Think you’re ready to be a leader? Here’s a simple test which gives a few scenarios, followed by a decision that has to be made. Take the quiz and see if you have what it takes:
1. A hard-working young engineer also shows lots of potential as being a future leader. His functional manager can:
A) Nurture and mentor him, then prepare and recommend him for a leadership position, perhaps in another department.
B) Not do anything. He’s working hard and we’re paying almost nothing, so let’s milk him for all he’s worth.
2. An IPT Lead has been told by his engineers that a project will take 6mos to complete, but his manager thinks it can be done in 3mos. The IPT Lead can:
A) Stand up to his manager and tell him it will take 6mos, but that if we plan accordingly, we can minimize the impact to cost
B) Avoid conflict and just tell the manager that we can finish in 3mos, direct his engineers to work overtime, and still be 3mos late. The additional cost will be 3X higher than if it had been planned for, but the IPT Lead can always claim “unforeseen circumstances”
3. A manager is low staffed and his engineers are growing tired of working overtime. He can:
A) Motivate his employees by actually talking to them, recognizing their achievements, and offering incentives such as better raises or career development.
B) Hire some contractors, yet still keep everyone on overtime. Payroll costs will skyrocket and employee satisfaction will continue to deteriorate, but the manager can brag that he is “looking good” on schedule.
4. An important middle management/leadership position has opened up, and upper management is asking for candidates. As functional manager, you can:
A) Recommend one of your best engineers, who has prepared for just such an occasion by taking extensive training.
B) Let them hire someone else, since promoting the engineer might create a void in the team. You might resolve a company problem but create a new one for yourself. Tell them to hire someone with experience from the outside, or just recommend one of your no-talent, brown-nosing leads to the position.
5. An engineer has expressed his desire to get experience/training in another technical field. It is not relevant to his current job, but another team on the program is desperately seeking people in that exact field. As a manger you can:
A) Get him the experience/training he needs and facilitate his transition into the other team that needs people. As a whole, the program benefits.
B) Refuse to give him more experience/training since you need to hold on to every engineer you have. The more people under you, the more important you are appear as a manager. Besides, training him in another field that would make him more marketable. He might quit and go to a competitor.
Time! Put down your pencils. Answers to be given in tomorrow’s post.
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