Module 2: Leadership Skills in Project Management

Multiple Choice

An international donor funds multiple infrastructure initiatives in Afghanistan, including housing, transportation, and energy. A Portfolio Manager is appointed. What is the primary responsibility of this Portfolio Manager?

• Managing the interdependencies between the housing and energy projects

• Ensuring each project achieves its specific objectives

• Aligning all initiatives with strategic goals and optimizing overall value

• Overseeing the day-to-day work of the housing project team

Multiple Choice

An NGO is managing a resettlement program involving shelter, education, and psychosocial support projects for internally displaced persons (IDPs). What is the Program Manager’s role?

• Track each project’s detailed schedule and task-level progress

• Coordinate benefits and manage interdependencies across all projects

• Report only financial data to stakeholders

• Assign developers and testers to each work package

Multiple Choice

In a Kabul-based Agile project for a food distribution platform, the Product Owner is frequently unavailable and the backlog is not refined. How should the Scrum Master respond?

• Take over backlog refinement tasks

• Ask team members to define requirements

• Escalate to the PMO

• Coach the Product Owner on responsibilities

​Leadership Skills

Multiple Choice

A Project Manager in a USAID-funded bridge construction project insists on strict adherence to contracts and schedules and rewards or penalizes contractors accordingly. Which leadership style is being used?

• Transformational

• Transactional

• Democratic

• Coaching

Multiple Choice

During an IT upgrade project for hospitals in Herat, the Project Manager adopts a hands-off approach, expecting the experienced team to manage themselves. Deadlines are missed, and confusion grows. What leadership style is causing issues?

• Coaching

• Democratic

• Laissez-faire

• Directive

Multiple Choice

A government agency in Kabul is digitizing public records. The Project Manager inspires the team with a vision of modern governance, encourages innovation, and leads by example. What leadership style is this?

• Transformational

• Servant

• Directive

• Transactional

Multiple Choice

A Project Manager leading a cross-functional IT project in Kabul lacks formal authority over key team members from different departments. To ensure collaboration, he builds trust, listens actively, and aligns the team's interests with overall goals. What leadership skill is this?

• Negotiation

• Influencing

• Conflict resolution

• Directive management

Multiple Choice

While managing a UN-funded supply chain project in Balkh, the Project Manager discovers that a vendor's price increase threatens the project budget. She negotiates a revised timeline and volume-based discount to stay within scope. What skill is she applying?

• Coaching

• Influencing

• Escalation

• Negotiation

Multiple Choice

In an urban planning project in Kabul, community leaders express concerns about environmental impacts. The Project Manager maintains eye contact, paraphrases key concerns, and asks clarifying questions to ensure full understanding. What skill is this?

• Political acumen

• Negotiation

• Active listening

• Persuasion

​Leadership Skills

Multiple Choice

A Project Manager overseeing a complex drone mapping project in Afghanistan is well-known for her technical knowledge in GIS. Her team frequently seeks her input before making design decisions. What type of power is she using?

• Legitimate

• Expert

• Coercive

• Informational

Multiple Choice

During a high-pressure refugee relief project in Balkh, a Project Manager threatens to remove team members from the project if they don’t meet delivery timelines. What type of power is being used?

• Referent

• Expert

• Reward

• Coercive

Multiple Choice

A senior Project Manager with a history of successful project delivery in Afghanistan is chosen to lead a high-profile reconstruction effort. Team members feel inspired and follow her lead even without her giving direct orders. What type of power is this?

• Legitimate

• Coercive

• Referent

• Expert

Types of Power

Multiple Choice

During a donor-funded infrastructure project in Kabul, the Project Manager delivers a highly successful presentation to the ministry. However, the project sponsor looks uncomfortable when the Project Manager receives all the credit. What should the PM do in future meetings?

• Step back and ensure the sponsor is recognized publicly

• Present more technical detail to establish leadership

• Avoid inviting the sponsor to meetings

• Ask the sponsor not to attend future presentations

Multiple Choice

In a cross-functional program, a junior PM corrects the Program Director in front of an audience to demonstrate expertise. The Program Director becomes distant and excludes them from future strategy sessions. What is the likely cause?

• Lack of stakeholder engagement

• Poor emotional intelligence

• Violating Law 1: Outshining the master

• Weak conflict resolution skills

Multiple Choice

An Agile Coach embedded in a tech project in Herat is micromanaging daily activities, attending every team breakout and retrospective. Over time, the team becomes disengaged and dependent. What should the coach do?

• Be more assertive in giving feedback

• Increase involvement further

• Reassign the Product Owner

• Step back and let the team self-organize

Laws of Power