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Welcome. Thanks for taking the first step in
participating in the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT) program.
This document contains questions and answers most frequently asked about
the LNAT and the assessment process. The questions are grouped into
three categories: Introduction, Process, and Results.
Listed below are answers to the questions most frequently asked. You
can view the answer to a specific question by clicking on the question.
Reading all the questions and answers will take about 15 minutes but
will give you a full understanding of the program.
The questions and answers refer to "participant" and "rater."
A "participant" is the person being rated using the LNAT process.
The "rater" is the person assessing the participant.
INTRODUCTION
What is a 360-degree assessment tool?
This tool is designed for Executives, Managers, and Supervisors. A 360
degree assessment takes its name from the 360 degrees in a circle. The
fundamental idea is to gather information about an individual from a
circle of people most familiar with the person seeking information so
that the individual sees himself or herself as others do. This circle
may include organization supervisors, peers, subordinates and even customers
and suppliers who come into contact with the individual so that the
individual gets a complete picture of how he or she applies leadership
skills in the various working relationships.
Why a 360-degree assessment?
Why not just have the supervisor of the employee rate the person's leadership
skills? The 360 degree assessment is usually considered to be more powerful
than an assessment restricted to the perceptions of an immediate supervisor.
The use of a 360 degree instrument can meld the input of a variety of
persons and help to overcome biases that may creep into a more traditional
assessment instrument, whether the biases are intentional or not. It
is important that you select raters that know you and interact with
you since you want an accurate and complete view of your leadership
behaviors.
What is a 270-degree assessment tool?
This tool is designed for non-supervisors.
The concept of a 270 degree assessment tool is the same as a 360 degree
assessment tool. In a 270 degree assessment tool, the participant has
one less category of raters. Non-supervisory employees don't have subordinate
raters.
Why is BLM involved in sponsoring an assessment
tool?
The BLM believes every employee should be a leader. In this way, the
organization can meet the demands it faces today and in the future.
BLM expects all employees to continually improve their leadership skills
throughout their careers. By assessing the degree to which each of us
possesses and practices leadership behaviors today, we are being provided
meaningful information for making informed developmental choices for
tomorrow.
How will BLM employees be able to assess their
leadership skills?
To assist employees in assessing their skills, the BLM has developed
a multi-rater (360 degree or 270 degree) assessment tool that will let
an employee see how others view his or her leadership competencies.
Each participant will do a self-assessment and will be rated by their
supervisor(s), peers and in the case of a 360 degree assessment, their
subordinates. All of these ratings will be consolidated into a Feedback
Report that the participant can use for analysis.
Which BLM employees will be assessed?
The assessment tool is available for any employee to assess his or her
leadership competencies. The BLM Executive Leadership Team (ELT) has
decided that all executives, managers, and supervisors are required
to complete this process as scheduled by their State/Center/WO management
team. Employees should contact their State/Center/WO LNAT coordinator
to participate in the program. Non-supervisory employees may elect to
participate in this program. There is no requirement and their participation
is optional.
Which assessment tool will BLM use?
The BLM will use an assessment tool tailored specifically for the BLM
use. It is the Leadership Needs Assessment Tool (LNAT). This tool was
developed by the National Training Center to meet the specific needs
of BLM. The LNAT focuses on activities conducted throughout BLM. It
measures the 27 leadership competencies identified by the Office of
Personnel Management as essential skills needed for executives to be
successful leaders.
What are the 27 Leadership Competencies
A competency is a set of related skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors
that are both observable and measurable. They correlate with performance
on the job and can be measured against well-accepted standards that
can be improved with training and development. BLM has chosen to use
the OPM's 27 leadership competencies. Click here to see a list of the
competencies and their definitions: Competencies
Why didn't BLM select a commercial assessment
tool?
Originally, it was thought that only an outside contractor could provide
sufficient confidentiality of the data being generated by the person
being rated and the raters. However, as the NTC learned more about the
capabilities of Lotus Notes, they realized that absolute confidentiality
could be maintained through the use of Lotus Notes.
Once the person being rated enters his or her
name into the LNAT, only that person can access their documents. No
other person in your office can read these documents.
Is everyone responsible for attaining all
the competencies?
BLM believes that all 27 competencies are important for all employees
and the organization to be successful. The level of competency that
you need to achieve will vary depending on your job. Rating yourself
against all the competencies will help you identify skills that you
may want to build upon for your current job and for future positions.
