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Leadership Development

K–12 Leadership Preferences Survey

Explore how you may prefer to engage, take in information, make decisions, and organize work in a school-district environment.

Before you begin

This informal, educational survey uses the familiar four-letter preference framework associated with Myers-Briggs type. It is not the official MBTI assessment, a psychological evaluation, or a validated employment instrument.

Use the result for reflection and conversation only. It should never be used to screen, rank, hire, assign, evaluate, or limit an employee. Every style can succeed in every district role, and effective leaders flex their behavior to meet the situation.

Survey progress0 of 70 answered

E–I: Energy and engagement

Where you tend to direct attention and restore energy during district work. Choose the response that is usually more natural for you—not the response your position requires in a particular situation.

1. At a districtwide professional-learning event, you are more likely to:
2. When joining a new data-governance committee, you usually prefer to:
3. After a full day of collaborative meetings, you are more likely to:
4. When a cross-department problem appears, your first impulse is to:
5. At a vendor demonstration, you are more comfortable:
6. When building a district network of data stewards, you tend to:
7. During an incident-response meeting, you contribute best by:
8. When visiting school sites, you are more likely to:
9. For a difficult presentation, you usually prepare by:
10. Your most productive workday usually includes:

S–N: Information and possibilities

What you tend to notice first when interpreting district information and designing solutions. Choose the response that is usually more natural for you—not the response your position requires in a particular situation.

11. When reviewing a new dashboard, you first look for:
12. A proposal is most convincing when it begins with:
13. When learning a new student-information process, you prefer:
14. During data-quality review, you naturally notice:
15. When a regulation changes, you first want to know:
16. For technical documentation, you prefer:
17. When evaluating a new application, you focus first on:
18. When a report conflicts with staff experience, you tend to:
19. A useful implementation plan should emphasize:
20. When discussing interoperability, you are drawn first to:
21. When choosing professional learning, you prefer sessions that:
22. In a project retrospective, you focus more on:
23. When staff describe an unusual exception, you first consider:
24. You are more comfortable making a recommendation when:
25. When reading a long policy, you tend to remember:
26. A strong data dictionary is most valuable because it:
27. When improving an enrollment workflow, you begin with:
28. In a planning meeting, you more often contribute:
29. When a pilot succeeds, your next question is:
30. You trust a new solution more when it is supported by:

T–F: Decisions and impact

What you tend to weigh first when making decisions. Both options can incorporate logic, values, evidence, and care. Choose the response that is usually more natural for you—not the response your position requires in a particular situation.

31. When departments disagree about a data definition, you first seek:
32. When reviewing a failed deadline, you first examine:
33. A difficult governance decision feels sound when it is:
34. When giving corrective feedback, you emphasize:
35. In vendor selection, you are initially persuaded by:
36. When a policy produces an unpopular result, you first ask:
37. During a data incident, your communication instinct is to:
38. When prioritizing projects, you lean toward:
39. If a colleague challenges your recommendation, you prefer that they:
40. A good meeting facilitator should first ensure:
41. When an access exception is requested, you first consider:
42. When comparing two reports, you are more troubled by:
43. You tend to show respect for colleagues by:
44. When a team is stuck, you are more likely to:
45. A districtwide standard should primarily provide:
46. When evaluating an AI-generated recommendation, you first question:
47. If a strong employee makes a significant error, you first focus on:
48. A persuasive presentation usually succeeds through:
49. When resources are limited, you prefer decisions based on:
50. In a governance team, you are more naturally the person who:

J–P: Structure and adaptability

How you tend to organize work and respond when information or conditions change. Choose the response that is usually more natural for you—not the response your position requires in a particular situation.

51. At the beginning of a reporting cycle, you prefer to:
52. Your project workspace is more likely to contain:
53. When a meeting ends, you prefer to have:
54. For a new integration, you feel better when:
55. When priorities change unexpectedly, your first reaction is to:
56. You are most comfortable submitting a report when it is:
57. When planning professional learning, you prefer:
58. For recurring data work, you tend to favor:
59. When several solutions appear viable, you prefer to:
60. An approaching deadline usually makes you want to:
61. During system implementation, change requests should be:
62. Your calendar works best when it is:
63. When preparing for an audit, you prefer to:
64. A policy draft is most useful when it:
65. When a pilot produces mixed results, you lean toward:
66. You gain satisfaction from:
67. When staff request exceptions, you prefer:
68. Your natural approach to a large initiative is to:
69. When presenting a recommendation, you are more comfortable with:
70. At the end of a productive week, you prefer to see: