The task of identifying who is or would be a good manager is admittedly complex, yet the consequences of hiring or retaining a mediocre manager are too grave to take such determinations lightly. It is essential for an organization's success to have managers who are well-matched to their job descriptions. Armed with the information from this test, John can become familiar with the areas that would require attention and careful consideration if he were to apply for a management position.

Overall results (score 76)

John has the potential to be a good manager. He possesses many of the traits that make up a well-rounded and capable manager. When it comes to difficult decisions and multitasking, he is at an advantage because he doesn't have glaring weaknesses in his management skills arsenal. If he is already a manager, his skills are probably apparent, unless there are certain specific deficits that impact his performance, despite his good overall score. Although training may be beneficial, he is ready to go.

Intrapersonal Skills (score 75)

Certain personal qualities differentiate successful and unsuccessful managers. The managers who are most resilient in the face of setbacks, persistent despite distractions, and who possess the strongest self-confidence have a clear advantage over the rest. High levels of commitment, ownership, and motivation are required, and integrity plays an important role as well. Managers must have the courage to deal with tough tasks, such as terminating perpetual under-performers. They must communicate optimism and a positive attitude, in order to motivate their employees. They also need to be decisive and display confidence in the decisions they have made in order to instill confidence in employees. Self-awareness, adaptability, and resilience are necessary in order to adapt to the constant changes inherent in management positions.

John's score on the intrapersonal skills scale is above average. This is good news - personal qualities such as self-confidence, decisiveness, integrity, and resilience are imperative in management. Overall, he has the knowledge, attitudes, and attributes that make up a good manager. People who possess the personal qualities essential to a management position tend to come across as deserving of their position, which is essential in order to instill confidence in subordinates.

Comfort with Authority (score 67)

John is comfortable in his authority figure role. Managers need to be comfortable with authority, and be able to perform evaluations, offer criticism, reprimand employees, and assign and delegate work to others.

Concentration (score 70)

John's concentration skills are excellent. He is able to shut out distractions and give his full attention to the task at hand.

Coping Skills (score 63)

John has relatively well-developed coping skills. He is not completely defenseless against stress. He may have trouble relaxing and become slightly anxious during tough times, but he doesn't typically crack under pressure.

Decision-Making (score 65)

John has adequate decision-making skills, but is occasionally indecisive. He should work on this, as decisiveness is an important trait for successful leadership.

Locus of Control (score 73)

John's locus of control is internal. He perceives that he has control over the things that happen to him in his professional life. He interprets outcomes as resulting from his personal actions, and accepts responsibility and credit for them. It goes without saying that this internal attribution leads to a more proactive approach to life.

Optimism (score 68)

John is an optimist - he always has a positive outlook. He approaches problems with hope and a positive perspective. This is great because optimism helps managers weather bad times and motivate their employees when times are hard.

Perfectionism (Self-directed) (score 42)

While John doesn't expect the impossible from himself, he still has a touch of perfectionism. While this attitude can push him to do his best, he should be sure to give himself a pat on the back when he deserves one.

Self-Confidence (score 81)

John has a high level of self-confidence. He recognizes his inner value and it shows in his professional life. He exudes confidence and believes in himself enough to pursue his goals whole-heartedly. To be an effective manager, he must trust himself and his abilities, and feel worthy of his position. He likely displays the outward confidence that inspires trust and respect from employees.

Integrity (score 78)

John appears to behave with integrity. The way he presents himself to his employees and to the people with whom he does business with will impact how they treat him as well. He realizes that it is up to the manager to set an example by carefully following the legal and ethical standards of his profession. It's very likely that since he behaves with integrity, his subordinates will follow suit.

Interpersonal Skills (score 75)

Interpersonal competencies include sensitivity to social cues, communication skills, approachability, and the ability to build positive relationships. They also entail being able to control negative emotions and putting aside personal problems with subordinates for the good of the organization. In order to be effective, managers must create an environment in which people feel comfortable expressing ideas and opinions. They must create a sense of team unity and help each member understand his or her contribution to the overall effort. A good administrator accepts appropriate criticism openly and non-defensively. Unlike the back-office managers of the past, new management is available, accessible, and approachable.

