Leadership in pharmacy extends far beyond a formal management title; it is a professional obligation for all practitioners dedicated to advancing patient care. From building functional teams and leading change to creating a compelling vision for new services, leadership skills are essential. This quiz, designed for PharmD students, explores the core concepts of personal leadership, team dynamics, and the strategic thinking required to be an effective leader in any pharmacy setting.
1. According to the leadership course readings, what is a key distinction between management and leadership?
- Management is about creating a vision, while leadership is about budgeting and staffing.
- Management is about coping with complexity, while leadership is about coping with change.
- Management focuses on long-term goals, while leadership focuses on short-term tasks.
- There is no difference; the terms are synonymous.
Answer: Management is about coping with complexity, while leadership is about coping with change.
2. The book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni describes a foundational dysfunction that all other dysfunctions are built upon. What is it?
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
- Absence of Trust
- Inattention to Results
Answer: Absence of Trust
3. In the “Five Dysfunctions” model, a team’s willingness to engage in unfiltered, passionate debate around ideas is a sign that they have overcome:
- Inattention to Results
- Avoidance of Accountability
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
Answer: Fear of Conflict
4. A team that fails to hold its members accountable for counterproductive behaviors is suffering from which dysfunction?
- Avoidance of Accountability
- Absence of Trust
- Fear of Conflict
- Lack of Commitment
Answer: Avoidance of Accountability
5. The “Now, Discover Your Strengths” program (CliftonStrengths) is a tool used in leadership development to help individuals:
- Identify and fix their weaknesses.
- Understand and leverage their natural talents.
- Compare their strengths to those of famous leaders.
- Choose a career path based on a single dominant strength.
Answer: Understand and leverage their natural talents.
6. According to the ASHP Statement on Leadership, leadership in pharmacy is considered a(n):
- Optional skill for those in management.
- Innate trait that cannot be learned.
- Professional obligation for all pharmacists.
- Responsibility only for pharmacy owners.
Answer: Professional obligation for all pharmacists.
7. When a leader’s primary goal is to focus on collective outcomes for the team or organization, they are overcoming which of the five dysfunctions?
- Inattention to Results
- Absence of Trust
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
Answer: Inattention to Results
8. An effective leader creating a vision for change should focus on:
- Maintaining the current status quo.
- Developing a detailed five-year budget.
- Articulating a compelling picture of the future and inspiring others to share it.
- Implementing small, incremental changes without a clear goal.
Answer: Articulating a compelling picture of the future and inspiring others to share it.
9. The purpose of an assignment requiring students to interview a pharmacy leader is to:
- Help students secure a future job.
- Learn firsthand about the challenges and rewards of leadership in practice.
- Practice asking difficult personal questions.
- Critically evaluate the leader’s performance.
Answer: Learn firsthand about the challenges and rewards of leadership in practice.
10. “Situational Leadership” is a model that suggests a leader should:
- Use the same leadership style in all situations.
- Adapt their leadership style based on the developmental level of their followers and the specific task.
- Only lead in situations where they are the expert.
- Avoid difficult situations altogether.
Answer: Adapt their leadership style based on the developmental level of their followers and the specific task.
11. The final and most difficult dysfunction to overcome in the “Five Dysfunctions” pyramid is:
- Absence of Trust
- Fear of Conflict
- Inattention to Results
- Avoidance of Accountability
Answer: Inattention to Results
12. A leader who is creating a vision for a new clinical service is primarily engaged in which activity?
- Planning and budgeting
- Organizing and staffing
- Controlling and problem-solving
- Setting a direction and aligning people
Answer: Setting a direction and aligning people
13. In the context of team dynamics, “commitment” is best described as:
- A team where everyone agrees on everything.
- All team members having their opinions heard and then buying into the final decision, even if they initially disagreed.
- The leader making a decision and forcing the team to accept it.
- Waiting for 100% consensus before making any decision.
Answer: All team members having their opinions heard and then buying into the final decision, even if they initially disagreed.
14. A key skill for overcoming the “Absence of Trust” is:
- Demonstrating vulnerability-based trust as a leader.
- Avoiding all personal conversations with team members.
- Never admitting to a mistake.
- Keeping all information confidential from the team.
Answer: Demonstrating vulnerability-based trust as a leader.
15. Self-awareness is a critical leadership attribute because it enables a leader to:
- Understand how their personal strengths and weaknesses impact their team.
- Always make the correct clinical decision.