What happened to the Leadership Effectiveness
Inventory (LEI)?
The Leadership Effectiveness Inventory (LEI) was a commercial 360 degree
assessment tool developed by the Graduate School, USDA. BLM used this
tool at the beginning of this initiative but found that it did not meet
BLM’s needs. However, if you used the tool, the information is
still valid for you to target your development needs.
Who decides who will participate in this assessment?
BLM's Executive Leadership Team made the decision that this assessment
is mandatory for all executives, managers, and supervisors. There is
one exception: if the participant has submitted his or her retirement
papers and will be retiring within the next two months, the participant
is exempt from this assessment.
When an employee elects to participate in this program, the employee
should discuss their plans with their supervisor before requesting an
assessment tool. Completing the assessment tool will take each rater
approximately 30 minutes to read the material and complete the instrument.
An additional 15-20 minutes will be added to that total if the raters
also read this FAQ document. It is important that the employee’s
request does not interfere with the office’s workload.
Why am I being asked to rate someone?
You have been asked to rate an employee or supervisor that you know
and work with. He or she is looking for a candid view of their leadership
behaviors that they can use to determine their strengths and areas where
they might need improvement. The person you are rating thinks your observations
about his or her performance will be valuable in helping to identify
his or her leadership capabilities. The LNAT enables you to provide
data on your perception of the participant's current skill level.
What if I choose NOT to be a rater?
Supervisors may not opt out. As a supervisor, one of your responsibilities
is to provide feedback to subordinates for them to improve their skills
and abilities. As a peer, you are encouraged to participate because
it greatly assists the BLM in having its employees develop as leaders.
The time to rate a peer takes no more than 30 minutes. However, if you
are temporarily committed and cannot respond in a reasonable time, you
should notify the participant by selecting the appropriate button at
the end of the e-mail you receive asking you to complete the assessment.
Selecting this button will initiate an e-mail response to the participant
informing the participant that you will not be a rater. This will allow
the participant time to select another rater. Whenever possible, you
should try to work out the timing so that you can participate.
I am a new supervisor. When should I take
the LNAT?
It will be difficult for your raters to complete the instrument without
having worked with you for awhile. After starting a new job, you should
wait about six months before taking the LNAT. You should use the LNAT
feedback to focus your leadership skills development. You are required
to complete 80 hours of supervisory training in your first year as a
new supervisor. Your second 40 hours of new supervisor training should
concentrate on those skills highlighted for further development by your
LNAT results.
What if I'm an employee and choose NOT to
be a rater?
If you are an employee who has been asked to complete an instrument
as a peer or subordinate, completing the instrument is optional. However,
since the participant cannot receive a Feedback Report unless he or
she receives at least three completed instruments in each category of
peer and subordinate, you should ask the participant to select someone
else to be a rater.
Is the feedback provided used for performance
evaluations?
No. The LNAT is designed to measure leadership competencies and
the results will be used only for individual development. Your specific
results are confidential and not available to anybody else, not even
your supervisor.
Will people be assessed more than once?
Each State/Center/WO will determine a schedule for reassessment. It
is required that executives, managers and supervisors be reassessed
every 18 to 24 months so they can measure their growth. The same time
period for reassessment is recommended for non-supervisory employees.
PROCESS
What is the process for completing the LNAT?
Once you decide to take the LNAT, call your Training Officer or LNAT
coordinator at the State/Center/WO level. They will send you e-mail
with a link to the LNAT instrument attached. Once you have received
the e-mail, the process is as follows:
1. Read the material contained in the e-mail.
2. Create an Assessment Request.
3. Select your raters.
4. Complete your Self Assessment.
5. Remind your raters to complete the assessment on time.
6. After your raters have completed their assessments, Request your
Feedback Report.
7. Read and interpret your data.
8. Complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP).
9. Let your raters know what developmental activities you will be doing,
thanks to their feedback.
After I select my raters, how will they be
notified?
The LNAT process requires you to select your raters from a drop down
list linked to the Lotus Notes Address Book. Therefore, when you click
on a rater's name, that person will automatically be sent an email asking
that individual to rate you using the LNAT. The subject line of the
email says: "<Participant Name - the participant's name>
has requested that you complete an automated Leadership Needs Assessment
Tool.". The email contains all the information needed for the rater
to understand what to do, as well as a link to the LNAT instrument and
Frequently Asked Questions.
