The Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire II®

For over 15 years, in its print-based form, The Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire (LLQ) has set the standards for leadership assessment tools of all kinds. If you are looking for a knowledge-based assessment that will reliably measure what your leaders know - not what they think they know - then the Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire (LLQ) is for you. This Reliable (.9706) and Valid (figures as high as .8909) assessment tool covers a total of 27 different leadership skill areas.

The LLQ is the only knowledge-based instrument that uses multiple-choice questions based on actual job behaviors. Using realistic situations, the LLQ measures the present knowledge of your supervisors and managers. Individual results show the manager’s overall proficiency and are normed against a national database to indicate how the individual compares to the tens of thousands of mangers tested.  As a result, individual and group development plans can be created and implemented with confidence.

Tasks Measured by the LLQ Assessment
The Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire measures the knowledge of an individual's performance in 27 different dimensions (leadership tasks) as follows: 

"So, How is The Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire Different?"      Clients ask this question: "Surveys or tests, what's the difference? Since the price of both is about the same, why should I use a test like the Leatherman Leadership Questionnaire (LLQ) that takes 3 to 4 hours to complete versus a survey that takes only about 30 minutes? After all, I want to know whether or not our managers and supervisors 'walk the talk' and do what they're supposed to do. A test only tells me if they know how to be an effective leader - it doesn't tell me if they actually do it!" The LLQ is a knowledge-based assessment tool. Thus, it is quite different from a "perception"-based survey - often called a "360° instrument." A perception instrument is one in which leaders' abilities are rated according to either their own judgment or that of their bosses, peers, or subordinates.

In contrast, the LLQ knowledge-based test is simply that - a valid and reliable test that measures what someone really knows about leadership. Using a multiple-choice question format, the LLQ provides sub-scores in 27 major leadership skill areas. 

This detailed profile allows the LLQ administrator to determine the organization's actual needs, and to provide the individuals completing the instrument with specific career development "prescriptions" based on objective information of strengths and areas of needed improvement.

The following are reasons why you should seriously consider using a test like the LLQ, rather than only a survey, to measure leadership knowledge. 

1.  Some organizations don't know what they don't know! If the entire organization doesn't know that it lacks knowledge of certain leadership skills, then how are they going to rate each other on their performance? Many survey instruments provide employees, supervisors, or managers with a list of broad leadership categories, and then ask them to rate each other on each category using some sort of subjective scale. Since nobody knows that they don't know, the tendency is to rate everyone "high," when in fact they probably should have been rated "low." An effective test will not only measure individuals against their peers, it will also measure their organization against other organizations. 

2.  A test measures knowledge. A survey doesn't. If an organization is trying to determine its training needs, then a test should be used. A test identifies what people don't know. And good training teaches people what they don't know. A survey instrument is a way of reporting what leaders do. And if they are not doing what they're supposed to do, it is sometimes impossible to tell if it's because they don't know how, or they do know how but can't for some other reason. 

3.  Survey instruments don't reveal if lack of knowledge is the cause of inappropriate leadership behavior. Tests do! A good test will tell if the leaders know what to do. That's the first step. Then, a survey can be used to help determine why they are not doing what should be done, even though they know what to do. 

4.  Raters may lack knowledge of the leader's behaviors. Much of what a leader does is not visible to his or her non-supervisory subordinates. If the employee does not see or is not aware of what his or her leader does, it is very difficult to rate the leader's performance in these areas. For example, preparation is a key skill in almost all leader/employee interactions, and good leaders spend a great deal of time preparing for key meetings with subordinates. But "preparation" is not something that employees see. A good test, however, will measure the leader's knowledge of appropriate preparation.  Second, the leader's manager often does not see what his or her leaders do in private. For example, the leader's manager does not usually see the leader conduct performance appraisals, take disciplinary action, conduct selection interviews, or provide positive feedback to an employee. If the leader's manager doesn't see what the leader does, it is very difficult for him or her to provide accurate ratings. But a test like the LLQ will measure all these tasks and many more. 

5.  Subordinates may be happy with the way things are and not want their boss to practice good leadership in certain areas. For example, they may like a leader who doesn't know how to invoke consequences when needed (called "Taking Disciplinary Action"). Or maybe the subordinates like the fact that the boss conducts a three-minute performance appraisal interview in a local bar. In situations like these, subordinates may rate their leaders "high" when in fact they are not.  In addition, the leader who is being rated may be outstanding, but if recent negative events have occurred that lower the morale of the section, department, or organization, then the ratings in all categories may be considerably lower than the leader's actual performance. 

6.  The majority of survey type instruments on the market today, with the exception of the LLQ survey, provide measures in only a limited number of leadership dimensions or tasks. Thus, they do not provide sufficient information when used for needs assessment or career development. Contrast this with the LLQ, which measures 27 dimensions, provides a total score, and then compares each score with all other organizations that have used this test. This will allow you to not only measure individuals against their peers in your organization, but also to "benchmark" your organization against other organizations. 

In summary, if you want to measure the results of your training efforts, use the LLQ. If you want accurate results to assist in making selection decisions, use a test like the LLQ. If you are going to use the results to determine an individual's training needs, use a test like the LLQ. And if you need to determine a group's training needs, use a test like the LLQ.  In addition, it makes it easy to determine if problems are due to lack of leadership knowledge or to environmental issues. Use of the LLQ will provide a wealth of diagnostic information.

LLQ Selects (Customizing the LLQ)  

Many of our clients want to use the LLQ but don't want to test in all 27 leadership task areas.  We have designed shorter versions of the LLQ, selecting the most critical task areas for some of these most common needs. If you want to assess your pre-supervisors or front-line supervisors, you can choose the LLQ Front-line Supervisor Select. For your middle management, you can choose the LLQ Middle Management Select. 

Six Great Applications for the LLQ
“How can you know where you should go if you don’t know where you started from?”  The LLQ provides information that is useful 1) in measuring training results; 2) for the self-development of leaders; 3) as an organizational needs assessment tool; 4) as a communications device for career counseling interviews; 5) for pre/post-assessment center evaluations; and 6) as a source of additional data for selections and promotions. 

Measuring Training Effectiveness   Using a survey to measure training effectiveness is a serious problem because events other than the training conducted can have serious impact on the survey results. Typically, a survey is conducted to determine the needs of the future participants, the training is then conducted, and finally the survey is administered again to see if there are measurable results. This type of analysis is time sensitive, that is, many things can (and do) happen between the time of the initial survey and when the survey is conducted again. Downsizing, resultant lower morale, economic conditions, changes in management or organization, union activity - the list is endless, and they all have high impact on the attempt to measure the results of training. Because of the fluctuations that can occur in organizations, it is next to impossible to establish a base-line and use it to validate future training efforts. 

The LLQ, however, measures knowledge, which is less sensitive to the variations that impact the other ways of determining if the training really worked. Using the LLQ to directly measure knowledge before training, and then to measure knowledge gained as a result of the training is an excellent way of determining the effectiveness of an organization's training programs.  

Self-Development  Individuals who complete the LLQ become highly motivated to do something about areas where they see they have needs. They more readily sign up for workshops and seminars that present information on their areas of need. They read books. They will talk to peers and their manager to learn more about areas where they have needs. In short, they take responsibility for their own learning. 

Needs Assessment  The LLQ is a powerful way to diagnose the needs of the organization, departments or sections within the organization, and the individuals themselves. It will provide data that indicates whether or not individuals know how to be effective leaders and which specific leadership tasks need additional improvement. This information can be used by Human Resource Departments to target training needs and to implement interventions that support effective leadership. When used as a pre- and post-test, the LLQ will enable Human Resource Departments to determine the effects of corrective actions. 

Career Counseling  This assessment tool is useful in providing individuals with information that is helpful in personal career development planning. The feedback received can be used to make informed decisions about additional educational and training needs. Often, neither the leader nor his or her boss have enough specific information to adequately participate together in a career counseling interview. A key advantage of the LLQ is that it gives the person who was surveyed, and his or her boss, specific topics to talk about and take action on. 

Pre/Post-Assessment for Assessment Centers  The LLQ is an excellent tool to use 1) in conjunction with assessment centers to provide more specific evaluation and feedback on the leadership components of a leader's job, and 2) profitably as a prescreening device. 

Evaluation and feedback The LLQ is normally administered to the assessment center candidates prior to the candidates attending the center, and the data are then made available to the assessors to use in the one-on-one development interviews at the conclusion of the assessment process. Assessment center results are normally reported in general rather than specific terms and therefore are not as useful as the LLQ in providing feedback to the participants. The assessment center results are usually restricted to 10 or fewer categories while the LLQ can give accurate feedback on 27 areas. Therefore, some organizations see the LLQ as a valuable addition to their regular assessment center process. 

Prescreening  Assessment centers, though proven valid and reliable, involve two major problems. First, typical costs are in the $1,000 to $2,000 range per assessed participants. And second, the assessment is normally done with groups of only 10 to 12 participants. Thus, significant dollar savings can be realized by using the LLQ to prescreen assessment center applicants. 

Selection and Promotion   The LLQ must never be used as the only measure in the selection of an individual for promotion. Yes, the data provided are in fact useful, but because instruments such as the LLQ are made by people to measure people, they are subject to large measurement errors and must be used with caution. Therefore, if you are using this instrument for selection and/or promotional decisions, it is important for you to carefully evaluate other sources of information as well, such as past performance appraisals, management interviews, personnel records, the LLQ 360 survey, and so forth. These various sources, combined with LLQ results, will provide you with more data for your decision and a more accurate picture of your candidates than any single assessment tool.

The Bottom Line:  The LLQ can enhance the selection and promotion processes by providing leadership information on candidates. But be aware that it only provides information about leadership behaviors, not other important facets of the job such as budgeting, work habits, loyalty, motivation, and so forth.

Administering the LLQ – Paper-and-Pencil or Web-Based Formats

Paper-and-Pencil Format   The LLQ is very easy to facilitate in its paper-and-pencil format.  The participants simply read multiple-choice questions from the questionnaire booklets and then mark their responses on the separate answer sheet. 

Because the LLQ has 339 multiple-choice questions that measure the 27 different areas of leadership, it generally takes about 3 to 5 hours to complete. Our clients find that this time investment pinpoints their participants' real training needs and results in a more effective use of future training time. 

The completed answer sheets are returned the LLQ’s developer for scoring, with the results returned to you in about ten days. In fact, if you request, we can provide same-day scoring service and return the results to you by overnight express or fax. By scoring the instrument at the instrument’s developer, test security and resultant validity are maintained. 

Administering the Web-based LLQ  If you choose to deliver the LLQ via the Internet, you receive the LLQ Administration Kit just as you do with the print-based LLQ assessment. Not only does this enable you to present the test and the results clearly to the participants, it also allows you the flexibility to administer both the print-based LLQ and the Web-based LLQ to your group as appropriate. 

As a registered user of the Web-based LLQ, your organization receives a unique "Organization Name" and "User ID." All of your participants enter the web site initially under your organization's name and id. Next, each participant provides his or her own unique information. This allows the individuals to take the assessment, completing it in one sitting or using their own unique information to log in later and continue the assessment where they left off, using the Web-based LLQ's full bookmarking capabilities. 

As the administrator of your organization's LLQ, you receive a unique "Administration ID" and "Password." This allows you to log in to each LLQ version that your organization is using and to monitor different locations and divisions of your organization who are using the LLQ. This also gives you the ability to manage the participants' assessment data and to transmit the completed data to LLQ’s developer for scoring. In this Administration area, you can also view a list of all participants and see whether or not they have completed the LLQ, and whether or not their data has been transmitted to LLQ’S Developer  for scoring. Example: 

Once you transmit your LLQ data file to LLQ’s developer for scoring, the results will be returned to you within a week. In fact, if you request, we can provide same-day scoring service and return the results to you by overnight express or fax. By scoring the instrument at LLQ’s developer, test security and resultant validity is maintained. 

Because the LLQ has 339 multiple-choice questions that are needed to measure the 27 different areas of leadership, it generally takes about 3 to 5 hours to complete. The LLQ Selects generally take 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to complete. Our clients find that this time investment pinpoints their participant's real training needs and results in a more effective use of future training time. 

The LLQ Pricing 

The LLQ is available through Boyer Management Group in several configurations to meet your needs.  We will provide you with an Administrator’s Kit and materials to test ten participants. Pricing for Web-based delivery is the same. Additional participant answer sheets and scoring services are available.

Optional Services from BMG

So what do you do with the results of the LLQ?  Let Boyer Management Group help you to integrate your employee development programs in light of the results that the LLQ has provided.  We can assist you with:

q           Individualized and team employee development programs

q           One-on-one coaching

q           Management and leadership training

q           Leadership workshops

q           Integration of LLQ into your performance management program

For more information about the LLQ or other World-Class Business Tools, please contact Hank Boyer of Boyer Management Group:

(215) 942-0982      Email:  hank@boyermanagement.com