Leadership Quiz: 10 Decisions Every Team Leader Should Get Right (Part 2)

Leadership Situation 1

A Team Leader usually makes sound decisions, but when explaining them they provide so much background and detail that people often struggle to understand the main point.

As the Team Leader, which of the following would most strengthen your leadership?

A. Provide even more information so people can see the full reasoning.

B. Start with the main point, then support it with the relevant reasoning and evidence.

C. Communicate important decisions only in writing.

D. Avoid explaining decisions unless someone specifically asks.

Leadership Principle

Strong leaders make their thinking clear and easy for others to follow.

Why is B the best answer?

Good leadership decisions are more effective when people understand both the decision and the reasoning behind it.

Starting with the main point gives people a clear anchor. The Team Leader can then provide the relevant reasoning, evidence, or context needed to support that point.

This is particularly important when communicating complex decisions. Providing too much background before reaching the main point can make it harder for people to understand what matters most.

Clarity does not mean oversimplifying. It means organizing your thinking so others can follow it.

Why not A?

More information does not necessarily create greater understanding.

If the Team Leader already provides too much background and detail, adding more information is likely to make the message even harder to follow.

Why not C?

Written communication can be useful, but changing the communication channel does not solve the underlying issue.

Whether communicating verbally or in writing, the Team Leader still needs to make the main point clear.

Why not D?

People often need to understand the reasoning behind decisions, particularly when those decisions affect their work.

Avoiding explanation can create confusion and make it more difficult for people to understand priorities and expectations.

Leadership Insight

Having sound judgment is important. Being able to communicate that judgment is part of leadership too.

Team Leaders often know far more about an issue than the people listening to them. That can make it tempting to explain every detail before getting to the point.

Great Team Leaders make it easier for people to follow their thinking. Make the point. Then explain the point.

Leadership Situation 2

A Team Leader repeatedly tells the team: “Learning and development are important.”

But whenever workload increases, coaching and development activities are the first things they cancel.

What is the biggest leadership issue?

A. The Team Leader needs to improve their time management skills.

B. The team may become too dependent on formal coaching.

C. The inconsistency between what the Team Leader says and does can weaken trust.

D. Development should normally be postponed whenever operational workload increases.

Leadership Principle

Trust grows when a leader’s actions are consistent with what they say matters.

Why is C the best answer?

Team Members pay attention not only to what their Team Leader says, but also to what their Team Leader does.

If learning and development are repeatedly described as important but are routinely cancelled when operational pressure increases, the behaviour sends a different message from the words.

Over time, Team Members may reasonably conclude that development is important only when nothing more urgent is happening.

This inconsistency can weaken trust in the Team Leader’s messages and priorities.

Why not A?

Time management may be part of the problem, but it does not capture the most important leadership issue.

The deeper issue is the repeated gap between what the Team Leader says is important and what their behaviour demonstrates is important.

Why not B?

There is nothing in the situation suggesting the team has become overly dependent on formal coaching.

The concern is that coaching and development are repeatedly being cancelled.

Why not D?

Operational demands sometimes require plans to change.

But routinely sacrificing development whenever workload increases sends a powerful message about its actual priority.

Leadership Insight

People notice what leaders protect.

If coaching, learning, and Staff Development disappear whenever the operation becomes busy, people quickly learn where development really sits on the priority list.

There will always be operational pressures.

Great Team Leaders understand that developing people is not something they do after the real work is finished. Developing people is part of the real work.

Leadership Situation 3

An Advisor asks why Adherence to Schedule matters. The Team Leader replies: “Because 95% is our target.”

What would be a stronger leadership response?

A. Explain how Adherence supports the Customer Wait Time experience.

B. Remind the Advisor that KPIs are established by senior management.

C. Explain that every Contact Center needs strict productivity standards.

D. Tell the Advisor that understanding the reason is less important than meeting the target.

Leadership Principle

People are more likely to understand expectations when leaders connect individual performance to a meaningful business outcome.

Why is A the best answer?

A target tells an Advisor what is expected. A good Team Leader also helps them understand why it matters.

Adherence to Schedule helps ensure that the people expected to be available to handle Customer contacts are available when planned.

When Advisors understand the connection between their own behaviour and the Customer Wait Time experience, the KPI becomes more meaningful than simply achieving a percentage.

Why not B?

Knowing that senior management established a KPI does not explain why the KPI matters. That approach relies on authority rather than understanding.

Why not C?

