The Altitude Assessment

1. I consistently spend the majority of my leadership energy on strategic direction — not on firefighting or operational execution.

2. When I face a complex organisational challenge, I naturally think about the systemic forces at play — not just the immediate symptoms.

3. I am able to align cross-functional teams behind a shared strategic goal — even when their individual agendas diverge from it.

4. I design governance and accountability structures that allow strategy to be executed without requiring my constant direct involvement.

5. I can advance a position or secure outcomes in the organisation without needing formal authority to do so.

6. I navigate board and C-suite dynamics with strategic intelligence — I understand the political landscape and operate within it without compromising my integrity.

7. My stakeholder relationships are genuinely strategic — I invest in them before I need them, not only when I require something.

8. I have a clear and authentic executive presence — people experience me as authoritative and composed even in high-pressure situations.

9. I am able to drive significant change initiatives through an organisation without losing momentum to resistance, ambiguity, or competing priorities.

10. I actively create the conditions for innovation and calculated risk within my organisation — not just permission for it.

11. I successfully balance the pressure of delivering current results with making the structural investments required for future relevance.

12. I am decisive — I make high-quality decisions at pace, even under incomplete information, and I rarely second-guess myself destructively.

13. I have a genuine recovery practice — I replenish my energy and maintain clear judgment even during sustained periods of high demand.

14. I do not experience significant isolation in my executive role — I have a small number of people with whom I can think freely and honestly.

15. When I step into a new or expanded role, I adapt my leadership approach deliberately — I do not default to doing what worked at the previous level.

16. I have a clear sense of what I am building — professionally and personally — beyond my current role's performance metrics.