Certification Level Diagnostic

Domain 1 of 5

Direction & Purpose

Establishing, sustaining, and communicating meaningful direction for collective effort.

I set direction for a specific project, initiative or workstream — aligning contributors around a defined outcome, without necessarily holding formal authority over them. I set direction for my own team, within boundaries and parameters my organisation has already defined. I set direction across multiple teams or a function, interpreting a strategic framework set by senior leaders and translating it into operational direction for a significant part of the organisation. I set the strategic framework itself — organisational purpose and direction — for the whole organisation or a major institutional unit. I shape direction at a sector or systemic level, setting the context within which other organisations and leaders operate.

Domain 2 of 5

People & Development

Building individual and collective capability, and taking sustained responsibility for others' growth.

I develop and align the people contributing to my project or initiative, without formal management authority over them. I develop the people directly on my team. I build capability and plan succession across boundaries — multiple teams, cross-functional or cross-organisational, or a departmental operational unit. I shape leadership culture and capability development across the whole organisation. I develop leaders who develop other leaders, at scale, across a sector or system.

Domain 3 of 5

Change & Adaptation

Navigating and leading change, and adapting leadership approach when circumstances require it.

I lead change within a defined project or initiative, adapting my approach as circumstances require, without formal authority over those involved. I adapt myself and lead my team through operational changes. I lead adaptive change that crosses team or functional boundaries, translating strategic direction set above me into operational change within a unit or programme. I lead organisation-wide change and build the organisation's strategic transformation capacity. I create the conditions for continuous system-level change and adaptation, beyond any one organisation.

Domain 4 of 5

Accountability & Stewardship

Being answerable, with integrity and proportionality, for the resources, relationships, and outcomes led.

I'm accountable for the outcomes of a project, initiative or workstream I lead, even without formal authority over the resources or people involved. I'm accountable for my team's outputs and the resources within my direct scope. I carry accountability that crosses boundaries — including ethical complexity beyond my direct authority — for resources, risk, and delivery at the scale of a significant operational unit, within a framework set by others. I'm accountable for the organisation's long-term direction, governance architecture, and stewardship. I carry accountability that outlasts my own tenure — for leadership systems at a sector or generational scale.

Domain 5 of 5

Context & Stakeholders

Reading the wider environment and building productive relationships with those it affects.

I engage the stakeholders directly relevant to my project or initiative, extending influence beyond people who report to me. I engage with the immediate stakeholders directly relevant to my team. I engage a diverse range of stakeholders across boundaries I don't directly control, including senior leaders who set my strategic framework. I influence stakeholders at the organisational and strategic level, shaping the wider environment the organisation operates in. I shape the broader sector or system environment in which other organisations and leaders operate.

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