FAQ

The quiz questions are designed to challenge the course takers. The course was put through some rigorous testing with students before if was released and the wording is not an oversight. Whilst the wording at times seems odd, this is often matching up to the exact working or phrasing used in the videos. The questions are also designed to encourage the students to think something through for themselves and then reason why they do not agree with answers. Many learners so this and that’s a very positive thing to see in a leadership candidate. If this is the case, you might question the 80% pass mark, but there is space for a difference in opinion in the 20%. This space cannot be used for not knowing the answer because a video was skipped, however, or not watched with careful attention.

In the introduction to the communication styles, there is a video that explains the style’s divisions, how far back they go and that they are not provided with any attempt to place any participating student in a box. It is also explained that there are no good or bad styles, they are all just different in certain ways, and that we are all a blend of styles. Under pressure though, our primary style is most likely to come out, and knowing what that style is, is very valuable as a leader.

A key leadership skill is to adapt to the styles not like our own to gain trust and have a positive influence. As an example, over the many years I facilitated this workshop, I would right at the end of a four hour face-to-face workshop, ask the students to identify my primary and secondary style. Almost always, they would guess Excellence and Insight, as I came across as well-organised and caring. My primary style is Pioneer and it’s one of the highest I have seen. I have very little Excellence or Insight and some Inspiration. What they are seeing is me adapting to their styles to lead them through a valuable learning experience, with a lot of support from my staff, to make sure I am well organised.

The assessment is designed to tell the student what the student tells it, and students are encouraged to go with their gut feel. There is a tendency to put down what one wants to be, at times, when there is a role application that goes with the assessment. This is human nature and completely understandable. However, it’s hard to keep a pattern going and then the results do not seem accurate. Once can also feel forced to rank four things they don’t feel they have, but that’s the design of ranking because of those four things, the most and least like us still reflects something of value.

My advice is to back to the assessment and relook at the answers, they can be downloaded, and see if you identify where you might have gone with something you want to be in place of are. In my face-to-face workshops, students could change style groups at any time. In a group, there is usually one or two that start off unsure, but they settled by the end as a good mix of two or more, unusually, three.

 It is important for the students to understand that self-awareness and self-leadership are growth zones, they are not meant to be comfortable and any discomfort they feel is something valuable that they can explore. This awareness provides them with tools to lead themselves and others, they can use them as you see fit. At no time in this course do we mean to make any student feel forced to fit in a box, and I do stress this through the videos.