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Questions To Assess Management Potential

September 23, 2021

Questions to Assess Management Potential

A Conversation Starter for Identifying Who’s Ready to Lead

At some point, every growing business faces the same crossroads: someone on the team is doing a great job, and the question arises—should they be moved into a management role?

It’s a common scenario. But too often, businesses leap before they look. They promote a strong individual contributor without ever asking if leadership is truly the right fit for the company or the person. That’s where this document comes in.

Questions to Assess Management Potential, developed by Capacity Building Solutions, isn’t a checklist or a performance review. It’s a tool for sparking honest, thoughtful conversations about leadership readiness. Because just being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re ready to lead others in theirs.


Behind the Questions

This document asks the kinds of questions that rarely make it into formal HR processes but are often the ones that matter most:

  • Why do you want to manage people?

  • What would your coworkers say about your leadership potential—and why?

  • How do you handle conflict, mistakes, or tough feedback?

  • Do you genuinely care about helping others succeed?

Each question is designed to peel back the layers and reveal how someone thinks, how they respond under pressure, and whether they’re prepared to carry the weight of leadership with humility and intention.


For Leaders Who Care About Getting It Right

This tool isn’t about disqualifying people—it’s about understanding them. It’s for business owners, team leads, and HR professionals who want to be more intentional about growing their leadership bench.

It’s for the companies who’ve seen what happens when someone is promoted too soon… and who believe leadership is earned, not gifted.

And it’s for the individuals who are considering a step into management and want to reflect deeply on what that really means—not just for them, but for the people they’ll be leading.


Because real leadership starts with self-awareness. And sometimes, all it takes to unlock that awareness is the right question, asked at the right time.

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