Are you a Gonzo CEO? Take the Cosmo Quiz: ok, so this isn't really a Cosmo quiz. But an editorial advisory board member of The RMA Journal felt this article, found on the irreverent and always interesting GonzoBanker Web site, deserves reprinting. So think of it as a Journal nee GonzoBanker nee Cosmo quiz

RMA Journal, The, Dec, 2003 by Stone Cold Steve Austin

Discussions about leadership are dominating management planning sessions this year. Banks must be paying heed to the old Chinese proverb, "It's easy to build an army, but harder to find a general."

There's also been an explosion of management books on the topic of leadership. The term "Level 5" is everywhere, and that Stephen Covey dude is making a mint talking about the "seven habits of highly infected people"--sounds gross.

Anyway, as a management consultant, I've just got to get in on this action. I've walked the halls of enough banks to weigh in on what makes a great CEO. For this reason, I blatantly ripped off the "Cosmo Quiz" format to develop this quiz. (By the way, it's not my Cosmo, it's my wife's ... I swear.) So, fearless leaders around the country, answer the following 12 multiple choice questions to see where you shake out.

1. Setting Strategy

When you are establishing a strategic vision for your bank, you often:

A. Burst into a manager's office every few days with new ideas like, "Why don't we do indirect dental chair lending?"

B. Determine the two to three key niches and priorities for the company and make sure the entire organization stays focused.

C. Use lofty language like, "I see us becoming the premier financial organization that delivers the highest level of customer service in an integrated delivery environment."

2. Defending the Numbers

You're talking about your bank to a major institutional investor. He's asking some tough questions about this year's financials. As usual, you:

A. Say condescendingly, "You analysts think you know everything with those fancy earnings models."

B. Rattle off the answers like a Mensa geek on Jeopardy.

C. Turn constantly to your CFO in a helpless, yet threatening way.

3. Seeking Your Approval

When your senior managers want to get some expensive new initiative approved, they:

A. Wait until after 5 p.m., sneak through the side door to your office, and cut a sweetheart deal.

B. Run the request through the bank's formal budgeting, capital expenditure, and project approval processes.

C. Spend the money without asking, knowing you'll either forgive them or won't pay attention enough to catch them.

4. Playing the Blame Game

Two of your direct reports are fast becoming mortal enemies. Each time you see one, he/she begins secretly bashing the other. Do you:

A. Appear to agree with whoever is in your office at that time and then change your tune when the other manager comes around.

B. Confront both executives together, negotiate a plan of action, and let them know that you don't tolerate back-stabbing weasels.

C. Shrug your shoulders, lament that "those two just don't like each other," and hope the conflict goes away.

5. Building the Team

A key executive position has just opened up at your bank. The first individual you think about appointing to fill the job is:

A. Some new guy from a "really big bank."

B. The #2 in the department, who has slaved away for 12 years and helped build a very profitable business line.

C. Your son-in-law, who is struggling financially with his new Pilates studio.

6. Utilizing Consultants

A consultant has just presented an analysis that criticizes your bank's operations, indicating that his firm has uncovered "major issues." Do you:

A. Wave the report at your management team and say, "You see, I told you you were all idiots."

B. Hold off judgment until your management team has reviewed the report and provided you with a formal response.

C. Yell defensively at the consultant and dismiss him, saying his firm failed to recognize how different your bank is from all the others.

7. Mingling with the Troops

After an early breakfast meeting, you decide to pay a visit to several nearby branches. It is likely that:

A. The staff will mistake you for a branch auditor or mystery shopper because you're never around.

B. The staff will openly share current concerns with you, and then they will beam when they receive your handwritten thank-you note a few days later.

C. The staff will be terrified, smile nervously, and say, "Everything's fine ... we're really looking forward to the picnic this year."

8. Talking Technology

Your CIO has just made a presentation about key challenges to be addressed in implementing a major new technology. After the presentation, you:

A. Roll your eves and say, "I don't care about this technology stuff ... just make it work!"

B. Ask good questions and offer your thoughts on the decision, understanding that there is never a perfect answer when it comes to technology.

C. Snap your fingers and exclaim, "Hey, can I get one of those wireless Palm Pilots like I saw on CNN this morning?"

9. Implementing Change

Several managers have come to you with concerns about the lack of resources and unrealistic time frames regarding a major corporate project. Do you:

A. Mimic an old general and declare, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"

B. Listen carefully, work to prioritize the milestones, and allow for additional resources if they have been rationally justified.

C. Ask if there's any way your son-in-law might help out on the project.