Leadership Matrix Survey

Objective: Determine your leadership style by measuring the degree that you like working with tasks and people.

Time: 60 Minutes

Instructions:

1. Have the learners complete the 18 items in the Questionnaire section. There are no right or wrong questions, thus they should answer each question as honestly as possible to obtain the best results.

2. Have them transfer their answers to the two respective columns provided in the scoring section. Total the score in each column and multiply each total by 0.2. For example, in the first column (People), if the learner answered 5, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3 then his or her final score is = 33 X 0.2 = 6.6.

3. The total score for the first column (people) is plotted on vertical axis in the matrix section, while the total score for the second column (Task) is plotted on the horizontal axis (see Example). Finally, have the learners intersect the lines to see the leadership dimension they normally operate out of:

   • Impoverished

   • Authoritarian

   • Socialite

   • Team Leadership

   • Middle-of-the-Road

Notes:

• Instrument reliability and validity

• Read the Leadership Models page for information on how a leader's concern for tasks and people affect their leadership styles.

Questionnaire

Below is a list of statements about leadership behavior. Read each one carefully, then, using the following scale, decide the extent to which it actually applies to you. For best results, answer as truthfully as possible.

1. _______ I encourage my team to participate when it comes decision making time and I try to implement their ideas and suggestions.

    

2. _______ Nothing is more important than accomplishing a goal or task.

    

3. _______ I closely monitor the schedule to ensure a task or project will be completed in time.

    

4. _______ I enjoy coaching people on new tasks and procedures.

    

5. _______ The more challenging a task is, the more I enjoy it.

    

6. _______ I encourage my employees to be creative about their job.

    

7. _______ When seeing a complex task through to completion, I ensure that every detail is accounted for.

    

8. _______ I find it easy to carry out several complicated tasks at the same time.

    

9. _______ I enjoy reading articles, books, and journals about management, learning, leadership, and psychology; and then putting what I have read into action.

    

10. _______ When correcting mistakes, I do not worry about jeopardizing relationships.

     

11. _______ I manage my time very efficiently.

     

12. _______ I enjoy explaining the intricacies and details of a complex task or project to my employees.

     

13. _______ Breaking large projects into small manageable tasks is second nature to me.

     

14. _______ Nothing is more important than building a great team.

     

15. _______ I enjoy analyzing problems.

     

16. _______ I honor other people's boundaries.

     

17. _______ Counseling and coaching my employees to improve their performance is second nature to me.

     

18. _______ I enjoy reading articles, books, and trade journals about my profession; and then implementing the new procedures I have learned.

Scoring Section

After completing the questionnaire, transfer your answers to the spaces below:

Matrix Section

Plot your final scores on the graph below by drawing a horizontal line from the people score (vertical axis) to the right of the matrix, and drawing a vertical line from the task score on the horizontal axis to the top of the matrix. The area of intersection is the leadership dimension that you operate out of (see example below). 

Example

The above sample shows score of 4 in the people section and a score of 6 in the task section. The quad where the two lines intersect is the leadership style, in this case — Authoritarian.

The Results

This chart will give you an idea of your leadership style:

• Impoverished (1,1 to 4,4): weak on both tasks and people skills

• Authoritarian (people - 1 to 4 and task - 5 to 9): strong on tasks, weak on people skills

• Socialite (people - 5 to 9 and task 1-4): strong on people skills, weak on tasks

• Team Leadership (6,6 to 9,9): strong on both tasks and and people skills

• Middle-of-the-Road (5,5): in the middle of the chart, but with more experience and skills can display good team leadership

However, like any other instrument that attempts to profile a person, you have to take in other factors, such as, how your manager and employees rate you as a leader, do you get your job done, do you take care of your employees, or are you helping to “grow” your organization.

You should review the statements in the survey and reflect on the low scores by asking yourself, “If I scored higher in that area, would I be a more effective leader?” And if the answer is yes, then it should become a personal action item.

Notes

People and Mission

Some may ask, “In order to get a perfect score I would have to max out statements 2 (Nothing is more important than accomplishing a goal or task) and 14 (Nothing is more important than building a great team), but this would be a paradox.”

One of the mottos of the U.S. Army is “People and mission first.” That is, nothing is more important than accomplishing the mission and nothing is more important than looking out for the welfare of the people. A good leader does both!

Relationships with Others

For statement 10 - “When correcting mistakes, I do not worry about jeopardizing relationships,” some people might believe that a people-person would put a low score to this question. as they might believe that such a person would not want to jeopardize a relationship.

However, if a leader really cared about the person, would the relationship (being friends) be more important or would guiding the person on to the correct behavior be more important? Lets put it in a “leader” context — If you did not correct your learner's mistakes, would that make you a better person? Probably not. Good leaders do what it takes to build and develop the people around them. The relationship is not what makes them tick, rather it is more about helping others to grow and develop into a total person.

This question helps to separate the “country club leaders”, who want to be friends with everyone; the “impoverish leaders”, who are afraid they might make waves; and the real “leaders”, who are more concerned with coaching others so that they become a valued member of the team. That is, if the leader lets one of her peers continue with the incorrect behavior, does this help or hinder the other members of the team? It is best not to picture a leader as a friend, but as a person who is concerned with the growth and welfare of others.

Self-Assessment

Can people assess themselves? For studies, see Learner and Self Ratings.

A perfect score is a nine in both categories of People and Tasks. If you gave yourself a perfect score or close to it, you might be too easy on yourself — you cannot learn if you do not take a Critical Self Reflection of yourself.

Modeling

For more information on constructing models of this nature, see Modeling.

Reliability and Validity

Since this leadership developmental activity is a learning instrument, rather than a research tool, it has not been formally checked for reliability or validity. However, since I have received feedback from numerous sources, including learners and their managers, and then updating the material, I believe it to be a fairly accurate tool for a learning environment.

This method allows me to use both an iterative and formative approach to continually improve the learning activity. My qualifications include over twenty-five years of experience as a leader in various roles, over twenty years of experience as an instructional designer and trainer, B.A. in psychology, and a M.A. in Human Resource Development.

Next Steps

Return to the Leadership Models chapter

Return to the Leadership Training and Development Outline

Notes