A Free New Manager Inventory (NMI) Test

The NMI is designed to estimate organizational leadership aptitude in adults.

The goal is to identify strengths and areas for potential development. It focuses more on leadership emergence than effectiveness. This should only take about 5 minutes.

Directions: NMI results depend on the responder’s experience in observing the subject in a organizational settings. There are 30, multiple-choice questions. Answer all questions to submit the survey. Please answer the final questions too. If you encounter technical problems taking the NMI, please Contact Us.

There are no right or wrong, good or bad answers. Mark the response that seems to best reflect how you have observed the subject. First responses are usually best. If you do not feel you can adequately answer a question, mark “Unsure.” This form is secure.

There are a few open-ended questions at the end of this form. You only need to answer these if it is part of a training program application.

Please start the NMI Survey

Recipient’s E-mail Address (If you want results sent to another person.):

Responder's Name (person completing this form):

Responder's Email Address (person submitting this form):

Subject’s First Name:

Subject’s Last Name:

Gender:

MaleFemale

City:

State/Province:

Country :

Name of organization (if needed):

RESPONDER QUESTIONS

1. In what type(s) of settings have you observed this person?

Informal settingsWorkAthleticsVolunteerismOther (explain)

2. In what role have you primarily been when you’ve observed the person?

SupervisorPeerTeam MemberOther (explain)

3. How often have you observed the person in social/organizational settings?

1-2 times3-4 times5-10 timesMore than 10 times

4. Typically how long have you observed the person in each of these settings?

1-59 minutes1-2 hours3-6 hoursMore than 6 hours

5. How would you describe organizational structure (authority level) during these times?

low control/informalmedium control/semi-formalhigh control/formal

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. This person is good at persuading others to see this person's way.

Frequently persuades othersCommonly persuades othersSometimes is persuaded; sometimes persuades othersUsually more persuaded by othersNearly always persuaded by othersUnsure

2. This person tends to be task-oriented (i.e. self-motivated, goal-driven).

Very littleLittleSomeOftenVery oftenUnsure

3. This person can be quite opinionated and strong-willed.

Is very opinionatedOffers unsolicited opinionsOccasionally offers opinionsHas opinions when askedRarely has opinions when askedUnsure

4. This person sticks to his/her ideas, even when others deviate or disagree.

Not at allUsually notSometimesUsuallyNearly alwaysUnsure

5. This person directly supervises:

No one else1-5 people6-10 people11-20 peopleMore than 20 peopleUnsure

6. Peers seek this person to organize them, as in informal activities, meetings, group projects, or business situations.

Not observableRarelySometimesQuite a bitFrequentlyUnsure

7. This person is comfortable taking charge in social settings.

Very little; comfortable socializing in generalA little; comfortable socializing with those youngerSome; comfortable socializing with peersQuite a bit; comfortable socializing with those older or more influentialA lot; comfortable socializing and organizing regardless of age/statusUnsure

8. This person demonstrates ambition / vision.

No recognizable goalsFew clear goalsSome identified goalsNearly always has clear goalsFrequently communicates grand visions for the futureUnsure

9. This person is willing to take risks, trying new things.

Avoids risk-taking / seems fearfulOnly takes very safe risksTakes moderate risks if encouraged by trusted othersOverly courageous / needs to be subdued, dissuaded at timesPushes the boundaries and takes sensible risksUnsure

10. If the leader of a group you belong to left, how confident would you feel in following this person until a new leader was found?

