Chapter 5 Leadership

An effective leader lets his or her vision of a better future pull reality toward it by: Question options: a) reorganizing current activities to work toward the vision. b) lowering the vision. c) opening the gap between the vision and the reality. d) accepting standard ways of doing things.

A.

Lily heads the sales team of Petunia Inc., a cosmetics manufacturer. She has the ability to understand the emotions experienced by her team members. She encourages her subordinates to grow by pushing them beyond their comfort zone. She deals with her team members with compassion and kindness. Which of the following characteristics of leaders does Lily possess? Question options: a) Empathy b) Conscientiousness c) Adaptability d) Systems thinking

A.

When leaders rely on negative emotions such as fear to fuel productive work, they: Question options: a) may slowly destroy people's spirits. b) remove avoidance behavior. c) encourage risk-taking behavior. d) destroy the opportunity to blind employees to reality.

A.

Which of the following is a characteristic of effective leaders? Question options: a) They understand the limitations of past experience. b) They see the questioning of their ideas as a threat. c) They encourage beginners to blindly accept paradoxes. d) They advise new employees to openly agree with long-held assumptions.

A.

Which of the following is a characteristic of leaders who think independently? Question options: a) They are willing to stand apart. b) They interpret data according to preestablished rules. c) They determine a course of action based on what others think. d) They tend to believe assumptions as "truth."

A.

A key component of leadership is: Question options: a) accepting the standard way of doing things. b) being emotionally connected to others. c) regarding assumptions as fixed truths. d) employing fear-based motivation.

B.

Adam, a project manager, is enthusiastic about utilizing every available opportunity at his workplace. He ensures that his team's projects adhere to the company's high standards. He remains calm when things go wrong and provides resourceful solutions. Which of the following qualities of leaders does Adam display? Question options: a) Systems thinking b) Self-management c) Social capital d) Self-awareness

B.

Assumptions are: Question options: a) regarded by a leader as fixed truths. b) a part of a leader's mental model. c) an expression of the organizational mission. d) a personality trait.

B.

Daniel, the relationship manager of a mutual fund company, has the strength to understand his emotions clearly. He makes tough decisions by believing his "gut feelings." He knows how his emotions affect his work; hence, he acts carefully according to them. Which of the following qualities of leaders does Daniel possess? Question options: a) Social awareness b) Self-awareness c) Systems thinking d) Relationship management

B.

To think independently means: Question options: a) paying attention to outdated information. b) staying mentally alert and thinking critically. c) thinking of solutions based on preestablished routines or categories. d) having the need to win at all costs and in all situations.

B.

Which of the following is true of people who work in fear-based organizations? Question options: a) They lead with head and heart. b) They often leave the organization. c) They take risks and challenge the status quo. d) They respect and trust their managers.

B.

Which of the following statements describes a leader practicing critical thinking? Question options: a) Brenda focused on the most important issues. b) Jonah sought different opinions. c) Lisa criticized the quality of her employees' work. d) Winston was only pleased when the products his group produced were perfect.

B.

Which of the following statements is true of leading with love? Question options: a) It encourages people to maintain secrecy and cautiousness. b) It attracts people who take risks. c) It helps to maintain an emotional distance among people. d) It binds employees and the organization to the past.

B.

Which of the following will help leaders at MHL Corp keep morale and motivation high when the company faces financial difficulties? Question options: a) Leading with fear as a powerful motivator b) Leading with head and heart c) Creating avoidance behavior in employees d) Focusing on only the emotional aspect of leading

B.

The expert mind becomes a danger in organizations because it: Question options: a) puts aside preconceptions and suspends beliefs and opinions. b) forgets many of its conditioned ideas. c) rejects new ideas based on past experience and knowledge. d) often becomes open to the perspectives of other people.

C.

Which of the following components is the most important part of systems thinking? Question options: a) The individual parts of a system b) The complexity of a system c) The relationship among the parts that form the system d) The entire system rather than the parts

C.

Which of the following is a basic component of emotional intelligence? Question options: a) Personal mastery b) Clarity of objectives c) Self-management d) Systems thinking

C.

Which of the following is a consequence of the fear inspired by some leaders? Question options: a) Avoidance behavior among employees is eliminated. b) Damaging behaviors are avoided. c) Employees do not provide feedback. d) Employees have positive feelings about their work.

C.

Which of the following is an element of personal mastery? Question options: a) The behavior of accepting what one gets in the future rather than what one wants in the future b) The practice of bridging the disparity between current reality and the vision of a better future c) The discipline of continually focusing on what one wants as the desired future d) The discipline of accepting assumptions and standard ways of doing things

C.

Which of the following statements is true of leading with head and heart? Question options: a) The whole leader uses both head and heart when creating structure and handling operational issues. b) Emotions should not be used in the decision making process in times of uncertainty and rapid change. c) It keeps morale and motivation high. d) Wise leaders use only their intellect to make decisions.

C.

Which of the following statements is true of mental models? Question options: a) A leader's assumptions naturally are not part of his or her mental model. b) A leader is usually not aware of his mental models. c) Personal values, attitudes, biases, and prejudices can all affect one's mental model. d) A leader creates an effective mental model by viewing the elements of a system as separate components.

C.

Which of the following will help leaders to develop open-mindedness? Question options: a) They have to maintain strong preconceptions and suspend beliefs and opinions. b) They have to stick to mental models that worked in the past. c) They have to forget many of their conditioned ideas. d) They have to allow their subordinates to do the thinking for them.

C.

Working effectively with others requires that individuals: Question options: a) regard their assumptions as fixed truths rather than temporary ideas. b) use fear to motivate others effectively. c) draw on subtle aspects of themselves and appeal to those aspects in others. d) do not let their emotions and beliefs affect others.

C.

An effective leader: Question options: a) goes along with the traditional way of doing things. b) sticks to a mental model that sees everything from one's own personal perspective. c) does not apologize to his or her subordinates. d) does not follow his or her assumptions because they led to success in the past.

D.

Clarity of mind, clarity of objectives, and organizing to achieve objectives are the components of _____. Question options: a) systems thinking b) stereotyping c) emotional intelligence d) personal mastery

D.

George, the financial manager of a firm, executes his tasks with commitment. He takes his responsibilities seriously. Which of the following characteristics of leaders does George possess? Question options: a) Adaptability b) Empathy c) Relationship management d) Conscientiousness

D.

Good leadership is about: Question options: a) interpreting data based on preestablished routines. b) blindly accepting rules and labels created by others. c) following the rules set by others. d) standing up for what one believes is the best for the organization.

D.

Leaders working to improve one element of personal mastery can become significantly more effective because: Question options: a) all leaders score higher than most people on tests of cognitive ability. b) all elements of mind prevent shifting of mental models. c) all leaders have similar scores in emotional intelligence tests. d) all five elements of mind are interdependent.

D.

Which of the following statements is true of leaders engaged in personal mastery? Question options: a) They do not challenge assumptions and standard ways of doing things. b) They open the gap between current reality and the vision of a better future. c) They retain traditional mental models that have been successful in the past. d) They break through denial of reality in themselves and others.

D.

Which of the following statements is true of systems thinking? Question options: a) It includes the ability to see the separate elements of a system. b) It creates a gap between current reality and the vision of a better future. c) It sees diverse perspectives as a threat. d) It is a mental discipline for seeing patterns and interrelationships.

D.

A manager with a global mindset sees everything from his or her own limited personal or cultural perspective. Question options: True False

False

A mental model is an external picture that does not affect a person's thoughts and actions. Question options: True False

False

It is important for leaders to regard their assumptions as fixed truths rather than temporary ideas. Question options: True False

False

Leaders who score low in emotional intelligence are typically more effective. Question options: True False

False

The more aware a leader is of his or her assumptions, the less the leader understands how assumptions guide behavior and decisions. Question options: True False

False

With systems thinking, a leader looks at the dots in isolation rather than seeing the big picture and connecting the dots. Question options: True False

False

An unspoken notion among many senior-level executives is that fear is a good thing and benefits the organization. Question options: True False

True

Leaders have many mental models that tend to govern how they interpret experiences and how they act in response to people and situations. Question options: True False

True

The Pike Syndrome illustrates the power of the conditioning that limits people's thinking and behavior. Question options: True False

True

The emotional state of a leader influences the entire team, department, or organization. Question options: True False

True