QUIZ: Which character are you most like?
When pressure mounts, most of us default to a predictable leadership and self-management pattern. This quick quiz can help you spot yours.
It’s based on my leadership novella about four fictional leaders—Claire the Control Freak, Rob the Rebel, Quinn the Quiet Achiever and Gene the Chaotic Genius—who are looking to be more strategic (and less annoying to themselves and others). In the story, they take a course called ‘Are you the jerk in the office?’—that’s the comic relief, but this quiz is the friendlier version.
When completing the quiz, answer honestly: pick what you actually do under stress, not what you think you should do.
But don’t take the results too seriously. This is just a fun tool to get you thinking.
You can check out the novella and the series of accompanying articles for some practical tips on next steps.
Note: This is a free, low-tech tool that requires a pen and paper. Feel free to use an AI tool to count up your answers, if you prefer.
Take the quiz
1. A colleague sends you a draft that's good but not great. You:
A) Rewrite significant portions yourself—the only way to meet your standards.
B) Send it back with a few blunt comments. They'll figure it out and you’ve got bigger fish to fry.
C) Quietly fix the most obvious gaps and send it on. It's easier than having an awkward conversation about it.
D) Mean to review it properly, but get distracted and give rushed feedback instead.
2. Your calendar for next week is completely full. You:
A) Keep every single meeting. You don't want to miss anything important.
B) Cancel or skip the ones that feel like bureaucratic nonsense.
C) Quietly manage the clashes yourself, shuffling things around so no one else has to deal with it.
D) Assume you'll find gaps between meetings, then realise at 6 pm you've achieved nothing on your own list.
3. Someone challenges your approach in a high-stakes meeting. You:
A) Defend your position with exhaustive evidence. You’ve thought this through from every angle.
B) Push back directly and forcefully. You don't have time for people who don't get the real issues.
C) Acknowledge their point and go quiet, even though you think you’re right.
D) Engage with genuine curiosity, which somehow turns into a twenty-minute tangent.
4. Expenses, approvals and performance reviews are piling up. You:
A) Schedule dedicated time to clear them systematically, even if it means working back late again.
B) Hand most of it off to someone on your team and trust them to flag anything that’s truly urgent.
C) Complete them promptly and thoroughly. It’s part of being a reliable professional.
D) Intend to do them, but keep getting pulled into more interesting work.
5. A team member is struggling with a task you could do in ten minutes. You:
A) Step in and do it yourself. You can’t risk a substandard final product.
B) Give them some quick advice and expect them to run with it. You don't have time for hand-holding.
C) Quietly show them how to do it. You’re happy to help without the public acknowledgement.
D) Offer enthusiastic advice and a few big-picture ideas, then move on to the next thing before they’ve fully absorbed it.
6. Things at work have been intense for months with no end in sight. You:
A) Keep pushing through. You’ll rest when things are working to your standard.
B) Protect your boundaries fiercely, even if others think you're being difficult.
C) Absorb the pressure quietly, hoping no one notices you’re near your limit.
D) Swing between 12-hour bursts of genius and days where you can’t focus on a single email.
7. In your perfect work world, you:
A) Have complete visibility and control over every variable with zero surprises.
B) Are free from bureaucratic interference and trusted to just get things done.
C) Are recognised for your expertise without having to play office politics.
D) Have endless time for intellectually stimulating work, with the boring stuff handled by someone else.
Scoring
Count how many times you picked each letter. Your most frequent letter is your starting point. If two letters tie, read on for what that might mean.
Mostly A’s: Claire (The Control Freak)
‘If I don’t do it, the organisation is at risk.’
You cope with pressure by trying to control every variable. Your standards are high and your preparation is thorough, but you’re likely exhausted. Under stress, you stop delegating because ‘it’s faster to do it myself’ and you become the bottleneck you were trying to prevent.
What this looks like: micromanagement, perfectionism and martyrdom. You’re working long days while your team waits for you to approve low-stakes details.
The growth edge: building strategic capacity means trusting your team to be 80% as good as you so you can focus on the big picture.
This week’s challenge: pick one low-stakes task and let it be good enough. Resist the urge to do a final polish yourself.
Want to see how Claire learns to loosen her grip? Follow her story in the novella.
Mostly B’s: Rob (The Rebel)
‘This process is just bureaucracy getting in the way of real work.’
You cope with pressure by fighting the system. You’re a champion for your function and have zero patience for red tape. Under stress, your ‘seek forgiveness, not permission’ attitude starts to look like recklessness and you might be burning bridges you actually need.
What this looks like: impatience, resistance and unintentional collateral damage. You’re so busy pushing back that you’ve become a roadblock to your own progress.
The growth edge: being more strategic means learning how to navigate the system to change it, rather than just crashing through it.
This week’s challenge: before you bypass a standard process, ask: ‘What is this process actually protecting?’ You don’t have to like it, just understand it.
Want to see how Rob learns to pick his battles? Follow his story in the novella.
Mostly C’s: Quinn (The Quiet Achiever)
‘I’ll just put my head down and do the work.’
You cope with pressure by staying invisible. You’re the reliable, intelligent engine room of your team, but you avoid the spotlight. Under stress, you overdeliver on the ‘how’ while losing sight of the ‘why’ and you defer to louder voices even when you think you have the better argument.
What this looks like: hiding, overpreparing and waiting to be recognised instead of stepping forward. You're often the most capable person in the room, but no one outside your immediate team would know it.
The growth edge: real influence requires visibility. Sustainable success requires relationships, not just results.
This week’s challenge: speak up once in a meeting before you feel 100% ready. Your perspective is valuable even if it isn't polished.
Want to see Quinn find her voice? Follow her story in the novella.
Mostly D’s: Gene (The Chaotic Genius)
‘I’ve solved the big problem, but don't ask me where my receipts are.’
You cope with pressure by chasing what’s intellectually stimulating. You’re brilliant, charming and great in a crisis. Under stress, however, you become a nightmare for anyone waiting on your paperwork. Your last-minute heroics are wearing thin for the people who have to clean up the trail of admin you leave behind.
What this looks like: brilliant ideas, late paperwork and good intentions that don't quite land in time.
The growth edge: being strategic means building a sustainable rhythm so your brilliance isn't overshadowed by your chaos.
This week’s challenge: pick the most boring task on your list. Do it first thing tomorrow morning before you look at anything interesting.
Want to see how Gene builds a sustainable rhythm? Follow his story in the novella.
A tie or close to one?
‘It depends on the day.’
Your answers are spread across multiple patterns. This usually means one of three things:
You’re versatile: you adapt your response based on the specific type of pressure you're facing.
You’re self-aware: you’ve already done some work on your default tendencies and are catching yourself before you fully slip into old patterns.
You’re a ‘combo’: you might be a Claire who turns into a Gene when you're completely overwhelmed, or a Quinn who turns into a Rob when pushed too far.
This week’s challenge: think about the last time work felt genuinely overwhelming. How did you cope? Which of the four characters above matches that moment most closely, even if it's not your usual pattern?
Not sure where to start? The novella follows all four characters as they work through exactly this. The link is below.
Other resources
Check out the novella page for the fictional leaders’ full stories, a five-part article series and a more detailed strategic thinking self-assessment.