How do I access the LNAT to do my Self assessment?
Once you have selected your raters, you will receive
an email notifying you to do your self assessment. The subject line
of the email says: "This is your SELF-ASSESSMENT for the automated
Leadership Needs Assessment Tool.". The email contains all the
information needed to understand what to do, as well as a link to the
LNAT instrument and Frequently Asked Questions.
How long will the process take?
From start to finish, it should take about 8 weeks, but it all depends
on you and your raters. You need to identify your raters as soon as
you receive the e-mail containing the LNAT link. Your raters will have
30 days to complete the assessment. Once the assessments have been submitted,
you can request your Feedback Report. After reviewing your report, you
have 30 days to prepare a draft Individual Development Plan.
How long will it take a rater to fill out
this assessment tool?
Completing the assessment tool will take each rater approximately 30
minutes to read the material and complete the instrument. An additional
15-20 minutes will be added to that total if the raters also read this
FAQ document.
What happens if I have started an assessment
and can't finish it at that time?
You can click on the "Save as a Draft" action button and come
back and complete it at a later time.
Who will be providing ratings?
Executives, managers, and supervisors will be assessed by four categories
of raters: supervisor, peers, self, and subordinates. Non-supervisory
employees will be rated by three categories: supervisor, peers, and
self.
Can I include more than 1 supervisor?
There may be times where you have only one "supervisor of record",
yet you have a supervisory relationship with more than one person. Yes,
you can list more than one supervisor. Many field managers might want
to list the State Director and the Associate State Director as their
supervisors. In addition, some employees have a previous supervisor
whose feedback they value and want to include it in their LNAT. This
is permissible since the purpose of the process is to obtain the feedback
needed to guide the employee's leadership development.
How will I choose my raters?
The person being assessed will select the individuals he or she wants
in each category of rater: supervisor, peer and subordinate. These individuals
should be selected based on how familiar they are with the participant's
competencies. All subordinates should be asked to complete an instrument.
The peer rating group should contain at least three and not more than
five people in order to ensure valid results and protect anonymity.
Is there a minimum number of raters I need
to choose?
Yes. If you are an executive, manager, or supervisor, you must have
assessments from yourself, your supervisor, at least three peers, and
at least three subordinates. If you are a non-supervisory employee,
you must have assessments from yourself, your supervisor, and at least
three peers. Your Feedback Report cannot be generated if you do not
have these minimum numbers of assessments. These minimums assure anonymity
of the raters, and provide for a more accurate Feedback Report.
What happens if I don't have enough completed assessments?
The National Training Center will automatically extend your rating period
for another 30 days if you are missing any of the minimum number of
completed assessments by your raters. During this time period, you should
regularly check the LNAT to see if the minimum number of assessments
has been received. If necessary, you may want to add new raters.
What happens after the 30 day extension?
You will not receive a Feedback Report with the results of the assessment
if you are missing a completed self or supervisor assessment. If you
have less than three assessments in either the peer or subordinate groups,
you cannot receive a Feedback Report, as the anonymity of the raters
cannot be assured. Your state/center/WO LNAT Coordinator will receive
reports on a regular basis showing which of their organization's executives/managers/supervisors
have and have not completed their LNATs. This information can be used
to determine your compliance with LNAT requirements.
How does the LNAT know whom I have chosen
as my raters?
In the Assessment Request document, there is an area where you select
the raters. Using the name dialog box, you will simply click on the
rater’s name as it appears in the BLM Address Book (just like sending
an e-mail message).
How will I know when my raters have completed
their assessments?
When a rater submits an Assessment, it is stored in the LNAT Instrument
database. A scheduled agent running on the server will process these
submitted Assessment documents, and will update the appropriate Assessment
Status documents. You can review your Assessment Status document from
the Main Menu of the LNAT application. The Assessment Status document
displays the number of Assessments that have been submitted (by rater
type). The names of the raters are not displayed (this is to ensure
the rater’s confidentiality). The agent usually runs about every
2 hours.
How do I know if I am selected to be a rater?
You will receive an e-mail message from the person who has selected
you as a rater. This e-mail message will include a link to the directions,
Frequently Asked Questions, and the Assessment that you need to complete.
