Here's A Quiz To Discover Your People Skills

Hispanic Times Magazine, August, 2000

In the Office of the Future: 2005(TM), advanced technology will be more pervasive than ever. However, computer proficiency alone will not guarantee career success. Tomorrow's workplace will require strong PEOPLE skills:

Problem-solving abilities (organization, judgement, logic, creativity, conflict resolution)

Ethics (diplomacy, courtesy, honesty, professionalism)

Open-mindedness (flexibility, open to new business ideas, positive outlook)

Persuasiveness (excellent communication and listening skills)

Leadership (accountability, management and motivational skills)

Educational interests (continuous thirst for knowledge and skills development

How do you PEOPLE skills stack up? Take the People Skills Index and find out how prepared you are for the Office of the Future.

Good luck!

THE QUIZ

The following 15 questions will help you determine if you have the necessary "people" skills to be successful in the office of 2005. In some of the questions, you may agree with more than one choice. However, try to select the answer you agree with the most. Circle your answers. Your total score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly.

1. Your colleagues have been passed over for a promotion, and you've been informed that you got it. But the announcement date becomes delayed due to your supervisor's other priorities. In the meantime, there is growing speculation among the staff, and one of your co-workers asks if you've heard anything about it. What approach do you take?

A. Tell the colleague that you got it, but ask that he or she be discreet about it.

B. Wait it out until your supervisor is ready.

C. Tell a few, select co-workers that you got it, but ask that they be discreet about it.

D. Tell all co-workers involved.

E. Tell your supervisor that there's growing discussion, and you've been asked about it.

2. Your primary method of organizing work is to:

A. Continually re-establish priorities as needed based on the requirements of the day.

B. Before reviewing new assignments for the day complete yesterday's priority list of work.

C. Try as best you can to complete one project before accepting another one.

D. Prioritize each day's work and stick to it regardless of additional projects that may distract you.

3. Which one of the following statements best describes your beliefs or approach?

A. I generally like to avoid conflict whenever possible.

B. Allowing emotions to enter into business decisions is unavoidable.

C. I'm good at logically thinking through a problem.

D. Making a relatively quick decision is always better than waiting to make a decision.

4. Your supervisor has given you an assignment but you're unfamiliar with certain aspects of the project in which others in the department have more experience. You:

A. Spend whatever time necessary on your own getting at least a cursory knowledge of the unknown areas.

B. Seek the assistance of the other experts and, in turn, offer your expertise to them.

C. Tell your supervisor up-front that you are not familiar with those aspects.

D. Suggest to your supervisor that you handle only the familiar part.

5. Which one of the following statements best reflects your beliefs or approach?

A. Success seems to come easier to some people than others.

B. If my closest friends and family agree on what's best for my career, I usually rely on their advice.

C. My employer is in the best position to decide which career path is best for me.

D. Career success is a direct result of my own efforts--not that of others.

6. The best way to lead and manage people is to:

A. Make it very clear that you're in charge.

B. Solicit input from them before making major decisions.

C. Share your expertise by offering your direct supervision to as many people as possible.

D. Set your goals before you begin the project and communicate them loud and clear to the team before getting started.

7. Which one of the following statements best reflects your beliefs or approach?

A. When managing a project, I like all the team members to remain on task with the original approach.

B. People with greater seniority in a company are in the best position to generate useful ideas.

C. When managing a project, I encourage people to share differing opinions.

D. If the majority of people believe in a certain approach, it's probably the best one.

8. Which of the following best describes the ingredients of effective persuasion?

A. Remaining steadfast in your beliefs and not wavering.

B. Being forceful and vocal in your opinions.

C. Being pleasant as much as possible.

D. Having strong listening skills.

9. One of your close friends is in a business that you rely upon as one of several vendors to your company. When your supervisor asks you to start a bidding process with these vendors, you inadvertently give a little more information to your friend. You realize that you have now given her an unfair advantage. Do you:

A. Explain to your friend that you shouldn't have released this information and ask her not to make it a factor in her bid?

B. Take into consideration the fact that your friend had more information when evaluating the bids?