- Control the thoughts and feelings of others.
- Avoid all difficult conversations.
Answer: Understand how their personal strengths and weaknesses impact their team.
16. The Harvey A.K. Whitney Award lectures are presented annually by leaders in which area of pharmacy?
- Community pharmacy
- Nuclear pharmacy
- Health-system pharmacy.
- Pharmaceutical industry
Answer: Health-system pharmacy.
17. Giving effective feedback to a team member is a skill that directly counteracts which team dysfunction?
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
- Inattention to Results
- Avoidance of Accountability
Answer: Avoidance of Accountability
18. What is a key characteristic of a “compelling vision”?
- It is highly detailed and includes a step-by-step implementation plan.
- It is focused on past successes.
- It is imaginable, desirable, and feasible.
- It is created by the leader in isolation.
Answer: It is imaginable, desirable, and feasible.
19. When a team avoids debate and discussion and instead resorts to “artificial harmony,” they are likely suffering from:
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
- Absence of Trust
- Inattention to Results
Answer: Fear of Conflict
20. A leader’s role in motivating and inspiring people aligns with which core leadership function?
- Planning
- Controlling
- Aligning people.
- Budgeting
Answer: Aligning people.
21. A pharmacist who takes the initiative to develop and implement a new MTM service is demonstrating:
- Only management skills.
- Leadership and innovation.
- A lack of focus on dispensing.
- Poor time management.
Answer: Leadership and innovation.
22. Understanding your personal mission statement is a leadership development activity designed to enhance:
- Your resume.
- Self-awareness and clarify your purpose.
- Your ability to manage a budget.
- Your popularity among peers.
Answer: Self-awareness and clarify your purpose.
23. The “difficult conversations” training helps leaders to:
- Win every argument.
- Avoid all conflict.
- Handle disagreements and provide constructive feedback effectively.
- Report team members for poor performance.
Answer: Handle disagreements and provide constructive feedback effectively.
24. A team member who focuses on their own career advancement and personal goals over the team’s collective success is contributing to which dysfunction?
- Inattention to Results
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
- Absence of Trust
Answer: Inattention to Results
25. A strategic plan for a new ambulatory care service is an example of:
- A leadership vision being translated into an operational reality.
- A basic dispensing function.
- A legal requirement.
- A daily task for a pharmacy technician.
Answer: A leadership vision being translated into an operational reality.
26. According to the “Five Dysfunctions” model, why does a lack of healthy conflict lead to a lack of commitment?
- Because team members have not been able to weigh in and offer their perspectives, they do not truly buy into the final decision.
- Because conflict is always destructive.
- Because the leader makes the decision too quickly.
- Because commitment can only happen when everyone agrees.
Answer: Because team members have not been able to weigh in and offer their perspectives, they do not truly buy into the final decision.
27. The most effective leaders use their strengths to:
- Point out the weaknesses in others.
- Maximize their own performance and the performance of their team.
- Avoid difficult tasks.
- Secure their position indefinitely.
Answer: Maximize their own performance and the performance of their team.
28. An effective leader serves as a(n) ________ during times of organizational change.
- Obstacle
- Agent of change.
- Neutral observer
- Resistor
Answer: Agent of change.
29. The process of creating a team contract at the beginning of a project is a leadership strategy to:
- Establish clear expectations and norms to prevent future dysfunction.
- Exert authority over the team.
- Fulfill a bureaucratic requirement.
- Identify the weakest members of the team.
Answer: Establish clear expectations and norms to prevent future dysfunction.
30. Why is peer-to-peer accountability often more effective than accountability that comes only from the leader?
- Because the leader is too busy to manage accountability.
- Because team members do not respect the leader.
- Because the leader is not aware of the team’s goals.
- Because peers have a direct and immediate understanding of the performance standards and behaviors required for success.
Answer: Because peers have a direct and immediate understanding of the performance standards and behaviors required for success.
31. A “SWOT” analysis is a strategic planning tool that involves assessing:
- Staff, Workflow, Operations, and Technicians
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
- Service, Wellness, Outcomes, and Time
- Safety, Warning, Observe, and Triage
Answer: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
32. The primary difference between a team and a working group is that a team:
- Has a strong, authoritarian leader.
- Requires individual performance and shares collective work products and accountability.
- Meets less frequently.
- Has members who work completely independently.
Answer: Requires individual performance and shares collective work products and accountability.
33. In “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” the ultimate goal that a functional team achieves is:
- Lack of conflict.
