The article supports the importance of the psycho-biographical approach in assessing personality,
and reviews foreign studies of the influence of psycho-biographic factors on the development
and formation of an individual’s personal and psychological characteristics. It describes the role
of gender characteristics, birth order, life events and the early period of upbringing in the family
in the formation of individual personality characteristics. It also describes the tendency for such
an analysis to shift from single cases to comparative studies. The work analyzed the most popular
approaches and procedures for assessing the personality of a leader. The article emphasizes the need
for a comprehensive analysis of these factors and the relationships between their influence. Most
previous research has focused mainly on isolated effects and short periods of time, ignoring the fact
that cumulative effects, emotions, thoughts during the leadership period can fundamentally change
a leader, their personal qualities, style and behavior and generally affect their further biography.
The result is a set of approaches to the evaluation of personnel, which have been included into the
practice of personal professional diagnostics for civil service managers.