Are you ready to let go of the detail and step from senior management into strategic leadership?

Answer 15 questions and I’ll send you a personalised report

This assessment will help you to measure and improve three things:

how confidently you’re already operating at Grade 9 level so you can stop second-guessing and start leading with intent.
your visibility and influence beyond your immediate role, the kind of leadership that gets noticed and trusted at the next grade.
your ability to act strategically and take ownership, even in uncertain, high-stakes, or politically sensitive situations.

*Note on Grade Levels: Grade titles vary between institutions (some use Grade 8/9, others use Grade G/H, or UE08/UE09). What matters is the role level: if you're currently a senior manager or head of function looking to move into institutional Head of Service or Associate Director roles, this assessment is designed for you.

You're a Grade 8/Senior Manager. You manage your team(s) well. You deliver excellent work. Your stakeholders trust you.

But here's the question that keeps nagging: Am I actually ready for Grade 9/Leadership level roles?

Maybe you're thinking about applying for roles. Maybe you're already acting up. Maybe you're just trying to understand what "strategic leadership" actually means when everyone keeps telling you that you need to demonstrate it.

The problem is: you can't see what you can't see.

What This Scorecard Does

This isn't a personality test. It's not going to tell you your leadership style or which Harry Potter house you belong to.

This scorecard maps your current readiness against the Hidden Curriculum for the Grade 8/senior management to Grade 9/leadership transition: the unwritten expectations that determine who gets promoted and who stays stuck. The language used here is drawn from a meta analysis of job descriptions at this level across the sector to show what senior leaders and recruitment panels are actually looking for when they recruit to roles at this level.

It assesses you across 15 competency domains. Including:

Accountability
Communication
Strategic awareness
People leadership
Influencing without authority
Working through ambiguity
And 9 others that matter at this level

You'll get:

A readiness indication showing where you currently stand
Insight into your strengths and development areas based on what you're doing consistently, not how confident you feel
Clearer insight into what "strategic leadership" actually means at this level
Recommended next steps based on your results

Who This Is For

Take this scorecard if you're a Grade 8/senior managers who:

Wants honest feedback about your readiness for Leadership roles (not just reassurance or "more of the same please" types of feedback)
Is tired of hearing "not quite ready" without understanding why
Needs to know what to work on rather than guessing
Wants to understand the Hidden Curriculum before you apply

Who This Isn't For

Don't take this if you:

Just want someone to tell you you're brilliant (you probably are, but that's not what this measures)
Aren't willing to see your development areas clearly
Are looking for a quick fix or hack

What Happens Next

The scorecard takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Be honest with your answers. This is for you, not for anyone else. The more honest you are, the more useful your results will be.

After you complete it, you'll get immediate results with specific recommendations based on your readiness level. No waiting, no sales call required.