Deck 4: Traits and Skills Contributing to Leader Effectiveness

Question 1

Continual learning, as a leadership skill, means that the individual takes responsibility for acquiring new information and finding ways to use new and old information creatively.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Skills are learned characteristics that can be improved by training, education, and practice.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Leadership skills tend to be broad in nature, such as ability to communicate.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Power is derived from both position and person; when based on the person, it is typically related to the leader's influence skills.

Question 5

It is especially true of position power, as opposed to personal power, that it is acquired over time and that the leader develops it over time.

Question 6

A leader who can factually explain different viewpoints in complex, ambiguous situations is considered to have analytic skills.

Question 7

No leader should have to develop skills in order to live with ambiguity to the extent that a decision affecting him or her is not made for an extended period of time.

Question 8

Charismatic leaders should break down others' self-confidence in order to enhance personal power.

Question 9

Decisiveness is not an appropriate leadership trait in most situations because decision quality is harmed.

Question 10

Managers are considered to have high flexibility when they have the hardiness of spirit to remain focused or to spring back effectively when pushed hard by external influences.

Question 11

High energy as a trait can be a problem for leaders who do not adequately plan, reflect, and therefore lead purposeful action.

Question 12

Leaders with high emotional maturity are usually balanced and self-controlled until feelings of anger and hostility develop whenever they have to take unpopular actions.

Question 13

A primary characteristic of leaders high in need for achievement is the eagerness to delegate.

Question 14

Studies about leadership traits consistently show that expertise and competence on the job are normally ranked the highest, even when pitted against honesty and personal integrity.

Question 15

Leaders with the trait of resilience are usually considered more dependable than others because they are not worn down by fatigue, stress, and disillusionment.

Question 16

The ten traits discussed in the chapter include:

A) five heredity factors and five environmentally transmitted factors
B) six personality characteristics, two classic motivational drives, and two value orientations
C) four emotional factors, four intellectual factors, and two drives toward extroversion
D) six communication characteristics and four dominant leadership skills

Question 17

The following is one of the personality characteristics discussed in the chapter:

A) energy
B) need for achievement
C) task-orientation
D) environmental scanning

Question 18

The personality characteristic that leads people to a reasoned surety about their capacity to perform is called:

A) resilience
B) energy
C) decisiveness
D) self-confidence

Question 19

The following is one of the guidelines for improving decisiveness:

A) Know your long-term goals
B) Assess personal strengths and weaknesses in order to address them
C) Prepare for possible emergencies and crises by developing contingency plans
D) Be patient and flexible in achieving goals

Question 20

The four elements commonly associated with emotional maturity are:

A) self-awareness, self-control, responsibility for actions, socialized power orientation
B) self-awareness, self-control, focus on task at hand, responsibility for actions
C) self-control, reliability, socialized power orientation, focus on task at hand
D) self-awareness, decisiveness, responsibility for actions, self-control

Question 21

The need for achievement has the following elements:

A) strategy, competition, excellence
B) task achievement, competition, ambition
C) task achievement, high goal, competition
D) task achievement, competition, and excellence

Question 22

The need for achievement can become extreme if not tempered with the following traits:

A) personal integrity and adaptability
B) emotional maturity and service mentality
C) personal resilience and sense of trust
D) proactiveness and creativity

Question 23

The achievement-motivation theory-relating achievement, power, and affiliation-is a classic work of an American psychologist named:

A) John B. Watson
B) Gordon W. Allport
C) David McClelland
D) Burrhus F. Skinner

Question 24

The value orientation that is nearly synonymous with the word "ethical" is:

A) service mentality
B) personal integrity
C) emotional maturity
D) responsibility

Question 25

The following is inconsistent with the six leadership skills discussed in the chapter:

A) communication skills
B) influence skills
C) analytic skills
D) computational skills

Question 26

Personal likability and expressiveness are two major elements of:

A) social skill
B) influence skill
C) technical skill
D) communication skill

Question 27

The influence strategy that emphasizes the act of involving the target in the process of planning, in providing substantive feedback, or in making changes is also known as:

A) exchange tactics
B) consultation
C) pressure tactics
D) legitimating tactics

Question 28

Leadership discrimination, cognitive complexity, and ambiguity tolerance are the three major elements that comprise:

A) social skills
B) technical skills
C) analytic skills
D) continual learning

Question 29

The ability to glean and use new information and data is one of the attributes of:

A) technical skills
B) participative leadership skills
C) communication skills
D) continual learning

Question 30

Which of the following best describes intelligence?

A) It is not considered a leadership trait
B) It is an absolute requirement for leadership effectiveness
C) Because of the importance of the trait of intelligence, it helps prove that leaders are born, not made
D) Intelligence, as an other-oriented trait, helps to balance self-oriented traits

Question 31

Sometimes in a skill domain one subelement is used to compensate for another. For example, it is not uncommon for people who are strong at oral communication to overrely on it and to neglect written communication. Provide an example of skill substitution in which there are negative ramifications.

Question 32

This chapter identifies eight influence strategies. Name the two that you think you are strongest at and give examples in each case. Name your two weakest and tell why. Are you interested in improving the weakest? Do you know how you could improve them?

Question 33

Contrast the influence strategies associated with high position power versus high personal power.

Question 34

The textbook states, "without emotional intelligence, smart can be dumb." What does that mean in light of the traits deemed especially important for leadership?

Question 35

Contrast the two value orientations that are discussed in the textbook.