give constructive thoughts on how to help the organization grow stronger. If a leadership assessment is set up correctly, they won’t be complaining sessions. They’ll be honest ways to help leaders improve, and ultimately help the organization improve.

5. The risk that you might miss an opportunity to groom and mentor a future executive. If you have a leader that hits targets, production numbers, holds high customer service ratings, or has done outstanding work, it’s something you should recognize. If this person is assessed by their peers and associates with overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding their ability to lead others, you may have your organization’s next great leader waiting in the wings. In a modern workforce full of hungry, eager networkers that desire to move up the ladder, these are the opportunities you can’t miss. Because if you miss out promoting and grooming this individual, someone else won’t.

Curious about setting up a leadership assessment strategy for your organization? Navigator has your solution!

Our 360-degree leadership assessments can be utilized anytime, with certified coaches to meet with your leaders to discuss the feedback and provide an ongoing improvement plan for each individual leader.