In 2025, an estimated $89.6 billion was invested in leadership development programs globally, and this figure is expected to rise to $238.5 billion by 2035.¹ Despite this massive expenditure, many leadership development programs fall short. They deliver limited impact, weak follow-through, and few tangible returns. Research shows that when development efforts lack clear goals, organizational alignment, and ongoing support, they are unlikely to produce lasting change.²

The reality is, not all development programs are equal. Generic workshops, one-off seminars, or “check-the-box” training may feel worthwhile in the moment, but they rarely lead to leadership growth or improved business outcomes. To have meaningful impact, organizations need development strategies that incorporate evidence-based practices. This is where assessments add real value. By grounding coaching and executive development in data-driven insight, assessments provide a strong foundation for growth. Scientifically validated assessments can reveal a leader’s strength and opportunities for development. They may also highlight potential blind spots — unrecognized patterns in behavior and impact — and offer the clarity and perspective needed to build meaningful, measurable development plans. For HR leaders and internal coaches designing executive development programs, integrating assessments is critical to maximizing both leadership growth and return on investment.

Using Leadership Assessments to Support Coaching and Executive Development

The following six-step process outlines how to use assessments to support focused, evidence-based executive coaching and leadership growth.

Step 1: Plan the Coaching Engagement

Clarifying the purpose of a coaching engagement is essential for ensuring that everyone involved understands what success looks like. When goals, expectations, and roles are not aligned, development efforts can become unfocused and disconnected from organizational needs. Establishing a clear direction at the outset creates the structure and shared commitment necessary for meaningful progress.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Provide an objective foundation for aligning stakeholders on the leader’s current strengths and development needs.
• Clarify which leadership behaviors are most relevant to the role.
• Offer a common language and evidence-based insights to guide discussions about priorities and metrics of success.

Practical Tip:

Before the coaching engagement begins, schedule a brief alignment meeting with the executive, their leader, the coach (if different), and HR. Use this time to confirm the purpose of coaching, define what success looks like at the end of the engagement, and clarify what will be expected of each stakeholder throughout the process.

Step 2: Administer the Assessment

Once goals and expectations are aligned, administering a leadership assessment provides a critical foundation for professional development. Assessments offer valuable insights into a leader’s current strengths, challenges, and behavioral tendencies that can otherwise be difficult to capture through observation or self-reflection alone. Introducing data early in the process ensures that development conversations begin with clarity, rather than assumptions.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Establish a baseline that helps the leader and other stakeholders understand where development efforts should be focused.
• Highlight patterns in behavior that may not be immediately apparent through informal feedback.
• Provide reliable data to anchor future goal setting and progress metrics.

Practical Tip:

Before administering any assessment, set clear expectations about confidentiality and how results will be used. Ensure the coach has sufficient resources and training to support interpretation of the report prior to meeting with the leader so they can prepare thoughtful discussion points for the debrief.

Step 3: Debrief and Reflect on Results

A structured debrief helps leaders interpret their assessment results and connect scores into meaningful insights. When done effectively, the debrief conversation deepens self-awareness, sheds light on patterns the leader may not have noticed otherwise, and creates a safe space to explore how their tendencies show up in day-to-day leadership.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Provide a clear, evidence-based starting point for discussing strengths, challenges, and natural tendencies.
• Reveal patterns or themes that help narrow development priorities to the areas that matter most.
• Facilitate open dialogue between the leader and their coach with concrete behaviors to discuss leadership.

Practical Tip:

Encourage leaders to review their results prior to their first debrief session. Instruct them to reflect on what resonates within the report and what doesn’t. During the discussion, focus on identifying a few key themes that can be used to guide goal setting.

Step 4: Set Development Goals

Translating assessment insights into meaningful growth requires clear, focused development goals. Effective goal setting helps leaders prioritize where to invest their development efforts, ensuring that coaching targets the behaviors that will create the greatest impact. Goals that are specific, measurable, and tied to real business demands create a sense of direction and accountability, both of which are essential for driving sustained behavior change.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Translate assessment insights into clear development priorities rooted in evidence.
• Help leaders identify which behaviors, if strengthened, will create the most meaningful improvement in leadership effectiveness.
• Provide a foundation for defining short-, medium-, and long-term goals that align with the leader’s role and organizational needs.

Practical Tip:

Have leaders start by selecting one or two development areas rather than trying to address everything at once. Work with the leader to articulate specific behaviors they want to stop, start, or continue, and set a deadline for completing each of these. This creates momentum and prevents goals from becoming overwhelming or unfocused.

Step 5: Connect Goals to Actions

Setting goals is an important step, but lasting development happens when leaders translate those goals into consistent, observable behaviors. Connecting goals to concrete actions helps leaders understand how to make progress, not just what they are trying to achieve. When development plans include practical, repeatable actions tied to real work situations, leaders are far more likely to build sustainable habits.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Identify specific behaviors relevant to developing in each growth area, making it easier to map goals to daily practice.
• Highlight situations that may trigger certain patterns, helping leaders identify how they can apply new behaviors instead.
• Provide language and examples that help leaders choose effective strategies and resources to support growth.

Practical Tip:

Work with the leader to identify upcoming opportunities — such as meetings, projects, or key conversations — where they can intentionally practice new behaviors. Encourage them to choose small, repeatable actions they can apply weekly. Simple, consistent practices build confidence and create visible progress quickly.

Step 6: Check In and Stay Accountable

Regular check-ins sustain momentum and ensure that development efforts turn into real behavior change. Without ongoing reflection and accountability, even well-designed plans can lose focus as day-to-day demands take over. Consistent conversations help leaders track progress, adjust their approach, and reinforce the habits they’re trying to build. This turns development into a continuous, iterative process rather than a one-time event.

How Leadership Assessments Help:

• Provide a structured reference point to evaluate whether behaviors are changing over time.
• Help coaches and leaders revisit initial goals and compare them with current progress.
• Offer metrics that support objective, balanced conversations about what’s working and what may need to be adjusted.

Practical Tip:

Establish a predictable cadence for development-focused check-ins. Monthly often works well but the frequency can be tailored to the engagement. Use each conversation to reflect on recent experiences, celebrate wins, troubleshoot challenges, and update goals as needed. Encourage leaders to document insights between sessions to deepen accountability and keep development top of mind.

Final Thoughts: Why Evidence-Based Development Matters

Developing effective leaders requires more than good intentions. It requires clarity, structure, and evidence-based insight. Assessments provide the objectivity and focus needed to ensure executive development efforts lead to real, measurable change. When organizations use assessment data to guide goal setting, shape coaching conversations, and track progress over time, they create development programs that are not only impactful, but sustainable. By grounding leadership growth in rigorous, data-driven practices, HR teams can maximize their investment and equip leaders with the skills they need to thrive in evolving workplaces.

1. Future Market Insights. (2025). Leadership Development Program Market Size & Trends 2025-2035. Future Market Insights. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/leadership-development-program-market ↩︎
2. Yemiscigil, A., Born, D., Snook, S., & Pate, E. (2022). Authentic leader(ship) development and leaders’ psychological well-being: an outcome-wide analysis. Leadership and Organizational Development, 43 (8), 1287-1307. ↩︎