This new tool is designed to help organizations build stronger, more effective leaders by giving them a clear, evidence-based understanding of their capabilities.

In today's fast-paced and complex work environments, the demand for resilient and capable leaders has never been greater. The MSA is specifically designed to address this need by helping managers identify their strengths and development areas, as identified in Mind Tools' research report, Building Better Managers. This allows organizations to align their learning and development initiatives with strategic goals, ensuring that their leadership talent pipeline is equipped to handle both current and future challenges.

Shabnam Shahani, CEO at Mind Tools, emphasized the importance of this new tool. "We know that leadership is a critical factor in the success of any business. Our own research has also highlighted that many managers struggle to properly identify their strengths and weaknesses, which therefore makes it challenging for them to close their capability gaps and demonstrate progress in their skills development. 

"Our Manager Skills Assessment provides a clear, evidence-based diagnosis of managerial capabilities and helps organizations develop leaders who can rise to meet the complexities of today's workplace."

The MSA stands out in the market due to its rigorous research foundation and comprehensive approach. Some of the key features include

• Empowering managers - The MSA equips managers with insights into their own capabilities, helping them build the skills needed to succeed in their roles.
• Driving organizational success - By delivering a holistic view of management capabilities, the MSA enables organizations to target leadership development more effectively and strategically.
• Built on proven research - Developed through an extensive literature review and data from a large-scale survey of over 2,000 managers, the MSA is grounded in robust, evidence-based insights.

The MSA focuses on twelve critical skills identified through scientific research, grouped into four key areas: emotional intelligence, motivating people, developing people, and setting expectations.

These skills are proven to impact

• people outcomes - higher engagement, improved well-being, and increased innovation
• manager outcomes - enhanced decision making, adaptability, and performance
• business outcomes - greater profitability, customer satisfaction, and retention

Mind Tools' MSA is not just grounded in theory, but has been validated by real-world data. The assessment framework was developed through an extensive review of scientific literature and validated by data from a comprehensive survey conducted in partnership with YouGov. This research highlights the growing challenge managers face in balancing technical expertise with people-management skills, emphasizing the need for tools like the MSA to support their growth.

For organizations that are committed to fostering resilient, future-ready managers, the MSA offers a valuable solution. The tool supports not only skills assessment but also continuous learning, personalized development strategies, and powerful analytics to track progress.

As Owen Ferguson, Chief Product Officer at Mind Tools, concludes, "Our Manager Skills Assessment is not just another product. It's a transformative tool designed to elevate managers across all levels of an organization."