Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter 6: Developing Leadership Skills
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following administrative skills can be thought of as “management by
walking around”?
a. managing resources
b. showing technical competence
c. managing people
d. all of these
2. Skills like managing the budget, scheduling employees, assigning projects to work
groups throughout your organization, and running staff meetings are all examples of
______.
a. interpersonal skills
b. administrative skills
c. strategic planning
d. creating a vision
3. Which of the following is NOT an aspect of managing people?
a. dealing with urgent staff matters
b. responding to staff members’ request
c. motivating people to do their best
d. funding a new staff incentive program
4. Sarah’s company, “All About Fit,” is looking to expand by adding a men’s clothing line
to their highly successful women’s line. She needs to hire a manager to oversee
production and inventory for the line. She should be looking for someone with high
______.
a. technical competence
b. technical competence and interpersonal skills
c. conceptual skills
d. none of these
5. When an orchestra conductor oversees rehearsals, they are demonstrating this type
of competence.
a. administrative competence
b. interpersonal competence
c. technical competence
d. interpersonal competence and technical competence
6. Being able to effectively oversee and allocate an organization’s assets is an
important skill for leaders to have because ______.
a. ultimately the leader is responsible for resource management
b. the followers cannot be trusted to manage themselves
c. it is important for leaders to be seen as the one in charge of the money
d. none of these
7. Leadership skills refer to ______.
a. attributes one is born with that cannot be developed
b. learned competencies to influence others
c. behaviors demonstrated over time
d. personal attributes one develops over time
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
8. George is one of six resident assistants for a hall of 350 first-year students. He has
been assigned to take care of the monthly hall activity. He effectively created a
committee, secured a location and budget, and got all paperwork approved and signed.
George’s actions demonstrate competence in ______.
a. being socially perceptive
b. showing emotional intelligence
c. managing people
d. managing resources
9. ______ skills are central to creating a strategic plan for an organization.
a. Conceptual
b. Interpersonal
c. Creating vision
d. Administrative
10. Technical competence is also known as ______.
a. functional competence
b. administrative competence
c. information competence
d. none of these
11. Which of the following is NOT a dimension of interpersonal skills?
a. being socially perceptive
b. managing conflict
c. showing emotional intelligence
d. none of these, they are all a dimension of interpersonal skills
12. Having an awareness of how people are motivated is a component of ______.
a. showing emotional intelligence
b. being socially perceptive
c. creating a vision
d. none of these
13. In the text, moving the University of Michigan’s graduation to Eastern Michigan
University is an example of a lack of ______.
a. emotional intelligence
b. effective problem-solving
c. social perceptiveness
d. none of these
14. Being socially perceptive includes ______.
a. understanding the needs, goals, and demands of different organizational
constituencies
b. an awareness of how people are motivated
c. how people react to change in their lives
d. all of these
15. According to the text, which of the following is considered to be an interpersonal
leadership skill?
a. problem-solving
b. managing conflicts
c. creating vision
d. all of these
16. Which of the following is NOT a dimension of emotional intelligence?
a. understanding one’s own emotions
b. managing emotions in relations with others
c. understanding the emotions of others
d. none of these, all are dimensions of emotional intelligence
17. Sam is the manager of a small, regional ice cream company. As part of the staff
training he leads each year, Sam has all of his employees engage in activities focused
on learning about how to appropriately respond to other’s wants and needs. This is an
example of ______.
a. putting emotions to good use
b. becoming aware of their own emotions
c. becoming aware of the emotions of others
d. all of these
18. To enhance emotional intelligence, leaders should ______.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
a. express their extreme emotions
b. become aware of the emotions of others
c. learn how to regulate their own emotions
d. become aware of the emotions of others and learn how to regulate their own
emotions
19. The underlying premise of emotional intelligence is ______.
a. being sensitive to your own emotions helps you understand your impact on others
b. being sensitive to your own emotions helps you better explain what you want from
others
c. you first need to know yourself before you can lead
d. none of these
20. Being aware of the emotions of others is also known as having ______.
a. sympathy
b. understanding
c. control
d. empathy
21. Your boss makes an intentional effort to understand the emotion or mood of the
office at all times. Your boss uses that information when assigning team members to
specific projects or when communicating with the team as a whole or as individuals.
These behaviors are examples of ______.
a. showing emotional intelligence
b. managing conflict
c. managing people
d. managing resources
22. If conflict is managed correctly, results can include ______.
a. creative problem solving
b. strengthening leader-follower and team member relationships
c. reduction of stress
d. all of these
23. Conflict creates a need for and is a result of ______.
a. compromise
b. bad attitudes
c. change
d. poor leadership
24. Problem-solving skills include ______.
a. not dismissing any possible solution as unworthy
b. recognizing the problem
c. doing something about the problem
d. all of these
25. This is Donnie’s first semester taking a leadership course. He is always thought of
himself as a leader but he is taking this class because he wants to think more critically
about leadership as an academic discipline or philosophy. Donnie is displaying a need
to develop his ______.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
a. conceptual skills
b. critical thinking skills
c. interpersonal skills
d. none of these
26. Which of the following is NOT an example of a conceptual skill as outlined in your
text?
a. problem solving
b. critical thinking
c. creating vision
d. strategic planning
27. ______ precedes everything else in the problem-solving process.
a. Establishing all of the possible outcomes
b. Establishing all of the possible solutions
c. Figuring out who is responsible for the problem
d. Figuring out the exact nature of the problem
28. Amanda needs to cut 10% of her operating budget by the end of the fiscal year. She
asked her team members to create alternatives to help her do so. She now has five very
different solutions and she needs to select the best one for the team. According to your
text, Amanda should ______.
a. select the solution that causes the least amount of conflict
b. examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of each solution
c. pick the solution that gives her the most benefit personally
d. consider alternatives her team did not bring to the table
29. The key to effectively solving any problem is ______.
a. identifying the cause of the problem
b. getting as many solutions as possible
c. selecting the best solution to the problem
d. doing nothing and waiting for the problem to go away on its own
30. The solution we choose for a problem is important because it impacts how we
______.
a. feel about the outcome of our problem solving
b. look as a leader, good or bad
c. are examined for promotion or additional responsibilities
d. none of these
31. According to the text, implementing a solution means adapting the change to the
______ and ______ of those being affected by the change.
a. wants; needs
b. leadership style; communication preference
c. communication preference; needs
d. wants; leadership style
32. When trying to solve a problem, it is best to ______.
a. try all of the possible solutions at the same time
b. carefully and systematically try the solutions
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
c. always defer to one’s supervisor
d. try to solve it on your own
33. Marcus collects classic cars. He recently found a 1965 Ford Mustang convertable
for sale. The current owner tells him the car makes an odd grinding noise but that he
has taken the car to three mechanics and none of them can identify the problem. Even
though Marcus is not a mechanic, he knows he can solve the problem, so he buys the
car. His strategy is to take the engine apart, clean everything, and put it all back
together. Marcus’ behavior is an example of ______.
a. having a strategic plan
b. identifying the problem
c. taking a risk to solve a problem
d. none of these
34. Being strategic requires developing careful plans of action based on ______.
a. knowing more than anyone else on the team
b. being able to influence others to your point of view
c. how much money you have to spend of the solution
d. available resources and personnel
35. The point of strategic planning is to ______.
a. make sure you win and your competition loses
b. develop a plan of action to achieve a goal
c. spend the least amount of money on a solution
d. think of all the possible solutions before choosing one
36. Which of the following is NOT part of strategic planning?
a. the ability to learn
b. the capacity to adapt
c. the ability to ask critical questions
d. managerial wisdom
37. Being able to accept failure is a key aspect of ______.
a. the ability to learn
b. the capacity to adapt
c. the ability to ask critical questions
d. effectively dealing with conflict
38. Strategic planning is primarily a(n) ______.
a. affective activity
b. cognitive activity
c. meditative activity
d. personal activity
39. Conceptual skills are important to leaders because ______.
a. they are needed to help shape an organization
b. leaders need to be great thinkers
c. only smart people can be effective leaders
d. all of these
40. Strategic planning is a multifaceted process. Which of the following would not be
part of a strategic sales pitch?
a. knowing how to fix your product if it fails
b. knowing the right people to whom to pitch the product
c. knowing the goals and direction of your company
d. knowing the size of your potential market
41. For a leader to create a vision, he or she must be able to ______.
a. set forth a picture of the future that is better than the present
b. move others towards a new set of ideals and values that will lead to the future
c. be able to implement the vision and model the principles set forth in the vision
d. all of these
42. Being able to describe the organization’s ideal future and encourage others in its
pursuit is an example of ______.