John's score on the interpersonal skills scale is above average. Managers who possess excellent interpersonal skills clearly communicate what is expected and make an effort to treat employees with respect. Moreover, even when they do not like an employee or feel that he or she has not done a good job, they try not to let any negative feelings shine through when communicating with this individual. Finally, they are easily able to pick up on social cues around them, a skill that allows them to act in a sensitive manner. Any organization would benefit from John's ability to form mature working relationships with employees and colleagues. Although he has a solid foundation of skills, additional training would allow him to perfect them.

Communication Skills (score 71)

John's communication skills are excellent. He gets his point across clearly and concisely, persuades effectively, and listens well to others.

Flexibility (score 91)

John is very flexible and accommodating. He has an open mind and a deep appreciation for diversity. He has no trouble admitting his mistakes, asking for support, or taking a chance with the unknown.

Soft Skills (score 77)

John has very well-developed soft skills. He is able to create a cooperative, open, supportive, and friendly environment. He is patient and considerate, and trusts his employees' judgment. He displays great talent for building a rapport with others.

Perfectionism (Other directed) (score 26)

John isn't critical of others, nor is he too demanding. He doesn't expect the world from employees, and he knows that placing unreasonable demands on his subordinates is unproductive and disheartening.

Self-Monitoring (score 67)

John's self-monitoring skills are excellent. He has full control over his thoughts and emotions, and is able to adapt his behavior to fit any given situation.

Sensitivity to Social Cues (score 65)

Although John's score on this subscale is adequate, there is room for improvement. The ability to pick up on subtle social cues is important for managers, and may help to stop problems before they start.

Executive Skills (score 61)

Executive Skills consist of the items relevant to running a competitive business and performing the actual job functions in an effective manner. It is very important for the person in charge to be productive, make excellent decisions, and be able to help subordinates when they are in need of assistance. There is no better predictor of performance in a variety of areas than intelligence - which is one of the scales included in this factor. In addition, managers must be disciplined, and be able to manage their time in the face of countless distractions. Finally, in order to compete with other organizations or simply to help their department perform at the top of their game, managers must be innovative and possess a strong vision of the long-term goals and overall organizational philosophy.

John appears have good potential in this area. People who score in this range tend to be fairly innovative and intelligent, and are usually able to accomplish a great deal. They rarely lose track of time, and do their best to keep themselves organized and achieve as much as possible. In addition, they tend to have creative minds and refuse to accept the status quo, frequently coming up with new ideas, taking chances on the unknown, and pursuing a vision that is uniquely their own. Managers who possess these qualities are better equipped to run large departments and more suited to the business world than those who are grounded in the past, who lack discipline or intelligence, or who are afraid to take chances and do something different.

Creativity (score 79)

John is driven by the desire to express his creativity. He often comes up with innovative approaches and solutions at work. He is energized by watching an idea take shape and blossom into something tangible.

Drive (score 81)

John displays initiative, resourcefulness, and a willingness to exert effort towards achieving a goal and making a difference. He is driven by a sense of satisfaction upon achieving something or meeting a challenge at work.

Goal-Setting (score 92)

John has a strong goal orientation - he focuses on the big picture. His interest lies in the achievement of overall goals, while the day-to-day details are not of primary concern. He includes his employees in goal-setting discussions, as he believes that it is important for them to understand the direction of the company. He trusts his employees to be responsible for their tasks, and does not keep a constant watch on their progress. He plans and sets goals that enable the organization to achieve its long-term objectives.

Time Management (score 68)

John has a solid grasp of the advanced strategies for effective time management. He has mastered the skills of prioritizing, removing distractions, following schedules, and finishing his projects on time.

Vision (score 80)

John does an excellent job of keeping himself and his employees excited about the future and moving towards the organization's goals.

Risk-Taking (score 73)

John is extremely comfortable with the notion of taking risks. He may even get a thrill out of not knowing what will happen. This may have a positive impact on his ability to be an innovative manager.

Organizational Skills (score 77)

John appears to be very well-organized. A manager must wear many hats, and keeping his workspace in order, maintaining records carefully, and keeping track of appointments is necessary to performing the job.

Leadership Ability (score 80)

One of the most commonly accepted theories of leadership is that of transactional and transformational leadership. While some researchers have conceptualized these as separate and distinct methods or as the two ends of one continuum, most recently, researchers have begun to consider that transformational leadership is often used in addition to the transactional methods, creating an augmentation effect. Using transformational leadership methods in addition to transactional methods can help a leader go from acceptable to great.

So just what do transactional and transformational leadership methods entail? Transactional leadership consists of setting clear guidelines for behavior, rewarding good performance and punishing poor performance, providing feedback, and assigning tasks to employees. Transformational leadership, according to our assessment, involves motivating and coaching employees to perform to the best of their ability, sharing a vision for the company or organization in a convincing and charismatic manner, solving problems in the company with an inventive approach, taking everyone's needs and ideas into account when making decisions, as well as setting an excellent example for employees. We provide scores and results for both of these types of leadership, and an overall score for this factor. A good manager will score high in both of these areas. A leader with only a transactional style may very well be acceptable, but one who utilizes both styles will likely be an inspiration to subordinates and elicit much greater performance from the entire department.

Transactional Leadership (score 78)

John's score on the transactional aspect of leadership was high - he fulfills many of the aspects that characterize this type of leadership. The elements in this area include the following behaviors: making sure that employees know what is expected of them, stepping in to correct behaviors when a problem arises, and providing adequate feedback to keep subordinates on track. This helps employees know where they stand, feel comfortable knowing that their duties are clearly spelled out, and helps them improve when things go wrong. He may need to review these elements and make changes if any are not up to par.

Delegating (score 80)

John is very comfortable delegating duties and related authority to subordinates. By handing work over to junior employees, he is empowering them to learn more about their position as well as showing them that he has faith in their abilities.

Giving Feedback (score 69)

John has an excellent ability to provide appropriate and motivating feedback to his employees.

Rewarding Performance (score 80)

John believes that it is necessary to reward hard work. He recognizes that efforts should not go unnoticed.

Transformational Leadership (score 81)

John's score on the transformational aspect of leadership was excellent. He makes an effort to bring out the best in his employees, works with them as a team, seeks creative input and help from them, is able to communicate his vision in a way that makes people excited about his ideas, and, perhaps most importantly, he sets an example that makes his employees want to work harder. These leadership skills are the things that differentiate good and great managers. Leaders who use a transformational style are able to bring their department to a whole new level, creating an organization that is more productive and successful.

Coaching (score 81)

John is a good mentor - he provides employees with information, instruction, and suggestions regarding their job assignments and performance, while still leaving room for them to create their own solutions.

Motivating (score 88)

John is an excellent motivator. He inspires and supports others easily, drawing out a great performance from employees.

Problem-Solving (score 87)

John is an excellent problem-solver. When confronted with a problem, he looks at it from a number of different perspectives, searching for many different ways to solve it. He thinks "outside the box" and enjoys toying with ideas.

Communicating Vision (score 74)

If he has a vision for his company, John is likely quite capable of communicating this clearly, in a manner that piques the interest of subordinates. He has the charisma needed to sell his ideas to others.

Collaboration (score 93)

John is very comfortable asking others for support and advice. Asking for help, input, or suggestions from subordinates has many benefits - it helps them feel more valued and respected, gives him a more multifaceted perspective, and helps build the potential of employees.

Impression Management (score 15)

John showed no sign of exaggerating his management abilities. Some people tend to respond in a socially desirable manner when taking tests, but this was not the case for him.