CLM Technical Skills & Application 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mentor uses a structured debriefing model after a mentee's failed project. Which step comes FIRST in the After Action Review (AAR) process?
- Identify what should be done differently
- Establish what actually happened
- Determine what was supposed to happen (Correct answer)
- Develop an improvement action plan
Correct answer: Determine what was supposed to happen
The AAR process begins with establishing the intended plan or goal before comparing it against what actually occurred.
Question 2: Which coaching technique involves the mentor reflecting the mentee's own words back to them to deepen self-awareness?
- Reframing
- Mirroring (Correct answer)
- Probing
- Scaling
Correct answer: Mirroring
Mirroring repeats or paraphrases the mentee's exact language to help them hear and reflect on their own statements.
Question 3: A mentee's 360-degree feedback shows a gap between self-perception and peer ratings. What is the mentor's BEST immediate action?
- Dispute the peer ratings as subjective
- Help the mentee explore the gap without defensiveness (Correct answer)
- Ask the mentee to retake the assessment later
- Shift focus to strengths to avoid discouragement
Correct answer: Help the mentee explore the gap without defensiveness
The mentor's role is to create a safe space for the mentee to examine discrepancies objectively and extract actionable insight.
Question 4: When applying the GROW model, what does the 'W' step primarily focus on?
- Measuring willingness to change
- Weighing pros and cons of each option
- Identifying specific actions and commitments (Correct answer)
- Writing a formal development plan
Correct answer: Identifying specific actions and commitments
The 'Way Forward' step converts explored options into concrete next steps and accountability commitments.
Question 5: A CLM mentor is facilitating a session where the mentee keeps giving vague answers. Which intervention is MOST effective?
- Provide the answer the mentee seems to be avoiding
- Use silence to create reflective space
- Ask a scaling question such as 'On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you?' (Correct answer)
- Switch to a directive coaching style immediately
Correct answer: Ask a scaling question such as 'On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you?'
Scaling questions convert abstract feelings into quantifiable data, prompting the mentee to reflect more concretely.
Question 6: Which psychometric tool is MOST commonly used in leadership mentoring to identify a mentee's decision-making and communication style?
- Hogan Personality Inventory
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Correct answer)
- Situational Leadership Assessment
- Work Preference Inventory
Correct answer: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The MBTI is widely used to surface preferences in perception and judgment that directly influence leadership communication and teamwork.
Question 7: In mentoring, 'shadowing' is BEST used to help a mentee develop which type of skill?
- Conceptual frameworks
- Observational and behavioral modeling (Correct answer)
- Self-assessment accuracy
- Written communication
Correct answer: Observational and behavioral modeling
Shadowing allows mentees to observe real behaviors in context, making it ideal for modeling nuanced interpersonal and situational skills.
CLM Technical Skills & Application 2
A mentor uses a structured debriefing model after a mentee's failed project.
Which step comes FIRST in the After Action Review (AAR) process?