CSJT Leadership and Personal Development Questions and Answers

Question 1

A new government-wide strategy requires a significant shift in your team's priorities.
The team is experienced and expresses skepticism about the new direction, fearing it will disrupt their effective routines.
As the team leader, what is the most effective initial action to take?

Accepted Answer

Organise a team meeting to explain the strategic context for the change, and facilitate a discussion on how the team's skills can contribute to the new goals.

Answer

Acknowledge the team's concerns, but insist they adopt the new priorities as mandated from above.

Answer

Ask each team member to individually read the strategy document and submit a report on how they will change their work.

Answer

Delay implementation and tell your manager that the team is not ready for such a significant change.

Question 2

Which of the following actions best demonstrates the Civil Service behaviour of 'Developing Self and Others'?

Accepted Answer

A line manager proactively schedules career development conversations with their team members and identifies 'stretch' assignments to help them build new skills.

Answer

A manager completes all their mandatory training modules well before the deadline.

Answer

A team member with advanced spreadsheet skills creates a complex macro to automate a reporting task for their own use.

Answer

Ensuring every member of the team has the most up-to-date computer hardware to perform their duties.

Question 3

You notice that a long-standing administrative process in your department is inefficient and causes frequent complaints from stakeholders. While there is no immediate pressure to change it, you see clear potential for improvement. What is the most effective first step, demonstrating the 'Changing and Improving' behaviour?

Accepted Answer

Map the existing process to identify bottlenecks, gather data on the delays and stakeholder complaints, and then propose a formal review.

Answer

Immediately design what you believe is a more efficient process and present it to your manager for approval.

Answer

Complain about the inefficient process to your colleagues to see if they will support your call for a change.

Answer

Wait for your manager or senior leadership to initiate a formal review of all departmental processes.

Question 4

A junior colleague on your team has shown great potential and is eager to take on more responsibility. An opportunity arises to lead a small, low-risk internal project. Assigning it to them would require more of your oversight than giving it to a senior colleague. What is the most appropriate action, balancing team delivery and personal development?

Accepted Answer

Assign the project to the junior colleague, providing a clear brief, defined check-in points, and the assurance of your support.

Answer

Give the project to the senior colleague to ensure it is completed with maximum efficiency and minimal oversight.

Answer

Tell the junior colleague they are not yet experienced enough and should focus on their current tasks.

Answer

Ask the junior and senior colleague to co-lead the project to reduce risk.

Question 5

In the context of the Civil Service, which statement best defines the behaviour 'Seeing the Big Picture'?

Accepted Answer

Understanding how your role and team's work contribute to departmental objectives and wider government priorities.

Answer

Focusing intently on completing your individual tasks to the highest possible standard without deviation.

Answer

Keeping up-to-date with office politics to understand who the key influencers are within the department.

Answer

Prioritising tasks that are most visible to senior management to aid career progression.

Question 6

Your team has just implemented a new digital process. After a few weeks, you discover that several team members have developed their own 'workarounds' because they find the official process confusing. Which action best reflects the behaviour of 'Changing and Improving'?

Accepted Answer

Organising a feedback session with the team to understand the specific issues with the new process and collaboratively identify potential improvements.

Answer

Mandating that all team members must follow the official process without exception and disregard their workarounds.

Answer

Reporting the team members to your manager for non-compliance with the new standard operating procedure.

Answer

Ignoring the workarounds, as long as the work is getting done to an acceptable standard.

A new government-wide strategy requires a significant shift in your team's priorities.The team is experienced and expresses skepticism about the new direction, fearing it will disrupt their effective routines.As the team leader, what is the most effective initial action to take?

A new government-wide strategy requires a significant shift in your team's priorities.
The team is experienced and expresses skepticism about the new direction, fearing it will disrupt their effective routines.
As the team leader, what is the most effective initial action to take?