Effective leadership is not just about having a title; it’s about a consistent set of practices that inspire teams, drive change, and improve patient care. From conducting a team debriefing to creating a strategic plan or advocating for the profession, leadership is an active skill. This quiz, designed for PharmD students, focuses on the practical application of leadership principles and the specific actions and behaviors that define a successful pharmacy leader.
1. A leader practicing vulnerability-based trust would most likely engage in which behavior to build team cohesion?
- Never admitting to any personal weaknesses or mistakes.
- Openly acknowledging their own mistakes and limitations to the team.
- Assigning blame to a team member when a project fails.
- Avoiding all personal interaction with the team.
Answer: Openly acknowledging their own mistakes and limitations to the team.
2. A leadership practice for overcoming the “Fear of Conflict” on a team is to:
- Encourage personal attacks to weed out weaker members.
- End meetings as soon as a disagreement arises to maintain harmony.
- Mine for conflict by asking probing questions and encouraging open debate on ideas.
- Insist that all team members agree with the leader’s opinion at all times.
Answer: Mine for conflict by asking probing questions and encouraging open debate on ideas.
3. To practice achieving team commitment, an effective leader should ensure that:
- They make all decisions in isolation to save time.
- Every team member has a chance to weigh in on an issue before a decision is made.
- A decision is only made when there is 100% consensus.
- Only the most senior members of the team are allowed to speak.
Answer: Every team member has a chance to weigh in on an issue before a decision is made.
4. A key practice for fostering accountability within a team is to:
- Rely solely on the leader to punish poor performers.
- Establish clear expectations and encourage peer-to-peer feedback.
- Avoid all difficult conversations about performance.
- Ignore deadlines and missed commitments.
Answer: Establish clear expectations and encourage peer-to-peer feedback.
5. Which practice best helps a team overcome “Inattention to Results”?
- Focusing on individual goals over team goals.
- Creating a public scoreboard or dashboard that tracks progress toward collective goals.
- Frequently changing the team’s objectives.
- Rewarding effort rather than outcomes.
Answer: Creating a public scoreboard or dashboard that tracks progress toward collective goals.
6. The practice of situational leadership requires a leader to first:
- Choose one leadership style and use it consistently.
- Diagnose the developmental level of the follower for a specific task.
- Fire all underperforming employees.
- Promote the most experienced employee.
Answer: Diagnose the developmental level of the follower for a specific task.
7. When creating a vision for a new clinical pharmacy service, a leader is practicing the art of:
- Budgeting and control.
- Setting a clear direction for the future.
- Daily operational management.
- Disciplining employees.
Answer: Setting a clear direction for the future.
8. A pharmacist who develops a business plan for a new MTM service is engaging in a leadership practice focused on:
- Strategic planning and implementation.
- Dispensing medications.
- Compounding sterile products.
- Following physician orders.
Answer: Strategic planning and implementation.
9. Conducting a SWOT analysis is a leadership practice used to:
- Evaluate an individual employee’s performance.
- Assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to a project or business.
- Test the stability of a compounded medication.
- Counsel a patient on a new prescription.
Answer: Assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to a project or business.
10. A leadership practice for managing change effectively includes:
- Implementing the change suddenly with no warning.
- Communicating the vision for change clearly and frequently.
- Ignoring resistance from the team.
- Keeping the reasons for the change a secret.
Answer: Communicating the vision for change clearly and frequently.
11. The practice of mentoring a student or a junior colleague is a form of:
- Micromanagement
- Leadership that develops others.
- A task that should be delegated.
- A waste of time for a busy professional.
Answer: Leadership that develops others.
12. When having a difficult conversation about performance with an employee, a leader should practice:
- Using accusatory language and focusing on the person’s character.
- Being vague about the performance issue.
- Focusing on specific, observable behaviors and their impact, and collaboratively creating a plan for improvement.
- Having the conversation in a public area.
Answer: Focusing on specific, observable behaviors and their impact, and collaboratively creating a plan for improvement.
13. A pharmacist writing a concise, evidence-based email to their state representative about a pending bill is practicing:
- Political advocacy.
- Patient counseling.
- Medication reconciliation.
- Inventory management.
Answer: Political advocacy.
14. The practice of self-awareness in leadership involves:
- Believing you have no weaknesses.
- Regularly reflecting on your personal strengths, weaknesses, and how your behavior affects others.
- Ignoring feedback from your team.
- Focusing only on the weaknesses of others.
Answer: Regularly reflecting on your personal strengths, weaknesses, and how your behavior affects others.
15. A leader who adapts their style by being more directive with a new, inexperienced team member and more delegating with a seasoned expert is practicing:
- Situational leadership.
- Autocratic leadership.
- Laissez-faire leadership.
- Inconsistent leadership.
Answer: Situational leadership.
16. The practice of conducting team debriefing sessions is intended to:
- Assign individual blame for project failures.
- Provide a structured time for the team to reflect on its processes and improve future performance.
- Complete annual performance reviews.
- Socialize outside of work.
Answer: Provide a structured time for the team to reflect on its processes and improve future performance.
17. What is the leadership practice that directly addresses the “Absence of Trust” dysfunction?
- The leader must be the first to be genuinely vulnerable.
- The leader should never show weakness.
- The leader should punish team members who are vulnerable.
- The leader should keep all important information to themselves.
Answer: The leader must be the first to be genuinely vulnerable.
18. Creating a “team contract” at the start of a project is a proactive leadership practice designed to:
- Micromanage the team’s every move.
- Establish clear expectations for communication, roles, and conflict resolution.
- Satisfy a bureaucratic requirement.
- Identify which team members are most likely to fail.
Answer: Establish clear expectations for communication, roles, and conflict resolution.
19. When a leader publicly recognizes and celebrates a “small win,” they are practicing:
- A way to build momentum and motivation during a long change process.
- A distraction from the main goal.
- A method to end the project early.
- A technique to identify over-achievers.
Answer: A way to build momentum and motivation during a long change process.
20. The practice of giving effective feedback should be:
- Always negative and delivered publicly.
- Vague and indirect.
- Timely, specific, and focused on behavior rather than personality.
- Saved for the annual performance review.
Answer: Timely, specific, and focused on behavior rather than personality.
21. A pharmacist manager who implements a new workflow to free up pharmacist time for MTM is practicing:
- Leadership by managing resources to support a strategic vision.
- A violation of pharmacy regulations.
- An inefficient use of technician time.
- A way to decrease pharmacy revenue.
Answer: Leadership by managing resources to support a strategic vision.
22. Which leadership practice is essential for ensuring successful interprofessional collaboration on a patient care team?
- Insisting the pharmacy perspective is always correct.
- Actively listening to and respecting the expertise of other health professionals.
- Avoiding communication with nurses and physicians.
- Taking sole credit for positive patient outcomes.
Answer: Actively listening to and respecting the expertise of other health professionals.
23. A leader trying to build commitment would practice which behavior in a team meeting?
- Cutting off discussion to make a quick decision.
- Seeking out and listening to all points of view before driving to a conclusion.
- Announcing a decision that was made before the meeting started.
- Postponing the decision indefinitely.
Answer: Seeking out and listening to all points of view before driving to a conclusion.
24. The practice of using one’s “Signature Themes” from CliftonStrengths involves:
- Trying to develop skills in areas of weakness.
- Focusing on applying one’s top natural talents to leadership challenges.
- Comparing your themes to your boss’s themes.
- Hiding your strengths from your team.
Answer: Focusing on applying one’s top natural talents to leadership challenges.
25. A leader who fosters a “culture of safety” in a pharmacy would practice:
- Punishing employees who report medication errors.
- Encouraging staff to report errors and near-misses without fear of retribution to learn from mistakes.
- Hiding all medication errors from management.
- Ignoring the error reporting system.
Answer: Encouraging staff to report errors and near-misses without fear of retribution to learn from mistakes.
26. An active leadership practice for developing a compelling vision is:
- To survey team members and stakeholders about their hopes for the future.
- To copy the vision statement from another organization.
- To write the vision statement based only on financial goals.
- To create a vision that only benefits the leader.
Answer: To survey team members and stakeholders about their hopes for the future.
27. What leadership practice is demonstrated by a pharmacy director who defends their staff’s clinical judgment to hospital administration?
- Micromanagement
- Advocacy and support for their team.
- Avoidance of conflict
- Poor communication
Answer: Advocacy and support for their team.
28. The practice of creating a personal mission statement helps a leader to:
- Complete a mandatory PPD assignment.
- Define their core values and purpose, which guides their decisions.
- Get a promotion.
- Avoid difficult leadership challenges.
Answer: Define their core values and purpose, which guides their decisions.
29. A leader who consistently “walks the talk” is practicing:
- Hypocrisy
- Inconsistency
- Leading by example.
- Authoritarianism
Answer: Leading by example.
30. Which practice is a key differentiator between a leader and a manager?
- A manager administers and maintains; a leader innovates and develops.
- A manager inspires trust; a leader relies on control.
- A manager has a long-range view; a leader has a short-range view.
- A manager challenges the status quo; a leader accepts it.
Answer: A manager administers and maintains; a leader innovates and develops.
31. The practice of active listening in a leadership role requires:
- Waiting for your turn to speak.
- Thinking about your response while the other person is talking.
- Giving your full attention and seeking to understand the speaker’s message and perspective.
- Interrupting to correct factual errors.
Answer: Giving your full attention and seeking to understand the speaker’s message and perspective.
32. Delegating a challenging assignment to a team member is a leadership practice that can:
- Demonstrate a lack of trust in the team member.
- Show the leader is too busy.
- Develop the team member’s skills and empower them.
- Overwhelm the team member and ensure failure.
Answer: Develop the team member’s skills and empower them.
33. When a team is stuck in “analysis paralysis,” a leader should practice:
- Adding more data for the team to analyze.
- Driving the team to make a timely decision, even with incomplete information.
- Disbanding the team.
- Cancelling the project.
Answer: Driving the team to make a timely decision, even with incomplete information.
34. A leadership practice that helps mitigate burnout is:
- Encouraging long work hours and discouraging vacations.
- Fostering a supportive work environment and promoting self-care.
- Setting unrealistic performance expectations.
- Ignoring signs of stress in the team.
Answer: Fostering a supportive work environment and promoting self-care.
35. A leader who wants to create a more innovative team should practice:
- Punishing all failed experiments.
- Encouraging experimentation and framing failure as a learning opportunity.
- Adhering strictly to established procedures with no deviation.
- Hiring only people who think exactly like them.
Answer: Encouraging experimentation and framing failure as a learning opportunity.
36. The practice of “giving credit where credit is due” primarily helps a leader to:
- Take credit for the team’s work.
- Motivate team members and build loyalty.
- Keep track of who is doing the most work.
- Fulfill a documentation requirement.
Answer: Motivate team members and build loyalty.
37. Which of the following is a leadership practice, not a management practice?
- Developing a budget for the next fiscal year.
- Creating the weekly staff schedule.
- Inspiring the team with a vision of becoming the top-rated pharmacy for clinical services in the state.
- Ensuring the pharmacy is compliant with inventory regulations.
Answer: Inspiring the team with a vision of becoming the top-rated pharmacy for clinical services in the state.
38. The practice of establishing accountability on a team is most effective when it is:
- Focused on blaming individuals.
- Done in a supportive manner focused on achieving collective goals.
- Avoided entirely.
- Handled exclusively by the team leader.
Answer: Done in a supportive manner focused on achieving collective goals.
39. A leader who communicates that “failure is not an option” may inadvertently be discouraging:
- Hard work
- Commitment
- Innovation and risk-taking.
- Accountability
Answer: Innovation and risk-taking.
40. The practice of regularly sharing information about organizational goals and challenges with a team is a behavior that builds:
- Confusion
- Secrecy
- Trust and commitment.
- Apathy
Answer: Trust and commitment.
41. When making a decision, a leader who practices inclusivity will:
- Only consult with their most trusted advisor.
- Make a point to seek out and consider diverse perspectives.
- Make the decision based on a popular vote.
- Base the decision on their gut feeling alone.
Answer: Make a point to seek out and consider diverse perspectives.
42. A key practice in leading an interprofessional team is:
- Establishing a clear understanding of each member’s role and expertise.
- Assuming the physician is always the designated leader.
- Communicating primarily through one person.
- Holding separate meetings for each profession.
Answer: Establishing a clear understanding of each member’s role and expertise.
43. The practice of professional advocacy is an application of leadership that aims to:
- Benefit the individual pharmacist’s career.
- Influence policy and advance the entire profession.
- Increase the cost of medications.
- Maintain the status quo.
Answer: Influence policy and advance the entire profession.
44. A leader who wants to improve team dynamics would practice:
- Cancelling all team meetings.
- Facilitating exercises focused on understanding team members’ strengths and working styles.
- Rearranging the physical layout of the pharmacy.
- Implementing a stricter dress code.
Answer: Facilitating exercises focused on understanding team members’ strengths and working styles.
45. Which of the following is a practice that demonstrates strong leadership ethics?
- Making decisions that benefit the leader at the expense of the team.
- Being transparent with information, unless it violates confidentiality.
- Taking credit for a team member’s idea.
- Avoiding responsibility for team failures.
Answer: Being transparent with information, unless it violates confidentiality.
46. The leadership practice of “aligning people” involves:
- Creating a rigid organizational chart.
- Communicating a vision in a way that helps people understand their role in achieving it.
- Ensuring everyone follows the rules.
- Completing performance reviews.
Answer: Communicating a vision in a way that helps people understand their role in achieving it.
47. A manager’s practice might be to fill a vacant position. A leader’s practice might be to:
- Leave the position vacant.
- Ask “What kind of person do we need to invent the future?”
- Promote the person with the most seniority.
- Hire the first person who applies.
Answer: Ask “What kind of person do we need to invent the future?”
48. What is the practice that underpins all five of the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team”?
- A leader who is willing to be vulnerable and build trust.
- A leader who can resolve all conflicts.
- A leader who holds everyone accountable.
- A leader who focuses the team on results.
Answer: A leader who is willing to be vulnerable and build trust.
49. The practice of continuous professional development is essential for leaders because:
- It is a requirement for licensure.
- It ensures they remain effective and relevant in a changing environment.
- It guarantees they will receive a promotion.
- It is an easy way to fulfill CE requirements.
Answer: It ensures they remain effective and relevant in a changing environment.
50. An effective leadership practice when receiving constructive feedback is to:
- Become defensive and argue against the feedback.
- Listen without interruption and ask clarifying questions to understand the perspective.
- Immediately provide excuses for the behavior.
- Dismiss the feedback as irrelevant.
Answer: Listen without interruption and ask clarifying questions to understand the perspective.
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