IPA Core Leadership Indicator
A test within the IPA Core Personality analysis that shows the leader’s mental state
IPA Leadership is an extension of IPA Core Personality that helps assess a candidate’s potential to perform in leadership roles. The leadership scales provide hypotheses about a person’s ability to lead, highlighting strengths that may be untapped or unrealized within their personality.
A candidate may have the natural qualities needed for leadership but choose different paths in life. That is why the results should always be considered alongside the person’s experiences, work history, and the insights gained through conversation.
The specialist
The Specialist is defined primarily by the Blue factors in IPA Core: System Orientation, Detail Orientation, and Security Orientation, with Security as the dominant trait. They thrive when they have a clear understanding of structures, rules, and conditions. Specialists prefer to focus on professional or analytical tasks, working deeply with knowledge and content. In most cases, they are not drawn to leadership responsibilities over others.
The Operational Leader
The Operational Leader is primarily shaped by the Red factors: Confidence, Autonomy, and Achievement, combined with Influence, and also integrates elements from the Blue factors. This integration allows them to apply structured, detail-oriented thinking to goal-oriented, performance-driven tasks. Their dominant motive is the need for achievement, supported by a strong desire to influence and lead others effectively.
The Motivating Leader
The Motivating Leader is defined mainly by the Green factors: Trust, Social Understanding, and Extroversion, along with Influence and Intuition. They excel at navigating complex social situations, managing cooperation, conflict, and communication within teams. Leaders with a positive Operational Leader score can balance social dynamics with concrete, goal-oriented tasks, shifting focus as the situation demands.
The Strategic Leader
The Strategic Leader integrates all four main factors — Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. They can move fluidly between systems, details, people, and vision, selecting the most effective leadership approach for the context. Their dominant motives combine Power, Intuition, and Performance Needs. Strategic Leaders excel at guiding entire business areas, understanding conditions and goals, and communicating a vision that drives the organisation forward.
