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New Leadership Versatility Index Confirms Connection Between Leader Versatility and Business Outcomes

Bob Kaplan, Ph.D. and Rob Kaiser, authors of The Versatile Leader, team with Performance Programs, Inc. to offer the Leadership Versatility Index, validated 360-degree feedback that shows leaders and leadership candidates how to moderate their overused strengths and achieve balanced, dynamic skills. Authors’ extensive research shows greater business success and higher employee morale and job satisfaction as leaders increase versatility with leadership skills.

Old Saybrook, CT (PRWEB) September 13, 2006 -- “Rich Spire” has all the attributes of a great leader. He is a sharp strategist, quick to identify or anticipate opportunities for the future. He makes bold moves, but knows the difference between being bold and being rash. He exudes power and energy. Employees are motivated to work for him.

Despite these impressive attributes, Rich’s leadership is at times ineffective and counterproductive — ironically, it’s his very strengths that hurt him. His bold moves sometimes overwhelm the capabilities of his company. And his power and charisma overwhelm attempts by his staff to influence him or contribute in meetings. In spite of his team’s initial motivation, employee morale begins to suffer and job satisfaction declines.

To date, most leadership assessment tools fail to capture overused strengths

When it comes to leadership, too much of a good thing can be counterproductive, say leadership development experts Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser. Over the past decade, they developed the Leadership Versatility Index®, which demonstrates a reliable connection between leader versatility and business effectiveness – and an equally strong connection between a lack of versatility and stalled or derailed careers. Now the authors have teamed with measurement expert Paul M. Connolly, Ph.D., president of Performance Programs, Inc., to introduce the new online 360 feedback version of the Leadership Versatility Index.

“To date, most leadership assessment tools fail to capture overused strengths,” says Connolly who has specialized in psychometrics and assessments for organizations since 1980. “This assessment moves past that limitation and helps leaders capture the skill of balance in a dynamic environment with customized feedback.

“The Index is reliable and valid as a predictor of leadership effectiveness because of the many years of research done by Kaplan and Kaiser,” says Connolly. He explains that their research shows strong positive connections between versatility and strategy execution, business success, workforce morale, job satisfaction, and employee engagement. Adds Connolly, “For the first time, leaders, leadership candidates and executive coaches can get instantaneous online reports that diagnose ‘lopsidedness,’ when it exists, and name specific developmental actions to achieve the kind of dynamic balance that will increase their success.”

Kaplan and Kaiser previously decoded such leadership nuances in a groundbreaking book published earlier this year, THE VERSATILE LEADER: Make the Most of Your Strengths Without Overdoing It (Pfeiffer/Wiley; May 12, 2006).

There are two ways to learn more about the new assessment:

1. See one page of the report by taking the trial at: VersatileLeader.com.

2. Request a sample of the Leadership Versatility Index Report in PDF format by completing a request form or call 1-800-565-4223.

Connolly’s firm, Performance Programs, has provided leadership metrics since 1987, including the Survey of Executive Leadership, Survey of Leadership Practices, Leadership Competencies for Managers, and the Hogan Leadership Forecast. The firm also does employee surveys, expatriate assessment, job personality testing, fund raiser suitability assessment, work-life engagement analysis, and professional certifications for organizations worldwide.

About the Authors of the Leadership Versatility Index:
Bob Kaplan is a partner with Kaplan DeVries Inc., which specializes in leadership consulting for individual executives and management teams. Previously, Kaplan had a senior role at the Center for Creative Leadership, where he is presently honorary senior fellow. Rob Kaiser, also a partner with Kaplan DeVries Inc., is director of research and development. He formerly served as an adjunct research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Leadership Versatility Index® is a registered mark of Kaplan DeVries, Inc.

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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