Not likelyPerhapsFor a short timeYesConfidently yesUnsure

11. How does this person negotiate options and build consensus?

Negotiates and gains strong consensusNegotiates and gains mild consensusNegotiates, then compromisesObjects, then gives inIs compliant / coalescesUnsure

12. This person exudes confidence in pressured situations.

Confidence is high, but generally realisticOverly confidentConfidence is moderateConfidence is lowLacks confidence / feels great stressUnsure

13. When this person interrupts a conversation...

Others tend to ignore / continue with the conversationOthers acknowledge, but continue with conversationOthers include the person in their conversationOthers 'give the floor' and listenOthers abruptly stop their talk and let the person set the agendaUnsure

14. Decisiveness.

Decision-making seems painful / prefers to defer to othersIndecisive / takes a long time to decide / may procrastinateDecides quickly / may waffle afterwardDecides well for the most part / others take noteGathers info & input, then decides with confidence / others followUnsure

15. The person establishes direction with peers and others, giving them instructions and/or specific roles to fulfill.

FrequentlyQuite a bitSomeVery littleNeverUnsure

16. This person initiates supervision in social settings.

'Runs' from being in chargeGraciously avoids leadingSteps up only after being askedSteps up confidently when neededOther leaders willingly follow this personUnsure

17. This person is optimistic and remains positive during challenging situations.

Determined and hopeful even when challengedPositiveEven-temperedWorrisome if challenged with new, large tasksPessimistic / tends to see the downside of situationsUnsure

18. If playing “follow the leader” as an adult:

Leaders willingly follow this personFollowers gladly follow this personFollowers tentatively follow this personFollows other leadersFollows fellow followersUnsure

19. This person exudes a can-do spirit and perseveres.

Resists new challenges / verbalizes reasons to give up before startSeems to quietly feel self-doubts / procrastinatesAttempts new challenges, but tends to give up when faces difficultiesDoesn’t quit easily / perseveresPerseveres doggedly and inspires others to do the sameUnsure

20. How independent does this person seem to be?

IndependentMildly independentVery independentDependentVery dependentUnsure

21. This person challenges rules that don’t seem to make sense; addresses unfairness.

Rarely challenges / very compliantComplains, but complies after resistingWill verbalize disagreement and/or be passive-aggressiveOften goes against rules that do not make sensePushes against rules that do not make sense and seeks to change themUnsure

22. This person is not afraid of healthy conflict, confronting a person/situation.

Seems to want peace at all costs / to suffer injusticeTends to want peace and avoids most conflictsIs willing to confront, but backs down with minor conflictWilling to initiate confrontation and respond to injustice personallyWilling to confront a situation and unifies others to do the sameUnsure

23. The person is competitive.

VeryModerate to highModerateSomeNot at allUnsure

24. The person demonstrates strategic problem-solving skills.

Seems 'stuck' without precise instructionsPrefers clear direction / tends to complain without itSome / average/modest levelGood problem-solver; creativeFrequently demonstrates quality problem-solving thinkingUnsure

25. This person has been accused of being “bossy".

Not at allRarelySometimesCertainlyMost certainlyUnsure

26. This person initiates new projects that include others; comes up with new ways of doing things.

Avoids initiating new ideas / seems fearfulOnly takes low to moderate risks/new projects if cajoled by others/works aloneInitiates moderate innovation, sometimes followed by a fewInitiates reckless behavior that others sometimes participate in (may need to be subdued)Initiates boundary-pushing and takes sensible risks; others usually participateUnsure

27. This person inspires and encourages others to join the team and/or stay motivated toward the goal.

Clearly motivational; individuals and group respond to this personGenerally motivational; others seem to respondSome encouragement one-on-one; little group inspirationOccasional individual encouragement; no group responseDescribed behavior rarely if ever noticedUnsure

28. This person demonstrates an ability to think conceptually and tactically, breaking a goal into doable steps. For example, the person would seem comfortable organizing a team project.

Not at allRarelySometimesMost of the timeDefinitelyUnsure

Organizational leadership: The process of helping people accomplish together, what they would not or could not as individuals.

29. Based on the above definition of organizational leadership, how would you rate the observed behaviors of this person?

StrongQuite a bitSomeLittleVery littleUnsure

30. Think of other leaders you respect. How does this person compare?

Definitely doesYesSometimes doesNot muchCertainly notUnsure

OTHER QUESTIONS

Your answers are important to the candidate's consideration. Thank you!

Give an example of where you've seen this person lead a group of others?

What was the goal/project?

How did the person behave?

What went well and what did not?

Feel free to add any other comments about what you've observed regarding this person’s ability to manage others?