Simply click on the button at the end of the e-mail and follow the directions.
Completing the assessment will take approximately 45 minutes the first
time you complete an assessment tool (30 minutes to complete the instrument
and 15 minutes to read the background material). If someone else asks
you to complete an instrument for them, the completion time will only
be about 30 minutes since you will already be familiar with the format
and will not need to read the “Introduction” or the “Frequently
Asked Questions”. You can read the written material and leave the
LNAT at any time.
Once you begin rating an individual, you can
“Save As Draft” and return to the Assessment for that individual
at any time. Once you have completed your rating, you can “Submit”
the Assessment. After you have submitted the Assessment, you may no
longer edit it.
You may be asked to provide ratings for a number
of individuals. The LNAT has been designed to accommodate this. In the
LNAT Instrument, you will see a "Rate Others" link in the
navigation area on the left side of your screen. When you click on this
link, you will see a list of all the people that: 1) have asked you
to rate them; and 2) for whom you have NOT submitted an Assessment.
Clicking on one of these names will allow you to begin or continue an
Assessment for that person.
You will be asked to rate the participant on
all 27 Office of Personnel Management leadership competencies. If you
click on to the competency name, you will be provided with a definition
of that competency so that you may better understand how to rate the
participant. For each competency, there is a list of behaviors that
might be exhibited by the person you are rating. You should review these
behaviors to help you better understand how to rate the participant.
For each behavior, you can check that the person needs improvement,
or exceeds expectations. If for a particular behavior the person is
performing adequately (neither needs improvement nor exceeds expectations),
then you should leave the boxes blank. These suggestions will be combined
for each category of rater and given to the participant for aiding in
the creation of his or her Individual Development Plan.
The last box on the assessment tool asks for
your written comments. The comments from all the raters will be provided
verbatim (but anonymously) to the participants in the Feedback Report.
If you cannot complete the Assessment in one
session, you can select “Save As Draft”, and return to the
Assessment at any time. After completing the Assessment, simply press
“Submit Assessment”, and you are done.
You must submit the completed LNAT within
one month of receiving the e-mail in order to assure your data is
included in the participant’s Feedback Report. You will receive
automatic reminders from NTC if you have not completed the assessment.
As a rater, will the participant be able to
identify my input?
The participant will receive results from the supervisor, peers, self,
and subordinates. The participant will be able to identify the supervisor
and self input since there will be only one submission in each category
(unless the participant identifies more than one supervisory rater).
However, in the categories of peers and subordinates, scores will be
displayed without identity information. It is important for everyone
who receives an Assessment Request to fulfill his or her obligation
to complete it.
What if I don't answer all of the questions?
You may not be familiar with the type of work performed by the participant
as described in each competency. If not, simply mark the "N/O (Not
Observed)" selection on the instrument. The system will not allow
you to submit an Assessment until all questions have been answered.
As a rater, how will the participant know
if I have completed the rating?
The participant will have an Assessment Status document that they can
review. A scheduled agent will update this document about every two
hours. The Assessment Status document will state how many and which
type of rater have completed the assessment, but will not provide the
raters’ names.
What do I do if the e-mail with the link to
the assessment is deleted?
When you open the database, the system will know who you are and will
install a LNAT database icon on your Lotus Notes Desktop Workspace.
Therefore, loss of the e-mail is not a problem since you can go to your
Workspace and click on the LNAT database icon. However, if you cannot
find the LNAT database icon in your workspace (or have accidentally
deleted the database icon), call Lorraine Farley, the NTC LNAT Manager
at 602-906-5597, for instructions on how to open the database.
What is the responsibility of the State/Center/WO
in the process?
Each State/Center/WO Training Officer or LNAT Coordinator provides the
National Training Center with a plan to ensure that all their executives,
managers, and supervisors will complete the LNAT. They can also appoint
a local coordinator who is responsible for distributing the LNAT instrument
via e-mail.
Who should I call if I have a question?
When you are ready to participate in the LNAT and would like to receive
the instrument, you should call your State/Center/WO Training Officer
or the LNAT Coordinator.
If you have a question about the LNAT or the
process of completing the tool, you should call Lorraine Farley, the
National Training Center, LNAT Program Manager at 602-906-5597.
If you have a question about how to interpret
the data from your Feedback Report, you should call Steve Frohman at
Applied Synergistics (480-607-6850) to schedule a telephone session.
Steve is a private contractor. The contractor can answer questions about
the data you received and help you explore developmental opportunities.
RESULTS
What happens to my raters' input?
The final Feedback Report to the participant will provide data in four
categories: individual data, consolidated data from the supervisor(s),
consolidated data from peers, and consolidated data from subordinates.
Again, this means that data from subordinates and peers is totally confidential.
On a national level, your specific information
will not be used. However, an aggregated summary of the data at the
State/Centers/WO levels will be reported. There will be enough participants
that anonymity will be protected.
How do I get a copy of my Feedback Report?
Once the minimum numbers of assessments from your raters have been submitted,
a “Request Report” link will become visible in the main menu
of the LNAT Instrument database. When you click on this link, you will
be presented with a dialog box that explains the details of creating
a report request document. A scheduled agent (which runs every night)
will process your report request and generate your Feedback Report.
After your Feedback Report has been generated, a “My Report”
link will become visible in the main menu of the LNAT Instrument database.
When you click on this link, the LNAT Reports database will open and
your new Feedback Report will be displayed.
What will the results look like?
The Feedback Report will display information for each competency that
you have been rated on. This information is an aggregate of the assessments
created by you, your supervisor, your peers, and (in the case of a 360
degree assessment) your subordinates. For each competency there will
also be an indication of the behavior areas where you either need improvement
or exceed expectations. In addition, there will be a listing of potential
development opportunity suggestions that you can take advantage of in
order to improve your abilities and behaviors regarding each competency.
All narrative comments received from the supervisor, peers and subordinates
will be combined and displayed in the “Comments” area at the
bottom of the report. The Feedback Report does not provide an analysis
of the ratings or comments. It is up to the participant to analyze the
data received.
How will the written narrative be given to
the participant?
On each instrument, you will have an opportunity to provide written
comments to the participant. These comments will be provided to the
participant exactly as you write them. The system will not alter or
edit the comments in any way. When the comments are aggregated into
the Feedback Report, no identity information will be included. This
ensures the anonymity of the comments. Note: If you put your name
in the comments section, it WILL appear in the Feedback Report
What if I don't understand a rating or need
some clarification about the Report?
If you have any questions or concerns about the Feedback Report, you
can call a private consultant to address your issues. Call Steve Frohman
at Applied Synergistics (480-607-6850) to schedule a time to discuss
your results. The consultant can also discuss with you ways to improve
your skills.
If you have a technical question about the report,
you should call Lorraine Farley, the National Training Center, LNAT
Program Manager at 602-906-5597.
How will the person I'm rating use the data?
The data will be used strictly for developmental purposes. Once the
participant has received the data, he or she may contact an outside
consultant to discuss the results and identify developmental opportunities.
The participant, in partnership with his or her
supervisor, will be completing an automated Individual Development Plan
(IDP). Once the IDP has been developed and approved, all participants
are being asked to share parts of the IDP with all their subordinates
and the peers who participated in the survey.
If you are an Executive, Manager, or a Supervisor, after the IDP is
approved, you must provide feedback to your raters about the actions
you are taking and thank them for their input. You must submit an IDP
to the National Training Center. If you use the automated IDP from the
LNAT menu, your supervisor will receive an email notification whenever
you update your IDP document. This is the last step of the process.
Why should I follow up with my raters?
Your raters took time out of their busy schedules to help to identify
the level of your leadership competencies. In return, you need to let
them know that their efforts are appreciated and, thanks to them, you
have identified areas for improvement.
How do I follow up with my raters?
How you follow up with your raters will be based on your own personal
style. It is best to thank people face-to-face. You might take a minute
at your next staff meeting to thank people for their input and let them
know some of the development opportunities you will be exploring over
the next year. Or, you may want to thank a person in a one-on-one situation.
Will I be able to compare the results with
an earlier assessment?
Your Feedback Report will be stored in the LNAT Reports database. When
you retake the LNAT, you can retrieve past Feedback Reports from the
database and you can compare the results with your current Feedback
Report. If you are an executive, manager or supervisor, it is recommended
that you take the LNAT every 18-24 months.
Thanks for taking the time to read all the questions and answers. If
you have additional questions, please call Lorraine Farley, the National
Training Center, Leadership Needs Assessment Tool Program Manager, (602-906-5597).
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