Are you an effective leader?

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Quiz Questions

1.
In your weekly meeting, a team member suggests a tweak to one of your workflows. You aren’t readily convinced. What now?
- A.
  Thank them for contributing and then ask a few clarifying questions about their suggestion. Ask the rest of the team if they think it’s worth trying out and, if so, roll it out for a few weeks to see how it goes.
- B.
  Tell them that you aren’t soliciting feedback about your workflows and processes right now, but you’ll let them know if and when you’re open to suggestions in the future.
- C.
  Thank them for sharing their idea and tell them that you’ll think about it. You need more time to process their suggestion before you can roll it out to the team. You don’t want to throw a wrench into the process without some careful thought and consideration.
2.
You delegated one of your recurring responsibilities to a team member, but they just can’t seem to get the hang of it. What do you do?
- A.
  Explain the steps to them again, just in slightly different terms this time. Empathize with them by telling them it took you a while to get the hang of, too, and that you’re available if they have questions.
- B.
  Invite them to shadow you as you complete the task next time. Go slowly, giving plenty of opportunities for them to ask questions. Document some helpful steps and tricks that they can refer back to when they fly solo.
- C.
  Take the task back from them. It’s obvious you were wrong in thinking that the work could be easily delegated, and it’s easier (not to mention way faster) if you just keep doing it yourself. Consider it a failed experiment.
3.
You and one of your direct reports are a few minutes early to a meeting, and you’re in the Zoom call together – just the two of you. You use that time to…
- A.
  Connect about a different task or project they’re working on. Hey, this saves you from having to set up a separate meeting. Two birds, right?
- B.
  Turn off your camera and microphone and use that time to answer a few emails. You’re busy, and you need to make the most of every spare minute.
- C.
  Ask a few questions about their dog and kiddos, and tell them that the family photos they share in Slack are positively adorable.
4.
A few team members have mentioned they feel like there’s never adequate time for deep work because interruptions (we’re talkin’ Slack pings, endless emails, and impromptu meetings) are so frequent. To address that complaint, you…
- A.
  Send out a quick reminder email that people need to be thoughtful about what’s urgent and what can wait, so that team members don’t constantly have to rip their attention away from what they’re working on.
- B.
  Sympathize with your team, because you know those constant pings and taps on the shoulder are frustrating. But, hey, that’s the nature of the working world and they need to learn to roll with the punches.
- C.
  Create a helpful guide sharing communication best practices for your team, and even institute team-wide “Solitude Sessions” where you block off the whole team’s calendar for deep work. No emails, instant messages, meetings – nothin’. Just dedicated, uninterrupted time to get stuff done.
5.
Your team is preparing to tackle a big, hairy project. They’ve never done something like this before, and it’s a daunting, nail-biting challenge for everybody. To help them through it, you…
- A.
  Hash out a detailed project plan on your own, and then hand it out to the team. You know this project is intimidating, so giving everybody information about what to do and exactly how to do it will help them feel more capable and confident.
- B.
  Tell them you believe in them. You know you lead a team of intelligent and skilled super-geniuses, so the best thing you can do is dish out encouragement and get out of their way.
- C.
  Schedule a meeting where you can talk through the project’s goals, stakeholders, and success metrics, and share some insider tips and suggestions from your years of experience. Tell them you know they’re going to nail this project, and that your hypothetical door is always open if they get stuck or want to bounce some ideas around.
6.
As your team keeps chugging through that long project, you connect weekly to discuss progress. When it comes to celebrating the headway the team has made, you make sure to celebrate…
- A.
  The number of tasks and they’ve cranked through so far. Look at how much work is behind them! Seriously, what a bunch of productivity machines.
- B.
  How close they are to achieving one (or even a few) of the project's original goals. They’ve made a serious dent in some of those objectives already, and that’s worth a hearty pat on the back.
- C.
  It’s not time to celebrate – at least not yet. Your team has done great work so far, but you don’t want to sidetrack them with unearned jubilee until the project is officially over the finish line.
7.
In your 1-on-1 with one of your team members, they share that they’re interested in working toward a leadership role. After hearing that, you decide it’s best if you…
- A.
  Tell them that you’re so glad they’re comfortable enough to share their career ambitions with you. You’ll work together to iron out a formal career development plan with goals and action steps, and you’ll share that with HR and other key decision-makers. You’ll also check in on their progress frequently.
- B.
  Reiterate how much you value them as an individual contributor, and that you’d hate to lose them as part of your team. But hey, if they’re looking for some great books about leadership, you can give them a few recommendations.
- C.
  Thank them for sharing that with you, and then discuss an upcoming project that they can take the lead on. There’s no time like the present to try their hand at leadership and to see if it’s all they think it’s cracked up to be.
8.
You notice that one of your direct reports keeps making the same typo in your monthly reports. In fact, you’ve seen this same mistake in at least three spreadsheets. What do you do next?
- A.
  Jot down a note to mention the blunder in your next 1-on-1 meeting.
- B.
  Send them a quick instant message to bring the typo to their attention and ask them to keep a closer eye when working on future reports.
- C.
  Keep it to yourself. After all, it’s only a typo that’s easy enough for you to fix, and you don’t want to seem like a boss who gets hung up on the little things.
9.
You just got some disheartening news from your company’s leadership: teams are going to need to keep a close eye on their budgets for at least the next quarter. You decide to...
- A.
  Avoid saying anything to your team, at least for now. As the leader, it’s your job to protect them and cushion them from bad news, and you don’t want to ring the alarm bells unnecessarily.
- B.
  Call a meeting with your team to relay information about how this will impact them, their existing projects, and any future plans in the works. While the information you have is still limited, you’re happy to answer any of their questions as best as you can.
- C.
  Send a quick email to your team to loop them in on what leadership just told you. Tell them that’s all the information you have for now, but you’ll let them know when you hear more.
10.
You get an early-morning email from one of your team members saying they have a sick kiddo at home. They’re going to try to accomplish what they can, but they expect they’ll be in and out as they make chicken noodle soup and give plenty of sick-day snuggles. Your response is to...
- A.
  Give them a bulleted list of the things they should prioritize that day, and tell them they can push the rest to later in the week if they have to.
- B.
  Make sure they have access to whatever they need in case they get a chance to get something done, but you also move all of their meetings and other obligations to later in the week. Family first, always.
- C.
  You get that having an ill child at home is stressful, but sick kids have to get plenty of rest anyway, right? That team member has a ton of pressing stuff on their plate, and you need them to get to those tasks during the kiddo’s nap times.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
You’re a top-notch leader
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You’re a great leader. You give your team the encouragement and autonomy they need to do their best work, while simultaneously proving you’re in their corner and ready to help. There’s no doubt that your team trusts you, but even so, being in charge is a constant learning process. Make sure you regularly solicit feedback from your team members, not only about their roles and responsibilities, but also about your leadership style. That will help you become even more effective.
2.
You have some room for improvement
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You’re leading well in some areas, but missing the mark in a few others. Don’t beat yourself up – leadership is a learning process. Channel your focus on what you can improve. Ask your team members or other colleagues what they’ve noticed about your approach and interactions – both positive and negative. You’ll celebrate the things you’re doing well (and continue to do them, of course!), but also get some valuable insights that you wouldn’t have picked up on your own.
3.
You need to check yourself before you wreck yourself
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We’re going to be honest with you: you have some work to do in cultivating the personal characteristics of an effective leader. But the good news is that you can change and improve, provided you’re willing to learn.Not sure where to get started? Read on to learn how to boost your skills in the areas where you're lacking.