CTL Delegation & Task Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team leader delegates a critical project task to an employee who later reports feeling overwhelmed. What should the leader do FIRST?
- Reassign the task to a more experienced team member immediately
- Meet with the employee to assess their specific challenges and provide support (Correct answer)
- Tell the employee to push through since the deadline is non-negotiable
- Escalate the issue to senior management
Correct answer: Meet with the employee to assess their specific challenges and provide support
The leader should first understand the root cause of the overwhelm before taking corrective action, which may include coaching, resources, or adjusted scope.
Question 2: Which factor is MOST important when deciding how much authority to grant along with a delegated task?
- The employee's seniority level
- The complexity of the task
- The employee's competence and track record with similar tasks (Correct answer)
- The urgency of the deadline
Correct answer: The employee's competence and track record with similar tasks
Authority granted should match the delegatee's demonstrated competence and reliability, ensuring they can act effectively without overstepping.
Question 3: What is the PRIMARY risk of under-delegating as a team leader?
- Team members may make costly errors
- The leader becomes a bottleneck, reducing team productivity (Correct answer)
- Tasks are completed inconsistently
- Team members lose interest in their roles
Correct answer: The leader becomes a bottleneck, reducing team productivity
Under-delegation creates a bottleneck where the leader's limited time and capacity constrain what the entire team can accomplish.
Question 4: An employee completes a delegated task but uses a different method than the leader expected. The result meets all objectives. How should the leader respond?
- Require the employee to redo the task using the approved method
- Acknowledge the result and discuss the different approach as a learning opportunity (Correct answer)
- Document the deviation as a performance concern
- Avoid delegating to this employee in the future
Correct answer: Acknowledge the result and discuss the different approach as a learning opportunity
When objectives are met, the leader should recognize success while exploring the alternative approach, which may reveal better methods.
Question 5: Which delegation model emphasizes matching the leader's behavior to the team member's development level on a specific task?
- SMART goal framework
- Situational Leadership model (Correct answer)
- RACI matrix
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Correct answer: Situational Leadership model
The Situational Leadership model by Hersey and Blanchard prescribes adjusting directive and supportive behaviors to match the follower's competence and commitment on each task.
Question 6: A RACI matrix is used in task management primarily to:
- Track project budgets and resource costs
- Clarify roles and accountability for each task among team members (Correct answer)
- Schedule tasks based on team member availability
- Measure the quality of completed deliverables
Correct answer: Clarify roles and accountability for each task among team members
A RACI matrix defines who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each task, eliminating role ambiguity.
Question 7: When setting task priorities for a team, which tool helps leaders distinguish between tasks that are urgent and those that are truly important?
- Gantt chart
- Eisenhower Matrix (Correct answer)
- SWOT analysis
- Fishbone diagram
Correct answer: Eisenhower Matrix
The Eisenhower Matrix categorizes tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance, helping leaders allocate time and delegate appropriately.
CTL Delegation & Task Management 2
A team leader delegates a critical project task to an employee who later reports feeling overwhelmed.
What should the leader do FIRST?