Leadership Situations
1) A project suddenly becomes unclear and people are waiting for direction. What do you naturally do first?
A) Pause, stay calm, and avoid reacting too quickly
B) Break the work into priorities and next steps
C) Talk to key people to understand expectations
D) Bring the group together to align roles and direction
2) A colleague disagrees with your idea in a meeting. What is your first instinct?
A) Ask questions to understand their concern
B) Stay composed and avoid taking it personally
C) Return to the facts, goal, and decision criteria
D) Help the group find a shared way forward
3) Your workload is growing and several people need things from you. What do you do first?
A) Clarify priorities and decide what matters most
B) Step back so stress does not drive my decisions
C) Communicate expectations and negotiate timelines
D) See what can be shared, delegated, or owned by others
4) Someone on the team seems disengaged or less motivated. What is your first move?
A) Have a conversation to understand what is going on
B) Think about how their role, clarity, or support may need to change
C) Look at whether goals and responsibilities are clear
D) Check my own assumptions before judging the situation
5) You receive feedback that your work missed the mark. What do you naturally focus on first?
A) Processing the feedback without losing confidence
B) Understanding what needs to be fixed and making a plan
C) Clarifying expectations with the person who gave feedback
D) Checking whether collaboration or role clarity caused the issue
6) A meeting ends with lots of discussion but no clear action. What do you do first?
A) Define actions, owners, and deadlines
B) Clarify the message so everyone understands the decision
C) Align the group on responsibilities and next steps
D) Reflect on how I could have helped create more clarity
7) You need to influence someone who has different priorities. What is your natural approach?
A) Understand what matters to them and adapt my message
B) Build a clear case with facts, benefits, and trade-offs
C) Prepare myself so I stay confident and clear
D) Look for shared goals that bring people together
8) A deadline moves forward unexpectedly. What do you do first?
A) Stay calm and prevent pressure from taking over
B) Reprioritize the work and protect the critical path
C) Communicate the impact and reset expectations
D) Coordinate who does what so the group can move faster
9) You notice two people are not aligned on how to move forward. What is your first instinct?
A) Listen to both sides and clarify the misunderstanding
B) Bring them together around roles, goals, and agreements
C) Bring the discussion back to the task and decision needed
D) Stay neutral and manage my own reaction first
10) You are asked to lead something new, but you are not fully ready. What do you do first?
A) Build confidence and remind myself I can learn through action
B) Create a simple plan and identify the first steps
C) Ask questions and learn from people with experience
D) Think about who needs to be involved and aligned
11) A team/project keeps depending on you for answers. What do you naturally do?
A) Help others take more ownership and make decisions
B) Create clearer processes, priorities, or decision rules
C) Talk with people to understand why they are stuck
D) Reflect on whether I am taking too much on myself
12) You have to give feedback that might be uncomfortable. What is your first focus?
A) Say it in a way the person can hear and use
B) Manage my own discomfort so I do not avoid it
C) Be specific about the behavior and expected outcome
D) Connect the feedback to team standards and growth
13) A plan is moving slowly because people are confused. What do you do first?
A) Simplify the plan into clear steps
B) Explain the message more clearly
C) Align people on who owns what
D) Stay patient and avoid becoming frustrated
14) You feel pressure to prove yourself. What do you naturally do?
A) Work harder and try to deliver more
B) Step back and reconnect with what I can control
C) Seek feedback and clarify expectations
D) Look for ways to create impact through others
15) A group discussion becomes messy and unfocused. What do you naturally do first?
A) Bring the conversation back to the goal and next decision
B) Make sure everyone understands each other
C) Help the group agree on roles and next steps
D) Stay composed and avoid adding more noise
16) When things go wrong and results are at risk, what is your natural reaction first?
A) Stay calm and manage my reaction before doing anything else
B) Focus on what needs to be fixed and push execution
C) Talk to the people involved to understand what happened
D) Look at how roles, ownership, or coordination broke down