- Perfect consensus.
- Collective results.
- Individual success.
Answer: Collective results
34. A leader who is overly focused on being liked by their team may struggle with which dysfunction?
- Avoidance of Accountability and Fear of Conflict
- Inattention to Results
- Absence of Trust
- Lack of Commitment
Answer: Avoidance of Accountability and Fear of Conflict
35. A pharmacist who mentors a student or a new practitioner is demonstrating:
- Leadership.
- A requirement for license renewal.
- A poor use of their time.
- An inability to delegate.
Answer: Leadership.
36. The first step in leading change is often:
- Implementing the new process immediately.
- Establishing a sense of urgency.
- Forming a powerful guiding coalition.
- Creating a vision.
Answer: Establishing a sense of urgency.
37. Which of the following is a key element of a compelling vision statement?
- It is future-oriented.
- It is focused on the problems of the past.
- It is at least five pages long.
- It is created only by the top executive.
Answer: It is future-oriented.
38. What is the leader’s role in overcoming “Fear of Conflict”?
- To end any debate that becomes uncomfortable.
- To mine for conflict by encouraging open, respectful debate and discouraging personal attacks.
- To take sides in any argument.
- To schedule meetings with no agenda.
Answer: To mine for conflict by encouraging open, respectful debate and discouraging personal attacks.
39. A “team debriefing” session is a leadership tool used to:
- Assign blame for a failed project.
- Review a team’s performance, processes, and interpersonal dynamics to improve future work.
- Complete individual performance reviews.
- Set the agenda for the next project.
Answer: Review a team’s performance, processes, and interpersonal dynamics to improve future work.
40. A leader must be an excellent communicator to:
- Articulate the vision and inspire commitment.
- Give clear instructions.
- Provide constructive feedback.
- All of the above.
Answer: All of the above.
41. The development of new clinical services within a pharmacy requires:
- Management skills to plan and organize the service.
- Leadership skills to create the vision and get buy-in from staff and administration.
- Both leadership and management skills.
- Neither leadership nor management skills.
Answer: Both leadership and management skills.
42. Which dysfunction is characterized by ambiguity and a lack of clarity on direction and priorities?
- Absence of Trust
- Inattention to Results
- Lack of Commitment
- Fear of Conflict
Answer: Lack of Commitment
43. A leader’s credibility is built primarily on:
- Their title and position.
- Their actions and their ability to “walk the talk.”
- The number of people they manage.
- Their salary.
Answer: Their actions and their ability to “walk the talk.”
44. According to leadership principles, a “blind spot” refers to:
- A physical inability to see.
- A weakness a leader has that they are not aware of.
- A strength that is overused to the point of being a negative.
- Both B and C.
Answer: Both B and C.
45. What is the primary reason for a leader to encourage feedback, even when it is critical?
- To punish the person giving the feedback.
- To foster a culture of continuous improvement and self-awareness.
- To demonstrate their authority.
- To find reasons to dismiss team members.
Answer: To foster a culture of continuous improvement and self-awareness.
46. A leader on a patient care team ensures that:
- Every team member understands their role and responsibilities.
- Communication is open and respectful.
- The focus remains on the patient’s best interest.
- All of the above.
Answer: All of the above.
47. A key takeaway from the CliftonStrengths philosophy is that it is more effective to:
- Spend most of your time improving your weaknesses.
- Focus on developing your innate talents into powerful strengths.
- Ignore your weaknesses completely.
- Try to be good at everything equally.
Answer: Focus on developing your innate talents into powerful strengths.
48. Why would a leader want to “celebrate small wins” when leading a major change initiative?
- To build momentum and maintain the team’s motivation.
- To declare the project finished early.
- To distract the team from the ultimate goal.
- To spend excess budget funds.
Answer: To build momentum and maintain the team’s motivation.
49. An effective leader on an interprofessional team:
- Insists that the pharmacy perspective is the only one that matters.
- Understands and respects the roles and expertise of other health professionals.
- Avoids communicating with other team members.
- Takes credit for all the team’s successes.
Answer: Understands and respects the roles and expertise of other health professionals.
50. The pharmacy profession needs strong leaders primarily to:
- Maintain the traditional roles of dispensing.
- Navigate a changing healthcare environment and advocate for the value of pharmacists.
- Increase the number of pharmacy schools.
- Ensure all pharmacists are paid the same salary.
Answer: Navigate a changing healthcare environment and advocate for the value of pharmacists.
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com