Executive Team Assessment
Assess the Executive Team and Clarify the Business & Organizational Priorities Ahead
Assess how strong the executive team is, how effectively it works together and how its members see the business, organization and priorities ahead.
A strong executive team is not simply a collection of strong executives.
Its effectiveness depends on whether the right capabilities are around the table, whether executives complement one another, whether they can work and decide effectively together, and whether they share a sufficiently clear view of the business and organization they are leading.
WINGMIND’s Executive Team Assessment combines these two perspectives.
We assess the executive team itself, and we use the team’s individual perspectives to understand what is working, what is not working and what the business and organization should prioritize next.
The result is an independent view of both the leadership team and the business priorities it needs to address.
When Executive Team Assessment Creates Value
The assessment is particularly useful when the business or leadership team is entering a new stage or when collective effectiveness becomes critical.
The company is becoming more complex and the leadership team must evolve with it.
A transformation, acquisition or new strategic direction requires stronger collective leadership.
A new CEO, new executives or a change in ownership requires the team and leadership model to be reassessed.
Execution is slowing, tensions are growing or the Board questions whether the team can deliver the next stage.
Two Complementary Perspectives
We assess both the executive team itself and how its members understand the business and organization.
How strong is the team, and how effectively does it operate as a collective?
Team Composition, Capabilities & Complementarity
Do we have the right people and capabilities around the table, and do the executives complement one another effectively?
Relationships & Collective Dynamics
How well do team members work together, challenge one another, manage tensions and maintain productive relationships?
Decision-Making & Collective Effectiveness
Can the team make decisions, create accountability and turn discussion into coordinated action?
What is working, what is not working in the business and organization, and what should the team’s priorities be?
Each member of the executive team completes the WINGMIND Business Scan, providing an individual perspective on three additional dimensions:
Strategic Clarity
How clear are the strategy, direction, priorities and critical choices?
Operational Effectiveness
What is helping or constraining execution, coordination and performance?
Culture & HR Readiness
How ready are the culture, management practices, talent and organization for what comes next?
From Individual Perspectives to a Shared Diagnosis
The Business Scan makes differences in perception visible before the team discusses them collectively.
Because each executive completes the Business Scan individually, we can compare how team members see the same business and organization.
This helps identify where perceptions converge, where they differ, what executives believe is working or not working, and whether they agree on the priorities ahead.
The objective is not to force consensus, but to create a clearer and more explicit shared diagnosis from which better decisions can be made.
The Questions the Assessment Should Answer
The objective is to understand both the strength of the leadership team and the priorities it needs to address.
- Do we have the right people and capabilities around the table?
- How well do executives complement one another?
- How effectively do they work, challenge and decide together?
- What is strengthening or limiting collective effectiveness?
- What does the team believe is working in the business and organization?
- What does it believe is not working?
- Where do executive perspectives converge or diverge?
- What should the team’s business and organizational priorities be?
Three Levels of Depth
The same core approach can be adapted depending on how deeply individual executives need to be assessed.
All team members complete the WINGMIND Business Scan and participate in individual interviews.
The focus is the executive team as a collective and its view of the business and organization.
The team assessment is complemented by deeper individual assessments of selected executives, such as the CEO, founders or other key leaders.
These executives also complete WISDOM Index and Hogan, with dedicated individual assessment during the interview.
Every member of the executive team receives the full individual assessment in addition to the collective Executive Team Assessment.
The result combines a team-level diagnosis with individual executive profiles.
How the Assessment Works
A focused process, typically completed within 2 to 3 weeks.
Clarify the business context, team configuration, sponsor expectations and the questions the assessment needs to answer.
Each executive completes the WINGMIND Business Scan. Where individual deep dives are included, selected or all executives also complete WISDOM Index and Hogan.
Individual interviews deepen the Business Scan findings, assess the team and, where relevant, include a dedicated individual executive assessment.
Integrate the findings into an Executive Team Assessment Report, define recommendations and priorities, and discuss the conclusions with the sponsor and team as appropriate.
What You Receive
A clear and actionable assessment of the executive team and the priorities ahead.
An integrated view of the team’s composition, capabilities, complementarity, relationships and collective effectiveness.
A synthesis of what the team sees as working, not working and requiring attention across strategy, operations, culture and people.
Focused recommendations for strengthening the executive team and addressing the most important business and organizational priorities.
Where individual deep dives are included, the assessment also produces individual executive profiles covering strengths, risks and development priorities.
From Findings to Collective Action
The debrief is designed to turn the assessment into decisions and priorities rather than leave it as a report.
Findings are first discussed with the sponsor, typically the CEO, Board or investor, to clarify implications, sensitive issues and priorities.