a. handling conflict
b. managing people
c. creating vision
d. problem solving
43. Juan is running for Student Body President. One of the aspects of his platform is the
way parking passes are distributed to students. He believes seniors should be given
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
priority over all other students, with juniors next, then graduate students, with
sophomore getting all of the remaining passes. He does not believe freshmen need to
have a car, as all freshmen are required to live on campus. As he has spoken to
campus organizations, he has repeatedly painted a visual of how much better campus
would be under his plan. This is an example of ______.
a. handling conflict
b. creating vision
c. strategic planning
d. managing resources
44. Of the following choices, which is NOT an administrative skill?
a. managing people
b. strategic planning
c. managing resources
d. showing technical competence
45. Which of the following is NOT considered to be an administrative skill?
a. managing resources
b. managing people
c. handling conflict
d. managing resources and managing people
46. Athletic coaches take the knowledge of their players and the ability to create game
plans in order to compete with the opposing team. This is an example of ______.
a. strategic planning
b. managing resources
c. managing people
d. handling conflict
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
47. Resources in an organization can include which of the following?
a. money
b. space
c. people
d. all of these
48. Effective leaders understand leadership is about both relationships and tasks. An
effective leader is able to ______.
a. connect with all the people on the team
b. understand the skills required to accomplish needed tasks
c. recognize the environment in which people work
d. all of these
49. If a leader is said to have technical competence, the leader ______.
a. knows how the organization works
b. can program a computer
c. can solve complex problems
d. all of these
50. Coquese Washington’s professional career is detailed in your text. Her ability to fit
into any crowd and have their respect is an example of ______.
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
a. managing conflict
b. creating vision
c. being socially perceptive
d. showing emotional intelligence
True/False
1. Administrative skills are the most fundamental of all skills required to be a leader.
2. Understanding or having technical competence in their subordinates’ activities does
not make a leader more effective.
3. When talking about emotional intelligence, it is enough for leaders to know their own
emotions and the emotions of others.
4. If a socially perceptive leader understands how a proposed change may affect all the
people involved, they are able to create change more effectively.
5. Conflict is always unhealthy and bad.
6. Conflict should only be defined as a struggle between two or more individuals over
perceived differences regarding the policies or procedures one should follow.
7. Selecting the best solution is the last necessary step in problem solving.
8. People typically welcome change because it is a departure from the usual routine.
9. To successfully lead an organization, a leader needs to understand the emotions and
perceptions of their employees on any issue at any time.
10. Problem-solving is an interpersonal ability to take corrective action in a problem
situation in order to meet desired objectives.
Essay
1. Briefly define and describe the three skill sets involved in administrative leadership.
Give an example of each one. Which skill set do you believe is most important for
effective leaders? Why?
2. What is social perceptiveness? Why can leaders with social perceptiveness create
change more effectively than those without it?
3. What is emotional intelligence and how does it apply to leadership?
Instructor Resource
Northouse, Introduction to Leadership, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
4. Using the four steps outlined in your text, describe a time when you had to solve a
problem. Which step did you find most difficult? Why?
5. Why is it important for leaders to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk”? Provide an
example from your own leadership experience when you were able to do this.
6. Boal and Hooijberg (2000) suggested that strategic leaders needed to have the ability
to do three things. Identify and describe these three abilities. Provide an example from
your own life for each ability.
7. Leaders need to demonstrate competence with interpersonal skills if they are to be
effective. Handling conflict and showing emotional intelligence are two key aspects of
interpersonal skills detailed in your text. How does showing emotional intelligence
impact a leader’s ability to handle conflict?
8. Compare and contrast the relative importance of administrative skills, interpersonal
skills, and technical competencies needed by a CEO of a large multinational
organization and the shift manager on an automotive production line. What skills, if any,
are needed by both leaders? Defend your answer.
9. Leadership skills are learned competencies. Which of the leadership skills do you
think are the hardest to learn? Why?
10. What can a leader do to enhance their emotional intelligence? Provide an example
of how you have enhanced your emotional intelligence.