QCM : Foundations of Effective Leadership — 24 questions

Explication

Trait leadership theory connects leadership to relatively stable personal characteristics that influence how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It does not claim that traits alone guarantee effective leadership.

Explication

Great Man theory treats leadership as something people are born with, emphasizing heroic qualities such as courage, intelligence, confidence, and charisma. It does not focus on learned behaviour or follower expectations.

Explication

The Dark Triad consists of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. These traits can shape leadership behaviour and increase risk.

Explication

A risky pattern includes charm or dominance together with blaming others, ignoring feedback, and manipulating information. That combination aligns with dark-trait characteristics rather than healthy leadership.

Explication

The task dimension is leadership behaviour focused on work methods, efficiency, and completion of tasks. The relationship dimension, by contrast, focuses on support and follower needs.

Explication

In the Leadership Grid, 9,9 team management reflects high concern for both production and people and is described as the best general style. The other styles emphasize one concern at the expense of the other.

Explication

The 9,9 style is team management, which balances strong attention to tasks and to people. This is presented as the best general style in the model logic.

Explication

Delegating fits followers who are already capable and confident because responsibility can be handed over. New or overwhelmed followers usually need more direction instead.

Explication

Directive leadership involves clear instructions and close guidance to achieve results. Supportive leadership, in contrast, emphasizes encouragement and emotional backing.

Explication

Supportive leadership focuses on encouragement, two-way communication, and emotional support. It differs from directive leadership, which is more focused on instruction and close guidance.

Explication

Competency leadership focuses on the skills, behaviours, knowledge, and capabilities associated with effective leadership. It is not the same as trait theory or implicit leadership expectations.

Explication

Competency lists can miss important realities such as toxic culture, changing context, and follower trust. Technical competence alone does not ensure effective leadership.

Explication

Implicit Leadership Theory explains that followers evaluate leaders using mental prototypes and expectations. Leadership credibility depends on fitting those expectations, not competence alone.

Explication

A leader can struggle to gain trust if behaviour does not match follower expectations, even when technically competent. The theory stresses acceptance and perceived fit.

Explication

Emergent leadership appears through group interactions and influence instead of formal appointment. It is different from authority-based leadership.

Explication

Shared leadership is a pattern in which several members contribute to direction, decision-making, and coordination. It spreads leadership functions across the group.

Explication

Servant leadership uses authority to empower others, and the leader’s success depends on followers’ growth and wellbeing. It inverts the usual hierarchy by serving followers first.

Explication

Servant leadership is tested by whether followers grow into healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous people. That growth shows the leader is serving development rather than control.

Explication

Authentic leadership trust comes from consistency between a leader’s actions, values, and communicated intentions. This consistency helps rebuild credibility.

Explication

Balanced processing means weighing multiple relevant inputs before deciding, rather than using biased or selective information. It supports trust by showing fairness and openness.

Explication

The Four I’s are idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. These are the core components of transformational leadership.

Explication

Intellectual stimulation is the component that pushes followers to question assumptions and think creatively. The other components focus on role modelling, vision, or individual support.

Explication

Strengths-based leadership aims to improve performance by using people’s existing strengths instead of mainly fixing weaknesses. It works best when tasks allow those strengths to be applied well.

Explication

Signature strengths are recurring abilities that feel natural and enable consistent high-quality performance. They are not just job-specific learned skills.