Where appropriate, the conclusions are then shared with the executive team to create a common understanding and align on the priorities ahead.
The exact debrief format depends on who commissioned the work and the nature of the mandate.
From Assessment to Development
The assessment may end with the conclusions or become the starting point for targeted individual, collective and organizational work.
Support selected executives on the leadership priorities identified through the assessment.
Work on relationships, collective decisions, alignment and the team’s ability to operate effectively together.
Translate the Business Scan findings into focused work on the strategic, operational or organizational priorities identified by the assessment.
Executive Team Assessment in an Investment Context
For investors, the executive team is often central to execution of the investment thesis and value-creation plan.
For PE, Growth & VC investors, an Executive Team Assessment can clarify whether the leadership team has the capabilities and collective effectiveness required to deliver the next stage, while also revealing how the team diagnoses the business and organization itself.
Where the question extends beyond the executive team, the work can form part of a broader Human Due Diligence or Organizational Assessment.
Executive, Executive Team or Organizational Assessment?
The right scope depends on where the leadership and organizational question sits.
The question concerns one leader.
How effective is this executive, how well do they fit the role and how do they need to evolve?
The question concerns the executive team.
How strong is the team, how effectively does it operate and what does it identify as the priorities ahead?
The question extends to the wider organization.
What leadership and organizational factors are helping or constraining execution?
Relevant Experience
WINGMIND has worked with executive teams in growth, integration, transformation, underperformance and leadership-transition situations.
See examples of engagements involving executive-team effectiveness, leadership assessment and organizational decisions.
Why WINGMIND?
Executive team assessment connected to the business, not treated as an isolated HR exercise.
A private-equity-informed understanding of leadership teams, business priorities, governance and value creation.
Direct experience of building and leading a business, bringing a practical perspective to executive-team effectiveness.
100+ engagements across 10 countries combining leadership assessment, team development, organizational assessment and advisory.
Executive Team, Leadership Team or Management Team Assessment?
Different terms may describe closely related forms of collective leadership assessment.
Executive Team Assessment, Leadership Team Assessment, Management Team Assessment and Executive Team Review can refer to related approaches.
WINGMIND uses Executive Team Assessment as the broader term and adapts the scope and level of depth to the team, business situation and decisions that need to be made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key questions about Executive Team Assessment.
What does an Executive Team Assessment examine?
The assessment combines two perspectives. It evaluates the executive team itself, including composition, capabilities, complementarity, relationships and collective effectiveness. It also uses the WINGMIND Business Scan to understand how team members see the business and organization, what they believe is working or not working and what the priorities should be.
Does every executive complete the Business Scan?
Yes. Each member of the executive team completes the WINGMIND Business Scan before the interviews. This makes it possible to compare individual perspectives and identify areas of alignment, divergence and priority.
Does every executive receive an individual assessment?
Not necessarily. The Executive Team Assessment can be conducted without full individual assessments. Depending on the mandate, deeper individual assessments can be added for selected executives or for every member of the executive team.
What is included in an individual deep dive?
Where an individual deep dive is required, the executive completes WINGMIND’s WISDOM Index and Hogan assessments in addition to the Business Scan. The interview then includes a dedicated individual assessment component, leading to an individual executive profile.
What does the Executive Team Assessment Report contain?
The report provides an integrated view of the executive team, its strengths and risks, the team’s perspective on the business and organization, the main areas of alignment or divergence and focused recommendations and priorities. Individual executive profiles are added where individual deep dives have been conducted.
Who receives the debrief?
The format depends on the mandate. Findings are typically discussed first with the sponsor, which may be the CEO, Board or investor, and can then be translated into a collective debrief with the executive team.
How long does an Executive Team Assessment take?
Most Executive Team Assessments are completed within two to three weeks. The exact timing depends on the number of executives and the level of individual assessment included.
Can WINGMIND support the team after the assessment?
Yes. Depending on the conclusions, follow-up can include individual executive coaching, Executive Team Coaching, work on team dynamics or support around the strategic, operational and organizational priorities identified through the assessment.
Related Approaches
The appropriate intervention depends on whether the question concerns one executive, the leadership team or the wider organization.
Discuss Your Executive Team
Are you preparing for growth, transformation, a leadership transition or a critical decision concerning the executive team?
Email: contact@wingmind.co
LinkedIn: David Chouraqui
Book a meeting: Schedule a confidential conversation
Founded by David Chouraqui, former private equity investor, entrepreneur and Executive Coach, WINGMIND helps investors, Boards and CEOs assess and strengthen executive teams and clarify the leadership, business and organizational priorities required for the next stage.