Your future leaders are already here — behavioral assessments help you see them
Employee development has become one of today’s most powerful competitive advantages when done intentionally. Think of it as a growth lever in your organization. But here’s the catch: how do you know who’s ready to rise? They don’t always wave their hands in the air or volunteer for the next big assignment.
That’s where behavioral assessments come in. They give leaders a clearer picture of what you can’t see on a resume or performance review. Things like: how people think, react, communicate, and make decisions. When you understand that, you unlock a whole new level of employee development.
Spot your next generation of leaders before they raise their hand
Before you can build an effective development strategy, you need to better understand who your employees are as individuals — and who is ready for real growth. Behavioral assessments cut through that noise. They help you spot employees who naturally show the traits that fuel long-term success, like:
- Adaptability: People who stay ready when priorities shift.
- Emotional intelligence (EQ): Critical for anyone managing teams, navigating conflict, or building relationships. AKA the glue that holds teams together.
- Creative problem solving: Your future strategists, innovators, and operational drivers. The ones who don’t just fix issues but prevent them.
- Collaboration and influence: Employees who make everyone around them better.
Once you know what you’re looking for (and who already has it), everything becomes clearer — and your employee development strategy becomes stronger.
Personalized development: because one-size-fits-none
Once you’ve identified promising employees, the real question becomes: How do you help them grow in a way that works for them? Some need structure. Some need space. Some need confidence. Others need a nudge.
Behavioral assessments shine here again because they also uncover the how. How your people think, communicate, make decisions, and respond under pressure so you can tailor development in a way that actually sticks.
Tailoring employee growth plans to the individual
With behavioral assessment insights in hand, you’re ready to build a personalized employee development plan. This is best illustrated with a practical example.
Do you have:
Someone with high leadership potential but lower EQ? They’ll thrive with coaching around empathy, self-awareness, and conflict navigation.
Or, is your employee:
A brilliant analyst who keeps to themselves? Team-based projects, mentoring, and communication coaching can nudge their collaboration skills in the right direction, preparing them to step into bigger roles.
Here’s your takeaway: It’s not about reinventing who your employees are. It’s about knowing who they are so you can give them the right tools to grow into who they can become.
Learn more: Why Great Managers Never Skip Coaching Conversations
Focus on growing employee strengths
Let’s be honest: Nobody gets excited about an employee development plan focused on their shortcomings. Research and decades of real-world experience tell us that people grow faster and stay more engaged when their strengths serve as a foundation. Let’s discuss a more effective employee development approach:
If someone is naturally great at building relationships, don’t bog them down with tasks that bury that talent. Give them opportunities to mentor, manage partnerships, or lead cross-functional work.
When development aligns with who employees already are, they move faster and stay longer. To do that, you need to match the right people with the right employee development, starting with a behavioral assessment.
Let’s revisit our practical example from earlier. Do you have someone who is:
A strong problem solver who has never led people? Leadership and decision-making training is the right next step for them.
Or are they:
An empathetic employee who avoids tough decisions? Strategy workshops, confidence-building programs, and real-world leadership exposure will help them grow.
Growth isn’t static — so your development plans shouldn’t be either
People evolve. Roles evolve. Companies evolve.
Revisiting behavioral assessments as employees grow lets you adjust development plans before they stagnate — or worse, disengage.
Picture this:
An employee who once struggled with communication now nails presentations. Instead of keeping them in “communication improvement mode,” you shift them from strategic thinking or change management.
That’s because you used behavioral assessment insights to tailor an employee development plan that’s personalized to who your employees are, what motivates them, and where their strengths lie.
That’s how you build momentum.
The bottom line:
Behavioral assessments make development more human and more effective
When you develop employees based on who they really are, not who you assume them to be, everything changes:
- Engagement rises
- Retention stabilizes
- Leadership pipelines strengthen
- Development dollars actually pay off
Ready to Turn Everyday Employees Into High-Impact Leaders?
See how the Energage Behavioral Assessment will help you identify potential early, develop people smarter, and build stronger teams.
