Leadership Quiz

Identify a leader you work with, and respond to the following questions with this person in mind. Rate their adoption of these skills on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is non-existent, and 5 is ‘above and beyond others in a similar role.’ When several questions are posed around a particular topic, rate it based on the overall sense of the topic.

Does this leader have a vision for their department or area as well as a plan to execute it?

Does this leader provide ongoing, consistent, and clear communication about the vision, as well as what is happening within and around the organization?

Are their deadlines managed effectively with advanced planning, follow-up, and coordinated effort, or with a mad dash at the end that upsets the organization?

Is this leader motivating the team with positive guidance and direction especially in challenging times?

Does this leader give good advice in a clear, concise way so that people don’t waste time and energy doing work that is unnecessary?

In a crisis situation, does this leader respond with calm and clear direction? Do people naturally gravitate to them for guidance and reassurance?

How effective is this leader at ensuring there is accountability with each of their direct reports and/or task responsibilities?

Do they ask for input and ideas from their team, or are they dictating how things should be done without involving those people who actually ‘do’ the work?

How effective is this leader at listening to employees? Do they ask clarifying questions as well as probe to make sure they really understand what the employee is saying?

Do they empower employees to make decisions even if that means a mistake might be made, and use those mistakes as opportunities to learn?

How does this leader handle decision-making? Do they delay it or avoid it completely? Are they too quick to make a decision without all the information? Or, are they able to effectively communicate how and why the decision was made, and stand behind it when challenged?

Do they provide feedback in a constructive, fair way and on a consistent basis (not just at performance review time)? Do they ensure feedback is given in a private setting?

Does this leader handle difficult conversations with kindness, compassion, and a caring approach as quickly as possible, or do they avoid it and sometimes even pretend it doesn’t exist?

How often is this leader giving public recognition when an employee goes above and beyond, including giving positive reinforcement whenever it is merited?

Is this leader empathetic to employees, first understanding what is happening in their life and then ‘walking in their shoes?’ Do they help out when necessary even if it means rolling up their own sleeves?

Do they ‘manage by walking around’ to find out what is happening, or do they stick to their office and very rarely come out to see how the team is getting along?

Is this leader upholding the company’s values and decisions made by the organization? Do they roll-up their sleeves when necessary, especially when the team is under a deadline? Does their personal behavior exemplify the values and mission statement of the organization?

Are they authentic? Do they admit mistakes and share success and failure stories so that all can learn from them? Would their team consider them to be transparent?

Do they wear a smile and consistently come to work with a positive attitude?

In the department or area they lead, is the employee turnover within an acceptable level or is there an unusually high number of people vacating their positions? How difficult is it to recruit for vacant positions within their department or area? Are positions open for a long time?

Is this leader developing their team and preparing their people for the next step, whether that is a lateral move, promotion, or even as a replacement for themselves?

How engaged are their teams? Do their people demonstrate the commitment to excellence and pride in their work that differentiates great teams from average ones?

Within their department or area, are the employee satisfaction scores at an acceptable level? If there isn’t an employee satisfaction survey, do employees have fun and generally like being there?

Is this leader innovative and do they come up with creative solutions to problems and situations?

Is this leader achieving the financial results expected of their department or area?