1. You have asked one of your subordinates to write a report concerning the acquisition of some new equipment for your division. She usually can be given an assignment and it is completed on time with encouragement from you. The report is now overdue. YOU WOULD: Tell her you want the report, explain what you want in the report, and check on her performance daily. Give her more time to complete the assignment. Tell her what you expect and when you want the report completed, but discuss with her why the report is late. Talk to her and encourage her to complete the report.	2. The interdepartmental task force that you manage has been working hard to complete its division-wide report. You have been assigned a new task force member. He must complete some cost figures for his department by next week but knows nothing about the task force's requirements or the format of the report. He is excited and enthused about learning more concerning his role on the task force. YOU WOULD: Tell him exactly what is needed in this report and closely monitor his progress. Ask if there is anything you can do to help him and support his excitement about being a new task force member. Specify the report format and information requirements but incorporate any ideas or suggestions he may have. Welcome him to the team, and put him in touch with other members of the task force who could help him get ready to present the cost figures.
3. Recently, you have begun to have trouble with one of the people you supervise. He has become lackadaisical, and only your constant prodding has brought about task completion. Because of past experience with him, you suspect he may not have all the expertise needed to complete the high priority task you have given him. YOU WOULD: Continue to direct and follow up on his efforts to complete this task. Continue to closely supervise his work and to draw out his attitudes and feelings concerning this task assignment. Involve him in problem- solving with this task, offer support, and use his ideas in the task completion. Let him know this is an important task and ask him to contact you it he has any questions or problems.	4. Your group usually functions effectively with encouragement and direction from you. Despite your continued support and direction, their performance has dropped off drastically. The group needs more expertise and experience to increase performance. Your boss has become concerned. YOU WOULD: Emphasize the need for better performance and ask the group to work out their problems by themselves. Make sure that deadlines are met and the quality of the work is good, but talk with the group to get its recommendations. Inform the group of exactly what you expect, when it is needed, what some of the consequences could be it poor performance continues, and frequently check performance. Help the group determine what needs to be done and encourage them to take the necessary steps.
5. Because of budget restrictions imposed on your department, it is necessary to consolidate. You have asked a highly experienced member of your department to take charge of the consolidation. This person has worked in all areas of your department. In the past, she has usually been eager to help. While you feel she has the ability to perform this assignment, she seems indifferent to the importance of the task. YOU WOULD: Take charge of the consolidation but make sure you hear her suggestions. Assign the project to her and let her determine how to accomplish it. Discuss the situation with her. Encourage her to accept the assignment in light of her skills and experience. Take charge of the consolidation and indicate to her precisely what to do. Supervise her work closely.	6. A highly productive and efficient woman on your staff has asked for your help on a task. She is accustomed to working effectively on her own. Recently, some work problems have developed that she feels she can't solve by herself. YOU WOULD: Analyze the problems and outline methods to solve them. Continue to allow her to figure out an appropriate solution independently. Determine and implement an appropriate solution, but work with her in problem- solving. Discuss the problems with her and support her efforts to find appropriate solutions.
7. You have asked one of your senior employees to take on a new job. In his other responsibilities, he has performed well with support from you. The job you have asked him to do is important to the future of your work group. He is excited about the new assignment but doesn't know where to begin because of his lack of experience with this task. YOU WOULD: Discuss the job with him, supporting his ability to do it. Emphasize his outstanding performance in the past. Define the activities necessary to successfully complete the job and regularly check to see how things are going. Give him the assignment and let him determine how to do the job. Tell him to call you if there are any problems. Specify what he is to do, but include any ideas he may have.	8. One of your staff is feeling insecure about a job you have assigned to him. He is highly competent and you know that he has the skills to complete the assignment successfully and efficiently. YOU WOULD: Listen to his concerns and let him know you have confidence in his ability to complete the assignment. Structure the assignment so that it is clear, but consider any helpful suggestions he may have. Tell him exactly what to do to get the job done and check his work daily. Let him figure out how to do the assignment on his own.
9. Your staff has asked you to consider a change in their work schedule. In the past you have encouraged and supported their suggestions. In this case your staff is well aware of the need for change and is ready to suggest and try an alternate schedule. Members are very competent and work well together as a group. YOU WOULD: Allow staff involvement in developing the new schedule and support the suggestions of group members. Design and implement the new schedule yourself, but incorporate staff recommendations. Allow the staff to formulate and implement the new schedule on its own. Design the new schedule yourself and closely direct its implementation.	10. You arrive fifty minutes late for a meeting with your staff. When you arrive, the meeting still has not started. Investigation reveals that a couple of members tried to start the meeting but most group members were discouraged because of lack of group member cooperation. This situation surprises you because the group’s progress on this project has been going well. YOU WOULD: Restate the purpose of the meeting, then let the group function without any direction from you unless they ask for your help. Take control immediately and direct the group toward project completion. Direct their interaction towards task completion and encourage group members to discuss problems and feelings. Ask the group to continue to discuss the assigned task and provide as much support and encouragement as possible.
11. A member of your department has had a fine record of accomplishment with your support and encouragement but little direction. He has been given similar tasks to accomplish for the coming year and you must decide how to supervise him. YOU WOULD: Let him function by himself providing his own support and direction. Emphasize to him the importance of meeting deadlines and direct his efforts at accomplishing assigned tasks. Talk with him and set goals and objectives for his task accomplishment, but consider his suggestions. Involve him in setting goals and support his efforts.	12. In the past, you worked closely with your staff directing and supporting their efforts. Productivity is high and people get along well together. Recognizing their abilities, you feel they can now work more on their own. You have redirected your energies to new areas and they have continued to produce good results. You must now ask them to accept additional work. YOU WOULD: Assign the work to them. Make sure they know exactly what to do, and supervise them closely. Give them the job. Tell them that you are pleased with their past performance and that you are sure they will do well with this assignment. Make sure they know what you want them to do, but incorporate any helpful suggestions they may have. Let them determine how to complete the assignment.
13. You recently have been assigned a new employee who will perform an important job in your office. Even though he is inexperienced, he is enthusiastic and feels he has the confidence to do the job. YOU WOULD: Let him determine what the job entails and how to do it. Tell him exactly what the job entails, what you expect of him and monitor his work closely and frequently. Let him know what you want him to do, but see if he has any suggestions or ideas. Encourage and praise his enthusiasm and ask him how he would tackle the job.	14. Your boss has asked that your division increase its productivity 10%. You know this can be done, but it will require your active involvement. To free yourself to do this, you must reassign the task of developing a new cost control system to one of your divisional employees. The person to whom you are thinking of assigning the task has had considerable experience with cost control systems, but she is a little unsure about doing this task on her own. YOU WOULD: Ask her to take on the project. Encourage and support her efforts. Discuss the project with her. Explain how you want the job done, but see if she has any ideas. Assign her the project and let her determine how to do it. Assign her the project and prepare a detailed memo explaining all the steps necessary to get the project done.
15. One of your subordinates has made a suggestion for change in the operations of the unit that makes sense to you. In the past, she has been able to offer and implement other helpful suggestions in a productive manner with your support and encouragement. You have confidence in her abilities. YOU WOULD: Take charge of the suggestion and direct her in its implementation. Discuss the suggestion with her, and support her efforts to direct its implementation. Organize the implementation, but include her ideas. Give her the responsibility for implementing the suggestion without involvement from you.	16. Due to illness in your family, you have been forced to miss the first two meetings of a committee under your direction. You  found, upon attending the third meeting, that the committee is functioning well and making good progress toward completion of its goals. You are unsure about how you fit into the group and what your role should be. YOU WOULD: Attend, but let the group continue to work as it has during the first two meetings. Assume the leadership of the committee and begin to direct its activities. Do what you can to make the committee feel important and involved, and support their past efforts. Direct the activities of the group, but incorporate group members' suggestions.
17. Your staff is very competent and able to work well on their own. You have generally left them alone and delegated key responsibilities to individual members. Their performance has been outstanding. YOU WOULD: Provide continual support and encouragement to group members. Direct and closely supervise the activities of your staff. Continue to let the group work on its own. Direct their efforts, but work closely with your staff to solicit their suggestions.	18. You and your superiors have decided that a new procedure has to be installed in your department if long-term gains in performance are to be obtained. In the past, when new procedures were installed, your group has been eager to use them but has initially lacked the skills to do so. YOU WOULD:  Make sure that you direct the implementation of the new procedure, but involve the group in discussing alternatives. Closely direct the group in their initial use of the new procedure. Get the group involved in a discussion of the new procedure and encourage their cooperation and involvement. Allow the group to formulate and implement the new procedure on its own.
19. You have been recently appointed the head of a division. Under the division’s former boss, the staff functioned adequately with considerable support and encouragement. Since you have taken over, however, the staff appears to be more concerned with social activities than with carrying out their responsibilities. The staff’s performance to date has been poor. YOU WOULD: Discuss the staff's low performance with them and support their efforts to specify corrective measures. Direct and organize the necessary corrective action, but solicit input and suggestions from the group. Point out the problem and allow staff members to define their own responsibilities and tasks. Define roles, responsibilities, and outcomes and frequently check to see if their performance is improving,	20. One of your employees is reluctant to take on a new assignment. She has had little experience in the area in which you want her to work. She has done a good job with other tasks you have given her. YOU WOULD: Explain to her what must be done and how to do it, but listen to why she is reluctant to do the task. Give her the new assignment and let her determine the best way to do it. Encourage her to try the job and facilitate her efforts through mutual problem- solving. Tell her exactly what most be done to successfully complete the assignment and frequently monitor the results.

 

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The leadership style category with the highest score below represents your preferred leadership style.

DIRECTING: High directing and low supporting behavior -- S1:

COACHING: moderate directing and high supporting behavior -- S2:

DELEGATING: low directing and low supporting behavior -- S3:

SUPPORTING: low directing and high supporting behavior -- S4: