Developing Tomorrow's Leaders

Using Team Management Systems (TMS) research to guide leadership development

What makes an effective leader? It’s a question every organisation wrestles with. While technical capability and experience are essential, there’s something more subtle—and often more powerful—that underpins long-term impact. It’s not just the kind of work people are drawn to, but how repeated experiences and conscious effort can influence what they come to prefer and feel energised by.

TMS research shows that role preferences, as measured by the Team Management Profile, aren’t fixed. As individuals stretch their capabilities and face new demands, their preferences can—and often do—evolve. These shifts are rarely random. Instead, they point to an underlying pattern that gives organisations a practical framework for leadership development—one rooted in how people evolve, not just where they start.

From Execution to Strategy

As an example, individuals in production or delivery-focused roles tend to favour structure and execution. The data shows that 28% of production staff identify with the Concluder-Producer role. These individuals value getting things done, working within proven systems, and delivering tangible outcomes. This correlation is a classic example of concurrent validity: their work preferences align closely with job demands.

At the other end of the spectrum, 26% of CEOs show a preference for the Assessor-Developer role. These leaders thrive in roles that blend strategic evaluation with idea refinement and stakeholder input. They evaluate possibilities, test them rigorously, and work with others to turn high-potential ideas into structured plans.

Across the board, 50% of CEOs prefer roles in the Creator-Innovator, Explorer-Promoter, or Assessor-Developer quadrants, compared to 27% of production workers. This shift represents more than a promotion—it reflects a developmental arc where executional strengths become the foundation for strategic thinking and broader impact.

A Tale of Two Preferences

While broad trends in leadership preferences tell one part of the story, the deeper insight comes from examining two specific profiles that represent distinct ways of working: the Concluder-Producer and the Assessor-Developer. Each reflects a unique orientation to problem-solving, communication, and decision-making—and together, they offer a window into how leadership energy can shift as roles evolve.

The Assessor-Developer preference often reflects the ECAS profile: Extrovert, Creative, Analytical, Structured. Leaders with this combination typically:

• Thrive in collaborative, high-communication environments
• Continuously test and refine emerging ideas
• Rely on data and structure to guide strategic follow-through

In contrast, the Concluder-Producer is more often associated with an Introvert, Practical, Analytical, Structured profile—highlighting strengths in dependable delivery, precision, and systematised execution.

The shift from Introvert and Practical to Extrovert and Creative preferences often reflects a natural leadership evolution. As individuals gain operational expertise and confidence, they’re better equipped to look outward—toward strategic opportunities, future-focused thinking, and broader influence. Operational experience doesn’t limit strategic vision—it often enables it.

Building Development Pathways

Recognising the preference shift from Concluder-Producer to Assessor-Developer helps organisations design more targeted and realistic leadership development strategies. Many future leaders already excel at implementation. The challenge lies in supporting their shift toward broader strategic influence—especially in how they interpret challenges, prioritise time, and solve problems.

Opportunities-Obstacles Quotient (QO₂) Profile data drawn from a global sample of leaders and production professionals provides further insight into how not just work, but thinking patterns evolve with role progression:

These data points show that leadership maturity is often marked by a mindset shift—from risk-aversion and near-term focus to confidence in navigating uncertainty and opportunity-rich environments. CEOs tend to train themselves to:

• Focus on what's possible rather than what’s wrong
• Navigate toward goals with greater consistency
• Access a wider set of pathways when faced with obstacles
• Think beyond the immediate, anchoring their decisions in mid- to long-term outcomes

This cognitive flexibility is what distinguishes leaders who can influence complexity, rather than be overwhelmed by it. To support this evolution, development programs should focus on three high-impact capabilities:

1. Strategic communication

Equip leaders to facilitate, engage stakeholders, and lead through dialogue and complexity.

2. Innovation with follow-through

Support creativity with robust frameworks for evaluating and implementing ideas.

3. Decision-making in uncertainty

Enable confident navigation through ambiguity with evidence-based judgment.

Leading with Insight

Are we truly preparing leaders to think beyond the now—or are we simply refining their communication skills for today? Many development programs excel at training extroversion. But few cultivate the strategic agility, risk tolerance, and multi-pathway thinking needed to lead in an unpredictable world.

The Opportunities-Obstacles Quotient (QO₂) Profile data makes one thing clear: the opportunity mindset isn’t fixed—it can be developed. When paired with insights from the Team Management Profile, it becomes possible to design leadership pathways that not only reflect how individuals prefer to work, but also how they approach challenge, change, and uncertainty.

With over 680,000 TMPs completed globally and thousands of QO2 Profiles informing decision-making, the TMS database reveals repeatable patterns in how leaders grow, adapt, and deliver results. These insights aren’t just theoretical—they’re practical tools for building resilient, opportunity-driven leadership cultures.

If you're ready to move beyond surface-level development and create leaders who can navigate what’s next, start with data that’s designed for action. Contact us to explore how TMP and QO2 can shape the future of leadership in your organisation.