What Kind of a Leader Are You?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  Which of these best describes your current work situation?

  • A.
    I work for a company or organization
  • B.
    I'm in the process of starting a business
  • C.
    I run my own business
  • D.
    I freelance or consult
  • E.
    Other
• 2.
  I continuously observe and correct employees to ensure quality work on time

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 3.
  I like to coach and encourage average employees in order for them to improve.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 4.
  I like to encourage innovation, involvement, and initiative from my coworkers.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 5.
  I like to take decisions that are consistent with corporate objectives, procedures, and policies.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 6.
  I listen carefully to the people working under me in order to answer any kind of queries they have, and encourage them to express their opinions as well.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 7.
  When I delegate a task, I trust my fellow employees that they can do the job and do not interfere too much.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 8.
  My goals, objectives, and mission reflect my greatest principles.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 9.
  I prefer having homogeneity among the employees regardless of their designation.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 10.
  Employees under my leadership tend to establish priorities for tasks to be accomplished as a unit.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 11.
  I usually demand more than one review one week before deadline from the employees, in order to guide employees if they are off-track. 

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 12.
  I believe, a very important part of being a good leader is utilizing the strengths of each employee to do the best possible job.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 13.
  I don’t like to be too flexible with rules in order to accommodate an employee. 

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 14.
  I like to allow employees to choose their method of working, as long as they are achieving their targets and objectives in time. 

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 15.
  I believe results matter more than job satisfaction for employees.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 16.
  My team members are not smart enough to understand my decisions so I don’t try to explain my decisions to them.

  • A.
    Always
  • B.
    Often
  • C.
    Sometimes
  • D.
    Rarely
  • E.
    Never
• 17.
   Which best describes your current leadership role?

  • A.
    I lead a business or team that I own
  • B.
    I lead a team within a company I work for
  • C.
    Other

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  You're a “Hands-Off” Leader

  Image Source

  Are you someone who loves to empower others and the mere thought of micromanaging makes you cringe? You may be a “hands-off” leader. That doesn’t mean that you’re not there when people have questions or need guidance. Simply that you prefer to let others worry about how they get things done. You don’t feel the need to watch over their shoulder or critique every step that they complete. "A team is not a group of people who work together, It is a group of people who trust each other" – Simon SinekIf you are a hand-off leader here are a few tips to more effectively manage your team:● Acknowledge that this is your leadership style. Ask if anyone requires more regular check-ins or feedback. If so, plan accordingly. ● Show people the end goal and desired result and let them manage how they get it done. ● Make sure to let your team know that you have an ‘open door’ should anyone have questions or need advice. You don’t want them to feel abandoned. ● Check in prior to the end deadline so that if someone has gone way off track or simply gone in a different direction there is time to course-correct and guide them to the appropriate end goal. ● Empower your team to make decisions and be clear about what items you want to be consulted on. Working for a hands-off manager can be fun and empowering for the right person. The important thing is to be up front about this style and make sure it works well with those you manage.
• 2.
  You're a Controlling Leader

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  Perhaps you are someone who has a hard time letting go and delegating. Or, maybe you work in an area where the entire end product is a reflection on you personally, regardless of who on your team worked on it. If you are the type of person that likes to direct and know what everyone is working on at all times, you may be a controlling leader. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you acknowledge your style and are able to communicate this to others. Controlling leaders are only able to relax when they know that people understand what is expected of them and they can trust that people are going to follow-through on what they say they are going to do. This means that if you are a controlling leader and you assume a new team, it will take time to establish this trust. Here’s how to handle a new team if you are a controlling leader: ● Acknowledge how important work is to you in front of your team. Controlling leaders often value their work product and see it as a reflection of themselves personally. Conveying this to others will help them understand where you are coming from. ● Be honest about your tendencies to micromanage and control. People will be more understanding when you acknowledge it upfront. ● Instead of micromanaging, establish clear check-in schedules. This allows you the comfort of knowing you’ll be able to check-in and gives your team comfort of understanding that even though there will be more check-ins you won’t be micromanaging.
• 3.
  You're a “By the Book” Leader

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  If you work in the military, on a production line, or in another structured environment, you may consider “by the book” leadership. This style of leadership does not leave a lot of room for personalizing the way you manage others and the ultimate goal is that everyone operates according to policy and procedure. Usually, policies and procedures are put into place for a reason. It can be the health and safety of others (like in a production line), or to ensure that everyone is held to the same standards (as in the military). Either way, being able to articulate the standards and the “why” behind them will help you be an effective leader in these types of settings. Leadership in these settings will often be different than if you are working in a small business or a larger corporate environment. Much of your management responsibilities will be to ensure that everyone is following the standards put in place and that they are adhering to all policies. As much as you can, if you can maintain a sense of humanity while in this leadership style it will help your direct reports see you as someone who cares about them rather than simply pushing an agenda.
• 4.
  You're a Transformative Leader

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  Perhaps your team or division is going through a period of change or preparing for future shifts in the business. This may call for transformative leadership, where you push people beyond their comfort zones so that everyone can grow together. Transformative leaders inspire hope in others and can walk with them, side by side, through uncertainty and even times of upheaval. Especially in times of change, transformative leaders can keep teams grounded, steering the overall corporate ship while everyone focuses on what needs to be done. They are there if anyone needs assistance and guidance and even encouragement but ultimately their strongest asset is in inspiring a team to achieve something wildly beyond what everyone could have done individually. "Leadership is not wielding authority, It's empowering people." - Becky Brodin
• 5.
  You're a Collaborative Leader

  Image Source

  Are you the type of person who wants everyone on your team to feel included? To feel like they can contribute to decision-making processes? You may be a collaborative leader.Collaborative leaders are constantly obtaining feedback to see how their teams are doing and to consider different viewpoints and perspectives. They know that by making decisions in a silo they are potentially alienating people they work with and who work for them. They are usually open leaders who want to make sure the voice of the collective is heard."Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the me for the we" - Phil JacksonIf you are a collaborative leader here are a few ways to make your team feel included:● Establish a weekly check-in where everyone can share what their priorities are and what they are working on.● Have one on one meetings with those who report into you and also people who report into your direct reports (called “step down” meetings).● Have a brainstorming board where anyone can contribute ideas. Make sure they are discussed on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.● Have a complaint jar: An anonymous complaint jar where people can complain about things without fear of retribution. For those things that can be acted upon, take the time to fix or solve the issues.Do any of the above leadership styles resonate with you? Are there any that are new to you but which you could implement in your job? Anything you’d like to change or do differently? The best leaders recognize their unique style. It can be a combination of any of the above or something that simply comes naturally to you. What is important is that it helps you lead others well and encourages the team to reach a common goal.