SEI Self-Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the Six Seconds model, 'Apply Consequential Thinking' primarily means:
- Evaluating the likely outcomes of your actions before acting (Correct answer)
- Thinking about the past consequences of bad decisions
- Avoiding all actions that carry any risk
- Delegating decisions that have serious consequences
Correct answer: Evaluating the likely outcomes of your actions before acting
Consequential Thinking means pausing to evaluate probable outcomes and effects of your choices before you act.
Question 2: A manager feels anger rising during a difficult team meeting. The self-management skill of 'Navigate Emotions' would suggest she should:
- Suppress the anger completely so others don't notice
- Acknowledge the emotion and intentionally shift it to serve the situation (Correct answer)
- Express the anger immediately to establish authority
- Leave the meeting until the feeling passes
Correct answer: Acknowledge the emotion and intentionally shift it to serve the situation
Navigating Emotions means using emotions as data and actively redirecting them to support effective action.
Question 3: Which scenario BEST illustrates low self-management on the SEI?
- A person pauses before responding to a critical email
- A person sets long-term career goals despite short-term setbacks
- A person repeatedly interrupts colleagues when frustrated (Correct answer)
- A person reflects on their emotional triggers weekly
Correct answer: A person repeatedly interrupts colleagues when frustrated
Repeatedly acting impulsively under frustration indicates a failure to choose effective responses — a core self-management deficit.
Question 4: The SEI Self-Management competency 'Exercise Optimism' is best described as:
- Denying negative realities to stay positive
- Proactively choosing hopeful interpretations that support action (Correct answer)
- Waiting for external circumstances to improve before acting
- Focusing exclusively on best-case outcomes in planning
Correct answer: Proactively choosing hopeful interpretations that support action
Optimism in the Six Seconds model is an active, chosen mindset that fuels persistence, not denial of difficulty.
Question 5: An employee discovers he was passed over for promotion. An optimistic self-management response would be to:
- Assume the decision was politically motivated and disengage
- Seek feedback, identify growth areas, and set a plan for next time (Correct answer)
- Accept that this role is the ceiling of his career
- Immediately begin searching for a new employer
Correct answer: Seek feedback, identify growth areas, and set a plan for next time
Optimism drives constructive reframing and action-oriented responses rather than helplessness or avoidance.
Question 6: Which of the following is a key distinction between self-awareness and self-management on the SEI?
- Self-awareness is a skill; self-management is a trait you are born with
- Self-awareness involves noticing internal states; self-management involves acting on that awareness effectively (Correct answer)
- Self-management comes before self-awareness in the Six Seconds model
- They measure the same construct from different angles
Correct answer: Self-awareness involves noticing internal states; self-management involves acting on that awareness effectively
Self-awareness is the foundation of 'Know Yourself,' while self-management ('Choose Yourself') is about intentionally directing behavior based on that awareness.
Question 7: Which best represents the concept of 'intrinsic motivation' as measured by the SEI?
- Working hard to earn a bonus or avoid a penalty
- Feeling driven by internal values, curiosity, and purpose (Correct answer)
- Competing with colleagues to outperform them
- Completing tasks only when directly supervised
Correct answer: Feeling driven by internal values, curiosity, and purpose
Intrinsic motivation is fueled by internal satisfaction and alignment with personal values, not external rewards or pressures.
SEI Self-Management 2
In the Six Seconds model, 'Apply Consequential Thinking' primarily means: