How to be a supportive boss

Multiple-choice questions. In order to be awarded CPD units you must answer the following five random questions correctly. If you fail the test, please reread the article before attempting the questions again.

According to the article, supportive leadership in high-performing finance teams is primarily about

Allowing employees to work independently without guidance

Maintaining a conflict-free work environment

Helping teams achieve high standards while providing the support they need

Lowering expectations to reduce stress

What is a common misconception about supportive bosses?

They encourage too much independence

They protect employees from difficult challenges

They focus too much on training

They are too focused on communication

How did Amon Jiang’s early-career manager help the team succeed?

They removed unnecessary barriers and provided the right resources

They reduced performance targets

They allowed employees to choose which projects they worked on

They introduced flexible working practices

According to Kevin Kan, supportive leadership begins with:

Offering regular financial rewards

Treating every employee in exactly the same way

None of the other answers

Understanding team members as individuals

Which of the following should leaders understand about team members?

Their development needs

All of the other answers

Their career aspirations

Their communication preferences

Why has a personalised leadership approach become more important?

Employees now expect to work fewer hours

Technology has reduced the need for teams to collaborate

Workplaces have become more diverse and flexible

None of the other answers

According to Marie Porter, leaders build trust by:

Delegating difficult decisions

Being honest and taking responsibility for their mistakes

All of the other answers

Minimising problems

What provides psychological safety?

An environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up

An environment that takes a relaxed approach to deadlines

A system that measures employee performance

A programme that guarantees job security

According to the article, employees perform best when they know that their manager:

Is focused primarily on short-term results

Is invested in both their results and their long-term success

Will provide a problem-solving safety net

Will allow them a high level of autonomy

According to Jiang, what should supportive leaders do when things go wrong?

Ignore mistakes and move on quickly

Focus on finding the person responsible

Help the team learn while maintaining accountability

Remove all accountability from the team

1 Unit