Deck 2: Traits Motives and Characteristics of Leaders

Question 1

A strong achievement drive is an important contributor to innovative thinking in the workplace.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Research about emotional intelligence suggests that leadership is much more controlled by heredity than by environment.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to the theory of emotional intelligence, a person with a high degree of self-management is adaptable and exerts emotional self-control.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An assertive leader finds the right balance between being pushy and being passive.

Question 5

Leaders are likely to acquire more power if they use humor to build themselves up.

Question 6

A leader with a strong internal locus of control readily looks toward environmental forces as the cause of his or her successes and failures.

Question 7

The trait approach to leadership is based on the idea that effective leaders are made of the "right stuff."

Question 8

Leaders who have the "right stuff" have:

A) the necessary traits and characteristics to lead effectively.
B) made the right connections to become leaders.
C) the intellectual characteristics associated with effective leadership.
D) inborn charismatic behaviors.

Question 9

Telling the truth consistently is considered an important trust builder for leaders.

Question 10

Leaders with a socialized power motive use power primarily to achieve organizational goals or vision.

Question 11

According to one authority cited in the leadership text, humility adds value to leadership.

Question 12

A key part of being an authentic leader is to be passionate about your purpose.

Question 13

A recommended way of building passion into a business is for the leader to tell a story about its creation.

Question 14

Part of relationship management in emotional intelligence is building bonds with other people.

Question 15

A resonant leader is one who scores low on emotional intelligence.

Question 16

A synthesis of research studies suggests that when workers trust their supervisor, work satisfaction tends to be higher.

Question 17

An effective form of humor by the leader is to poke fun at the problems and limitations of group members.

Question 18

The trait of flexibility is especially important for leadership because it facilitates a leader's ability to adapt to various leadership situations.

Question 19

Knowledge of the business has become less important as a leadership characteristic because so many competent staff specialists are found in organizations.

Question 20

Group members tend to prefer a leader with an internal locus of control rather than an external one.

Question 21

Passion for the work on the part of a leader often expresses itself as a(n):

A) obsession for achieving company goals.
B) distrust of employees who are calm and relaxed.
C) obsession for surfing the Internet during working hours.
D) tendency to engage in ruthless cost cutting.

Question 22

Which one of the following actions on the part of a leader would most likely contribute to a reputation of trustworthiness?

A) Being highly diplomatic so as not to offend anyone
B) Doing what she or he thinks is right in spite of the political consequences
C) Behaving in a manner differently than he or she expects others to behave
D) Making his or her behavior inconsistent with his or her intentions

Question 23

Finance manager Sharon has the reputation of "walking the talk," so she most likely scores high on the trait of:

A) humility.
B) trustworthiness.
C) extraversion.
D) sense of humor.

Question 24

Creativity among leaders tends to be distributed:

A) along a continuum from low to high.
B) into being creative versus not creative.
C) between old and young leaders.
D) between planners versus implementers.

Question 25

A hands-on and deeply engaged leader who is talented at developing innovating business strategies is most likely to be strong on which of the following traits or characteristics?

A) knowledge of the business
B) emotionally supportiveness
C) humility
D) sense of humor

Question 26

A key part of a leader having humility is to:

A) insult the group performance, including that of your own.
B) put group members in the limelight, rather than oneself.
C) make forecasts about the group not making standards.
D) ask the group to lead itself so he or she can do analytical work.

Question 27

Leadership effectiveness tends to be higher when the leader's intelligence is:

A) about the same as that of the average group member.
B) a little higher than that of the average group member.
C) considerably higher than that of the average group member.
D) considerably lower than that of the average group member.

Question 28

An important part of being assertive is to:

A) not tolerate differences of opinion.
B) express feelings and opinions forthrightly.
C) behave aggressively toward people when necessary.
D) be obnoxious when necessary.

Question 29

The achievement motive refers to:

A) a desire to surpass productivity quotas.
B) finding joy in accomplishment for its own sake.
C) putting high energy into achieving work goals.
D) sustaining a high level of energy for work.

Question 30

Self-confidence is an important leadership characteristic found:

A) primarily among executives.
B) primarily among supervisors.
C) in almost every leadership setting.
D) in male leaders more than in female leaders.

Question 31

Donald Trump is seen as a leader with a:

A) high standing on humility.
B) personalized power motive.
C) socialized power motive.
D) low achievement drive.

Question 32

Tenacity is considered to be an important leadership characteristic because:

A) leaders have such limited power over group members.
B) it requires tenacity to keep a job during an era of downsizing.
C) it often takes a long time to implement a new program.
D) leaders are so often under attack from group members.

Question 33

"Knowledge of the business" as a leadership characteristic is closely related to the leadership trait of:

A) tenacity.
B) creativity.
C) cognitive ability.
D) drive and motivation.

Question 34

A leader with an internal locus of control:

A) is often low in self-confidence.
B) is often interpreted by group members as being weak.
C) sees environmental factors as causing most events.
D) takes responsibility for events happening.

Question 35

A person with high emotional intelligence is likely to:

A) become overly enthusiastic during a meeting.
B) build strong personal bonds with people.
C) be particularly well suited for performing analytical work.
D) avoid stressful situations involving people.

Question 36

Kent is an enthusiastic leader, so his enthusiasm is likely to:

A) be perceived as an annoyance by group members.
B) help him build relationships with the group.
C) be perceived as somewhat of a phony by group members.
D) make it difficult for him to advance further.

Question 37

The most effective type of humor for an organizational leader to use is directed at:

A) the competition.
B) group members.
C) other departments.
D) himself or herself.

Question 38

An important application of farsightedness for executive leaders is to:

A) study technological developments.
B) avoid being frustrated by the demands of group members and customers.
C) predict the direction of environmental forces.
D) memorize product information.

Question 39

An authentic leader would most likely:

A) imitate the behavior of the company CEO.
B) engage in excessive organizational politics.
C) expect more of workers than of himself or herself.
D) practice his or her values consistently.

Question 40

Research about emotional intelligence and leadership concludes that:

A) emotional intelligence alone leads to career success.
B) emotional intelligence combined with ambition accounts for 90 percent of career success.
C) general intelligence and technical skills are the most important for top-level leaders.
D) a leader's mood and associated behaviors affect bottom-line performance.

Question 41

​Walker is a supervisor at an exporting unit. He has a cheerful disposition, and encourages and appreciates his team members who suggest ideas or accomplish tasks. Which of the following traits best describes Walker's behavior?

A) ​Extraversion
B) ​Courage
C) ​Tenacity
D) ​Personalized power motive

Question 42

Lindsey, a market research analyst, is known for her almost always accurate predictions regarding the market trends in the medium to long term. This depicts that Lindsey:

A) has an insightful mind.
B) is a resilient leader.
C) is likely to score low on locus of control.
D) has an impressive creation-of-the-enterprise story.

Question 43

Grace, the CEO of an oil and gas exploration company, decides to buy an oil block, even though experts have warned her of security risks and uncertainty with regard to oil presence. Grace completes the oil deal, and exploration in the block confirms oil presence. Which of the following traits best describes Grace's actions?

A) Resonance
B) Gutsy
C) Humility
D) Extraversion

Question 44

Jane is a farsighted leader, so she:

A) tends to delay taking action.
B) avoids planning her unit's activities.
C) sees the long-range implications of her actions.
D) focuses on the short-range implications of her actions.

Question 45

​Which of the following is true of a leader with socialized power motives?

A) ​They are more likely to manipulate others through the use of power.
B) ​They tend to be less emotionally mature than leaders with personalized power motives.
C) ​They exercise power more for the benefit of the entire organization.
D) ​They crave the trappings of power, such as status symbols, luxury, and money.

Question 46

Mike is the head of a research team at a technology firm. In spite of constant rejection of Mike's ideas by the senior officials, he consistently pursues his ideas without losing confidence. This shows that Mike is a(n) _____ leader.

A) socially conscious
B) resilient
C) submissive
D) aggressive

Question 47

The balance of opinion suggests that the contributors to leadership effectiveness are:

A) virtually unknown.
B) about 90 percent nature and 10 percent nurture.
C) about 90 percent nurture and 10 percent nature.
D) a combination of nature and nurture.

Question 48

Derek, who was earlier a manager at a multinational firm, has been recently appointed the head of the marketing department in the same company. Despite several other contenders for the post of marketing head possessing the same technical skills, Derek clearly had an edge over the others in terms of emotional intelligence. Parker, one of the other contenders, approaches the regional head to seek his advice on improving his leadership skills. If you were the regional head, what advice would you give to Parker?

Question 49

William heads the marketing department of an apparel company. He is an enthusiastic leader who puts in extra work hours to increase the productivity of his team. He is so engaged and passionate about his work that he willingly contributes to his team even during his vacation. Which of the following could possibly be a consequence of William's behavior?

A) High attrition rates
B) Distrust among team members
C) Work addiction
D) Less transparency

Question 50

Simon, the CEO of a consumer electronics firm, receives a huge positive response from the industry experts and consumers for introducing breakthrough technologies in the company's products. Simon is a _____ leader.

A) humble
B) extraverted
C) born
D) creative

Question 51

An important strength of the trait approach to leadership is that it:

A) can help with leadership selection and development.
B) specifies how much of a given trait is important for leadership.
C) specifies which traits are needed for leadership in a given situation.
D) helps in analyzing the situational demands.

Question 52

Emotional intelligence tends to:

A) peak at an early career stage.
B) be closely associated with technical skill.
C) improve with experience.
D) decrease substantially during middle age.

Question 53

Clara is the CEO of an online retail store. Her business saw a 40 percent increase in profits in the current year owing to her instant adaptation to current and upcoming trends. This shows that:

A) Clara is driven by personalized power motive.
B) Clara is over-confident.
C) Clara lacks in practical intelligence.
D) Clara is a flexible leader.

Question 54

​Clarke, the CEO of Abbott Corp., owns several businesses. He enjoys dominating others and prefers subordinates who are submissive and passive. Which of the following power motives explains Clarke's behavior?

A) ​Socialized
B) ​Personalized
C) ​Achievement
D) ​Cognitive

Question 55

A systems thinker would be especially good at:

A) exploiting short-range benefits.
B) understanding how the external environment influences the organization.
C) sizing up people.
D) managing his or her emotions to advantage.

Question 56

​Clark is an enthusiastic leader who has the ability to clearly communicate his team plans and goals. He is also known for his ability to resolve disputes quickly, taking into consideration the interests of all the parties involved. Clark is likely to score high on:

A) ​relationship management.
B) ​personalized power motive.
C) ​creativity.
D) ​tenacity.

Question 57

Edwards is the head of the procurement department at FreshDelights, a frozen yogurt chain. Anticipating a reduction in the demand for frozen yogurt in the upcoming winter season, Edwards decides to reduce the dairy procurement. Edwards is:

A) a humble leader.
B) a conceptual thinker.
C) driven by personalized power motive.
D) a leader with a pessimistic outlook.

Question 58

​Lewis is a team leader at a multinational corporation. Before assigning tasks to his team members, he asks for their preferences and suggestions, to not only enhance project delivery efficiency, but also increase team members' satisfaction. Which of the following traits best describes Lewis' approach?

A) ​Self-assertive
B) ​Aggressively courageous
C) ​Effective self-management
D) ​Socially aware

Question 59

​Torres was recently appointed the marketing head of a cosmetics company. He has a keen interest in the cosmetics industry and has extensively studied the company's past growth and marketing strategies. This reveals that Torres:

A) ​is an extraverted leader.
B) ​exudes a strong sense of warmth and courage.
C) ​has knowledge of the key task the group is performing.
D) ​is influenced by personalized power motive.

Question 60

With respect to heredity and environment, leadership effectiveness appears to be:

A) mostly due to heredity.
B) the combined influence of heredity and environment.
C) mostly due to the environment.
D) four-fifths heredity and one-fifth environment.

Question 61

Thomas heads the sales team of a computer software firm. As a leader, his inclination is more toward accumulating wealth and acquiring status through his position. In the second year of his tenure, the sales department generates substantially lower revenue than in the previous years. If you were the advisor to Thomas, what advice would you give him to improve the company's prospects?

Question 62

Tamara is the CEO of an energy firm. She is known for her natural abilities to manage crisis and guide her team effectively. Kevin, one of the managers at Tamara's organization, is of the opinion that the "heredity" factor plays the main role in Tamara's leadership abilities. However, Kevin's fellow worker, Allen, feels that the hereditary factor alone is not sufficient to become a complete leader. If you were Allen, how would you justify his stance?