Nearly a decade ago, the Gallup organization unveiled the results of a 30-year research project on the topic of strengths. Gallup conducted millions of psychological interviews and identified 34 themes of talent that are indicative of success. Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and helped millions discover their top five talents. In StrengthsFinder 2.0 Gallup unveiled the new and improved version of its assessment. More than 3 million people have taken the StrengthsFinder.

This learning module will give participants the opportunity to discover your greatest talents from your top five themes. You will learn how to develop your talents into strengths in addition to developing the strengths' themes of the people you manage. You will also gain access to action items specific to those top themes.

This new tool assesses managers' opinions about their leadership development needs. Team members assess the relative importance of 20 leadership competencies for success now and in the future. They also assess the ability of their peer group to perform these competencies. By identifying any gap between today's skills and those required for future success, companies will have the information needed to begin making plans for a strategic leadership development initiative. The survey offers a detailed report of key findings for your company. This information is then used to establish a data-based strategic plan for developing the leadership skills needed for future success.

The Leadership Gap Indicator was designed at the Center for Creative Leadership as part of a major research initiative intended to explore the concern that essential leadership skills are lacking in the business world. The study was conducted between 2006 and 2008, and surveyed 2,670 managers from 15 organizations in 3 countries. The results of the study indicate that crucial leadership skills are insufficient for meeting current and future needs in companies. The Leadership Gap Indicator is customizable and Web-enabled. Outcomes include:

1. Discovering the specific leadership skills essential to the success of your organization
2. Identifying the strengths of skills and perspectives among current leaders
3. Recognizing the gaps that need to be addressed
4. Understanding factors that impede success and derail careers
5. Areas to consider for individual developmental planning

This assessment can be customized to address the specific leadership challenges in your company. You may choose from any of the CCL's 94 research-grounded competencies and 5 derailment factors to configure a 360 By Design feedback tool that reflects your company's competencies and development needs. The assessment is an online tool that leads to individualized feedback as well as development planning for specific skills essential to your company's success. Competencies are categorized in the following areas: Leading Others, Leading the Organization, Leading Yourself, and Global Competencies.

Implementation of the 360 By Design includes the process for assessment, feedback delivery, and development planning. Group profiles are also an option for team development. Comprehensive feedback reports are provided to the Leadership Development Group facilitator as well as to each participant. The feedback process uses the 360 By Design Development Planning Guide to create targeted development plans.

The Leadership Forecast Series addresses Potential, Challenge, and Values. Each assessment report includes developmental recommendations to consider for coaching focus areas.