This paper presents how a Malaysian centre associated with the ministry of higher education developed a framework for assessing leadership abilities in higher education. A qualitative approach is used in this study and the primary focus was on group discussions involving human resource professionals and well-known academics from higher education. The result of this study shows that the Behavioral Event Interview (BEI) instrument is used to quantify each of the five clusters that make up the higher education leadership competencies framework. These five clusters are: impact and influence, achievement and action, leading, cognitive and personal effectiveness. The leaders are then classified into five position levels ranging from Level 1 to Level 5. Level 1 is individual contributor which is coded as 'Reviewable' whilst Level 5: is leading the whole organization coded as 'Significantly Exceeds'. The study's findings provide an instrument for determining whether the potential leaders in high education institutions are ready to take on the responsibility of leading. In order to improve a leader's abilities as a part of succession planning, the findings could assist the center. This study provides some considerations for alternatives to the prevalent frameworks for evaluating leadership skills in the interest of sustaining a high-quality organizational culture.