Chapter 4: the Leader as an Individual

Identify the instrumental value ranked higher by leaders than non-leaders.

Ambition

People retain their own behavior patterns regardless of their environment.

False

Self-awareness is a primary characteristic of effective leaders.

True

Benjamin heads the public relations team of an event management firm. He is innovative and curious. He likes to be creative while making decisions for his team. He draws inspiration from art, travel, conversations with different people, and other experiences. This scenario illustrates the Big Five personality dimension of:

high degree of openness to experience.

Justin heads the sales team of an insurance corporation. He is very responsible, independent, and hard working. He sets a few concrete goals and strives to achieve them successfully. This scenario illustrates the Big Five personality dimension of:

high level of conscientiousness.

Which of the following statements is true of attitudes?

A leader's attitudes toward followers influence how he or she relates to people.

Which of the following is an example of a leader who has a blind spot?

Even though Toby requests suggestions, his team members no longer make suggestions during meetings because Toby finds faults in every suggestion.

Which of the following is a terminal value ranked higher by leaders than non-leaders?

National security

You are the chief executive officer of an organization and have leaders who possess different thinking styles. One leader is Ralph, who is usually rational and realistic and thinks critically. Which of the four quadrants of the brain that are related to different thinking styles based on Herrmann's model would Ralph fall within?

Quadrant A

You are the chief executive officer of an organization and have leaders who possess different thinking styles. One leader is Charles, who is typically conservative and highly traditional. Which of the four quadrants of the brain that are related to different thinking styles based on Herrmann's model would Charles fall within?

Quadrant B

You are the chief executive officer of an organization and have leaders who possess different thinking styles. One leader is Mandy, who is emotional, outgoing, and supportive of others. Which of the four quadrants of the brain that are related to different thinking styles based on Herrmann's model would Mandy fall within?

Quadrant C

You are the chief executive officer of an organization and have leaders who possess different thinking styles. One leader is Karen, who is holistic, experimental, and impulsive. Which of the four quadrants of the brain that are related to different thinking styles based on Herrmann's model would Karen fall within?

Quadrant D

According to Herrmann's whole brain concept, which of the following statements is true of people who have a quadrant-A dominance?

They like to know how things work and to follow logical procedures.

According to Herrmann's whole brain concept, which of the following statements is true of leaders with a predominantly quadrant-B thinking style?

They may insist on following rules and procedures, no matter what the circumstances are.

Which of the following is an assumption of Theory Y?

Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilized.

The best safeguards against errors based on projection are self-awareness and:

empathy.

According to the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorTM assessment, people with a judging preference:

enjoy having goals.

Timothy heads the technical department of Millennium Inc. When his subordinate was unable to complete the maintenance of servers successfully, Timothy stated that the employees of the organization were to be blamed because they did not cooperate with his subordinate effectively.

external attribution.

According to the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorTM assessment, introverts:

gain energy by focusing on personal thoughts and feelings.

David is the assistant manager of a bank. He tends to be rude, cold, and thick-skinned while interacting with his coworkers. He does not care about the feelings of his subordinates. This scenario illustrates the Big Five personality dimension of:

low degree of agreeableness.

Michelle tends to be anxious and apprehensive before she starts leading a project. She generally has low self-assurance and is always worried if her team will receive criticism. This scenario illustrates the Big Five personality dimension of:

low degree of emotional stability.

Nicole heads the administrative department of an academic institution. She tends to be reserved, detached, and unsociable. She likes to engage in solitary activities rather than team activities. This scenario illustrates the Big Five personality dimension of:

low degree of extroversion.

Demi, the manager of a company, got a complaint from his subordinates that their project lead, Harry, fixes unreasonable timelines and asks them to work overtime daily. Demi ignored this complaint because she typically refrains from absorbing unfavorable information. This scenario illustrates the perceptual distortion of:

perceptual defense.

Stephen heads the research and development team of a company. He tends to be sociable, is outgoing, and has the ability to have conversations with new people. Hence, he assumes that his team members also exhibit similar characteristics. This scenario illustrates the perceptual distortion of:

projection.

Barry is the vice president of an organization. He tends to overstate his effort in making decisions and executing tasks when his projects turn out to be successful. He tends to overstate the insufficiencies and challenges faced by the organization when his projects are not completed efficiently. This scenario illustrates the perceptual distortion of:

self-serving bias.

Edgar is the manager of an engineering firm. He maintains a belief that females score lower than males in mathematics. Hence, he assigns tasks that do not involve calculations to female employees and allots tasks with complicated calculations only to male employees. This scenario illustrates the perceptual distortion of:

stereotyping.

Individuals who have a high degree of authoritarianism:

tend to adhere to conventional rules and values.

Ryan makes an extra effort to organize extracurricular activities and has an excellent record of attendance. However, the quality of his work and level of attention are not all that impressive. Despite these shortcomings, Ryan was promoted to be a manager merely due to his initiative and attendance record. The decision to promote Ryan on the basis of a few facets is known as:

the halo effect.