Diagnostic

Leadership Capability Diagnostic™

Stop guessing where your leadership gaps are. Start knowing.

Most organisations invest in leadership development without a precise view of what their managers and leaders actually need to do differently. The result is generic programmes, limited behaviour change, and development spend that is difficult to justify.

The Leadership Capability Diagnostic changes that. It is a fast, structured piece of consultancy work that gives you a clear, evidence-based picture of your leadership population — where capability is strong, where the gaps are, and where focused development will have the greatest impact on performance.

It is not a training needs analysis. It is not a free discovery call. It is the starting point for any leadership investment that needs to be targeted, measurable and commercially justified.

The problem it solves

When organisations choose the diagnostic before going straight to a programme, they avoid making one of two expensive mistakes: investing in development that addresses the wrong things or investing in the right things for the wrong people. The diagnostic exists to prevent both.

Without a clear picture of your leadership capability, development decisions tend to be based on assumption, anecdote or whoever made the strongest case in the last budget conversation. That is not a strategy — it is an educated guess at best.

The Leadership Capability Diagnostic gives L&D leaders, HRDs and senior stakeholders the evidence they need to make confident, targeted investment decisions — and the language to justify those decisions internally.

What you receive

Stakeholder alignment session
A structured conversation to understand your strategic context, your current leadership challenges and what success looks like for this engagement

Leadership capability survey
Using the Coached 6 Levers of Leadership Capability framework — deployed to your manager and leader population

Capability heatmap
A visual summary of strengths and priority development areas across your leadership population

Insight analysis
Behavioural themes, patterns and root causes — what is driving the gaps and what is sustaining the strengths

Development roadmap
Prioritised quick wins and strategic development actions, connected directly to your organisational goals

Executive summary report
A slide deck written in the language of your senior stakeholders — ready to present to your leadership team or board

Readout session
We walk you through the findings, the priorities and the recommended next steps in a live session with your key stakeholders

How it works

Week 1
Stakeholder alignment — we agree the scope, the context and what success looks like for your organisation

Weeks 2–3
Leader input — survey deployed to your population, with focus groups or interviews where relevant

Week 4
Insight analysis, report preparation and readout session — findings, priorities and recommended development pathway

The full diagnostic is typically complete within four weeks of confirmation. The readout session is scheduled at a time that works for your key stakeholders.

Who is it for?

The Leadership Capability Diagnostic is for organisations that want to move from guesswork to evidence when investing in leadership development. It is particularly valuable when:

+  A new cohort of managers has been promoted and capability levels are unknown

+  A leadership development programme is being planned and rigorous scoping has not yet been done

+  Development spend needs to be justified to senior stakeholders or a board

+  The organisation is going through change or transformation and leadership gaps are becoming visible

+  A previous programme did not deliver the behaviour change that was expected

+  There is a sense that something is off in the leadership culture but it has not yet been precisely named

It works equally well for organisations commissioning leadership development for the first time and for those who have been investing in it for years and want to make sure the next programme is better targeted than the last.

Investment

Survey-based
Up to 30 participants
£2,500 – £3,500 + VAT

With focus groups or interviews
Recommended for 30+ participants or complex environments
£3,500 – £4,500 + VAT

The diagnostic is the first stage of a wider leadership development journey. Clients who complete it have a clear, prioritised roadmap - and any subsequent programme is built around what their leaders actually need, not a generic framework. The diagnostic fee is the investment that makes every subsequent investment more precise.

Common questions

Is this the same as a training needs analysis?
No. A training needs analysis typically asks what training people want or feel they need. The Leadership Capability Diagnostic uses an evidence-based framework to identify the specific behavioural gaps that are limiting leadership performance — which is a different and more precise question.

Can it be adapted for a specific level of leader?
Yes. The diagnostic can be scoped for first-line managers, mid-level leaders, senior leaders or a mixed population. The framework adapts to the level and context.

What happens after the diagnostic?
You will have a prioritised development roadmap and an executive summary ready to present to your stakeholders. From there, most clients commission a targeted leadership development programme built around the diagnostic findings. Some use it to refocus an existing programme. A small number use it as a standalone piece of work to inform internal planning.

How disruptive is it to the business?
Minimal. The survey takes participants 20-25 minutes to complete. Focus groups and interviews, where included, are typically 45-60 minutes per person and scheduled at times that work for the business. The total time commitment for participants is small. The value of the output is significant.

Do we need to have a programme in mind before commissioning the diagnostic?
No — and in fact it is better if you do not. The diagnostic is designed to inform that decision, not confirm it. Coming in without a predetermined outcome gives you the most honest and useful picture of where to focus.