Adherence is an important operational measure, but describing it simply as a strict productivity standard misses the reason it matters.

The stronger explanation connects the Advisor’s behaviour with its operational and Customer impact.

Why not D?

Meeting expectations matters, but understanding why those expectations exist can strengthen ownership.

People are better able to exercise judgment when they understand the purpose behind what they are being asked to do.

Leadership Insight

“Because that’s the target” is rarely a compelling leadership message. Great Team Leaders help people see the connection between what they do and what happens next.

An Advisor adhering to schedule is not simply producing a percentage on a report. Their behaviour affects available capacity, which in turn affects how long Customers may have to wait.

When people understand why, performance measures become more meaningful.

Leadership Situation 4

An experienced Advisor asks their Team Leader how to deal with a situation they have encountered several times before. The Team Leader knows exactly what they should do.

What is the best response?

A. Give the answer immediately so the Advisor can move on quickly.

B. Refer the Advisor to the procedure.

C. Ask another experienced Advisor to make the decision.

D. Ask questions that help the Advisor work through the situation.

Leadership Principle

Great Team Leaders know when to provide an answer and when to help someone work out the answer for themselves.

When an experienced Team Member already has the knowledge and experience they need, asking good questions can help develop their judgment and independence.

Why is D the best answer?

There are times when giving someone the answer is exactly the right thing to do. But this isn’t necessarily one of them.

Because the Advisor is experienced and has encountered similar situations before, the Team Leader has an opportunity to help them think through the issue themselves.

Providing an immediate answer may solve today’s problem, but asking questions such as “What do you think?” or “What options do you see?” encourages the Advisor to draw on their own knowledge and experience.

Over time, this builds confidence, judgment, and greater independence.

Why not A?

Giving the answer may be faster in the moment.

But if the Team Leader routinely provides solutions, Advisors can become dependent on the Team Leader rather than developing their own problem-solving capability.

Why not B?

Procedures are useful when a situation is governed by a defined process.

But simply directing the Advisor to a procedure misses the development opportunity presented by the situation.

Why not C?

Another experienced Advisor may have useful insight, but transferring the decision to somebody else still does not help this Advisor develop their own judgment.

Leadership Insight

Being the person with all the answers can feel like good leadership. But sometimes it is exactly the opposite.

If every question comes to the Team Leader and every answer comes back from the Team Leader, the team can gradually become less capable of thinking independently.

The skill is knowing when to answer and when to ask.

Sometimes people need information, direction, or a clear answer. At other times, they already have enough knowledge and experience to work through the situation themselves.

Great Team Leaders learn to recognize the difference.

Leadership Situation 5

A Team Leader has an Advisor who performs reliably, treats Customers well and meets expectations.

However, the Advisor does not seem particularly enthusiastic about the job and rarely talks about career advancement.

What is the most relevant conclusion?

A. The Advisor is disengaged and needs a performance conversation.

B. The Team Leader should find ways to make the Advisor more ambitious.

C. People have different reasons for working; the Team Leader should continue creating conditions where the Advisor can contribute, succeed and feel respected.

D. Reliable performance is sufficient, so engagement should not concern the Team Leader.

Leadership Principle

Engagement does not require everyone to have the same ambitions, motivations, or level of enthusiasm about work.

Why is C the best answer?

People work for different reasons.

Some people are highly career focused. Others value stability, relationships, flexibility, mastery of their current role, or simply doing good work and being treated fairly.

A lack of visible enthusiasm or interest in promotion does not automatically mean someone is disengaged.

The Team Leader’s role is not to impose a particular definition of ambition. It is to create an environment where people can contribute, perform well, develop appropriately, and feel respected.

Why not A?

There is no evidence in the situation that the Advisor is performing poorly or behaving in a way that requires a performance conversation.

Equating limited enthusiasm with disengagement makes an assumption about the individual’s motivation.

Why not B?

Not everyone wants career advancement.

A Team Leader can explore someone’s interests and development goals, but trying to make a person more ambitious imposes the leader’s definition of success on the individual.

Why not D?

Reliable performance is important, but Team Leaders should still care about the conditions that support engagement.

The mistake is not caring about engagement. The mistake is assuming engagement must look the same for everyone.

Leadership Insight

Be careful about defining engagement by how much someone appears to love their job.

People have different priorities at different stages of their lives.

Someone can be dependable, skilled, Customer focused, supportive of colleagues, and committed to doing good work without dreaming about their next promotion.

Great Team Leaders learn what matters to the individual rather than assuming everyone should be motivated by the same things.

Leadership Situation 6

An Advisor’s Quality performance has remained below the required standard for several weeks despite focused efforts.

Which response best demonstrates High Standards and High Devotion leadership?*

A. Lower the standard temporarily because the Advisor is trying hard.

B. Be clear that the standard still needs to be achieved and collaborate with the Advisor to build capability.

C. Recognize that the Advisor is Gen Z and as such won’t perform well.

D. Give the Advisor more time and avoid discussing the issue until their confidence improves.

*The High Standards and High Devotion approach was developed by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss.

Leadership Principle

High Standards and High Devotion leadership combines clear expectations with a strong commitment to helping people succeed.

Why is B the best answer?

High Standards means being clear about the performance that is required.

High Devotion means investing in the person and helping them build the capability needed to achieve that performance.

These ideas work together.

The Team Leader does not lower the Quality standard because the Advisor is struggling. At the same time, they do not simply demand improvement and leave the Advisor to work it out alone.

The stronger leadership response is to maintain the required standard while collaborating with the Advisor to identify what needs to improve and helping them build the necessary capability.

Why not A?

Lowering the standard may feel supportive, but it reduces the Standards side of the approach.

Support does not require lowering legitimate performance expectations.

Why not C?

Generational labels do not explain an individual’s performance.

Assuming that someone will perform poorly because they belong to a particular generation replaces leadership diagnosis with stereotyping.

The Team Leader needs to understand what is actually affecting this Advisor’s performance.

Why not D?

Confidence may matter, but avoiding the issue does not help the Advisor improve.

High Devotion means being committed enough to the person’s success to have the necessary conversations and provide meaningful support.

Leadership Insight

Holding people accountable and caring about their success are not competing leadership choices.

Great Team Leaders do both.

They can say: “This is the standard we need to achieve.”

And at the same time: “I’m committed to helping you develop what you need to achieve it.”

High Standards without sufficient devotion can feel harsh. High Devotion without sufficient standards can become indulgent.

Strong leadership requires both.

Leadership Situation 7

A Team Leader has completed a Quality evaluation and identified six areas where an Advisor could improve. The objective now is to help the Advisor improve their performance.

What is the best next step?

A. Go through all six findings so the Advisor receives complete feedback.

B. Increase the number of evaluations before deciding what to discuss.

C. Ask the Advisor to study the scorecard and choose what they want to improve.

D. Prioritize one or two high-impact behaviours and agree on specific actions for improvement.

Leadership Principle

Effective development focuses attention on a manageable number of important behaviours that can be improved.

Why is D the best answer?

A Quality evaluation can identify many observations, but trying to improve everything at once can dilute attention and make meaningful change harder.

The Team Leader should use judgment to identify one or two behaviours that are most important to improving performance.

Those behaviours can then become the focus of coaching, practice, feedback, and follow-up.

This turns evaluation findings into a practical development plan.

Why not A?

Providing all six findings may feel thorough, but completeness is not the same as effective development.

Giving someone too many things to work on at once can make it difficult to know where to begin and where to focus their effort.

Why not B?

Additional evaluation may provide more data, but the Team Leader already has enough information to identify development opportunities.

More measurement does not automatically produce improvement.

Why not C?

The Advisor should participate actively in their development, but simply handing over the scorecard and asking them to choose transfers too much responsibility for diagnosis.

The Team Leader should bring leadership judgment to the process while involving the Advisor in agreeing how improvement will happen.

Leadership Insight

A scorecard can identify many things. But a good coaching conversation does not need to address all of them.

Trying to fix six behaviours at once usually means none receives enough attention, practice, or follow-up.

Great Team Leaders prioritize. They ask:

“Which one or two changes would make the biggest difference?”

Then they help the person practise those changes until improvement becomes visible and sustainable — before moving on to other behaviours.

Leadership Situation 8

An Advisor manages a particularly difficult Customer interaction extremely well. Which recognition is likely to be most useful?

A. Describe specifically what the Advisor did well and connect the behaviour to the service standards or values the team is trying to deliver.

B. Say, “Great job!” so the recognition feels spontaneous.

C. Wait until the next formal performance discussion so the recognition can be documented.

D. Praise the Advisor’s overall personality because this feels more personal.

Leadership Principle

Effective recognition reinforces the specific behaviours that contribute to strong performance.

Why is A the best answer?

Specific recognition helps the Advisor understand exactly what they did well.

Connecting that behaviour to the team’s service standards or values makes the recognition even more useful because it reinforces what good performance looks like.

The Advisor is not simply being told that they did a good job. They are learning which behaviours contributed to that success and are therefore worth repeating.

Why not B?

“Great job!” is positive and may be appreciated.

But it gives the Advisor very little information about what they actually did well.

Specific recognition is more useful because it reinforces particular behaviours.

Why not C?

Recognition is often most powerful when it is timely.

Waiting for a formal performance discussion separates the recognition from the behaviour that earned it.

Why not D?

Recognizing personality does not tell the Advisor which behaviour contributed to the successful Customer interaction.

Recognition should focus primarily on observable behaviours and contributions rather than broad judgments about personality.

Leadership Insight

Recognition is not only about making people feel appreciated.

It is also a leadership tool.

When you say: “That was excellent.”

the person knows you were pleased.

When you say: “You slowed the conversation down, acknowledged the Customer’s concern, and clearly explained what would happen next. That’s exactly the experience we want to deliver.”

the person knows what to repeat.

Great recognition makes good performance visible.

Leadership Situation 9

During a team meeting, an experienced Advisor respectfully disagrees with a decision the Team Leader has made and explains why they believe it may create problems for Customers.

What is the best response from the Team Leader?

A. End the discussion because challenging a decision in front of the team undermines authority.

B. Agree with the Advisor so the team knows differing opinions are welcome.

C. Invite the Advisor to explain their reasoning, consider the information seriously and then make or reaffirm the decision.

D. Ask the Advisor to discuss concerns privately next time.

Leadership Principle

Strong leaders create room for respectful challenge without giving up their responsibility to make decisions.

Why is C the best answer?

The Advisor may have information or perspective that the Team Leader has not considered.

Inviting them to explain their reasoning demonstrates that respectful disagreement is acceptable and that ideas can be examined on their merits.

Listening does not mean the Team Leader has to agree.

After considering the information, the Team Leader may change the decision or reaffirm the original one.

Either way, the leader remains responsible for the final decision.

Why not A?

Respectful challenge does not automatically undermine leadership authority.

Shutting down disagreement can discourage people from raising useful concerns in the future.

Why not B?

Being open to different views does not mean agreeing with them.

Changing a decision simply to demonstrate openness would replace leadership judgment with avoidance of disagreement.

Why not D?

There are situations where a private conversation is appropriate.

But in this scenario the disagreement is respectful and concerns a decision that may affect Customers. Requiring such concerns to be raised only in private can signal that open challenge is unwelcome.

Leadership Insight

Great Team Leaders do not need everyone to agree with them.

They need people who are willing to think, contribute, and raise concerns when something does not seem right.

The leadership skill is being able to hear a challenge without automatically experiencing it as a threat.

Listen. Ask questions. Consider the evidence. Then make the decision you believe is right.

Authority gives a Team Leader responsibility for the decision. It does not guarantee that their first view is always the best one.

Leadership Situation 10

A highly regarded Advisor is promoted to Team Leader. Over time, colleagues notice that they interrupt people more frequently, listen less carefully and increasingly assume that their own view is the correct one.

What is most likely happening?

A. The Team Leader has become too focused on Productivity.

B. The Team Leader needs more technical knowledge.

C. Increased authority may be influencing the Team Leader’s behaviour without them fully recognizing it.

D. Former peers are finding it difficult to accept the promotion.

Leadership Principle

Gaining authority can influence a leader’s behaviour, making ongoing self-awareness especially important.

Why is C the best answer?

The scenario describes changes in the Team Leader’s own behaviour.

They are interrupting more, listening less, and becoming increasingly certain that their own view is correct.

Gaining authority can influence how people behave, sometimes without them recognizing that their behaviour has changed.

The risk is not authority itself. The risk is failing to recognize how gaining authority may be influencing the leader’s behaviour and their impact on others.

Why not A?

There is no evidence that Productivity is driving the behaviour described. The issue concerns how the Team Leader communicates and responds to other people’s perspectives.

Why not B?

The Team Leader may or may not need additional technical knowledge, but nothing in the situation indicates that knowledge is the problem.

The behavioural changes point toward self-awareness rather than technical capability.

Why not D?

Former peers can sometimes struggle when a colleague becomes their Team Leader.

But the scenario specifically describes changes in the Team Leader’s behaviour, not resistance or resentment from former peers.

Leadership Insight