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YOUR WORKPLACE
SURVIVAL QUOTIENT QUIZ
What’s Your Survival Quotient? A Self-Assessment Quiz
How well do you “work it right?” How good is your “workplace
survivability” with other humans? This Workplace Survival Quiz will
help find your “Workplace Survival Quotient” by rating yourself and
others on some of the major ways of working with others that will lead
to better relationships and success in the workplace.
The 25 questions are
based on the major topics covered in The Survival Guide to Working
with Humans. Rate how well you think you do in each area; then
total your score. Answer as honestly as you can, since honesty and
trust are essential in working well with others. If you don’t answer
honestly—well, that’s an immediate flunk, though only you will know.
But then, when things start going wrong for you at work—that’s a sign
you’re working it wrong! Once you do that, your ability to survive in
working with other humans goes down, down, down.
The lower your
workplace survivability, the lower your chances of either staying or
moving ahead. So keep up your “Survivability” not only to stay but
also to thrive on your office island; to swim with the stars in your
office pool.
Now here’s the quiz. Rate yourself from 0 to 4 on
each question; then add up the totals. See the scoring key at the end
to see how well you’ve done.
RATING
(from 0-4)
OFFICE POLITICS
1. I know how to be diplomatic and tactful, and when to be forceful
and when to
retreat.
______
2. I
have a good sense of the different players in the office game,
their relative power, and how to play
with them.
______
CHANGE
3. I’m
ready to change and adapt myself to the times, including
changing in response to the
needs and demands in the workplace.
______
4. I
know what not to change, such as key principles, values,
and promises, and I don’t
change those.
______
RELATIONSHIPS
5. I’m
aware of the differences in personality, values, interests,
and cultures of different
people, and I adapt the way I relate
to them
accordingly.
______
6. I
like to be helpful and supportive of others, and consider their
interests and needs as well
as my own.
______
COMMUNICATION
7. I
make it a point to communicate clearly, concisely, say what
I mean, and check that
others have gotten my message.
______
8. I
make it a point to listen and understand what others say, and
I ask for clarification when I’m not
sure.
______
SOLVING PROBLEMS
9. When
I solve problems, I consider other points of view as well
as my
own.
______
10. I am good
at solving problems, since I prioritize and consider the
big picture and tactics as
appropriate. I also seek to
understand the problem
fully before seeking a solution.
______
MAKING CHOICES AND DECISIONS
11. In making
an important decision, I take some time to reflect
on various factors, such
as past and current circumstances
and what may be realistic, besides what I want.
______
12.I pay
attention to changes in the workplace and in everyday
occurrences to help me
make choices.
______
BACKING DOWN AND LETTING GO
13. I’m ready
to back down in order to tone down or end a conflict.
______
14. I know
when it’s time to let go and move
on. ______
RESOLVING CONFLICTS
15. I look for
the facts and seek to understand what’s going on,
before I decide what to do and how to take action in a
conflict.
______
16. I try to
cool down the emotions first, seek to understand
the situation and various approaches, and use my
intuition
to come up with different alternatives and decide what to do.
______
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AND PEOPLE
17. No one
considers me a difficult person, because I work well
with others and adapt well to different people and
situations.
______
18. When other
people are being difficult, I try to understand them,
so I can better communicate with them and work out
any
problems.
______
ETHICAL DILEMMAS
19. I
believe that honesty is the best policy; so I’m open and honest,
which includes admitting my
mistakes.
______
20. I
try to recognize where others are coming from ethically in their
attitudes, values, orientation, and style, so I can
better
understand and deal with
them when ethical issues arise.
______
TRUST
21. I keep the
confidences others tell me, and if someone thinks
I didn’t, I immediately discuss their concerns with
them.
______
22. I take
responsibility and keep my promises.
______
METHODS
23. I’m good
at visualizing to understand what’s going on, consider
different possibilities,
set goals, and make plans.
______
24. I take
into consideration assumptions, personalities, and politics
in deciding on a course of action, in addition to using
other
methods.
______
ATTITUDE
25. I know
nobody’s perfect, and I have answered the previous
questions as honestly as I
can.
_______
TOTAL SCORE: _______
THE RATING SYSTEM
Think of this like a flight report as
you fly through the sometimes friendly and not so friendly work skies.
It’s a guide to how well you will survive when you work with all types
of humans—whether natives or visitors, insiders or outsiders, friends
or foes. Then, use the results to help you increase your “Workplace
Survivability” score or “Workplace Survival Quotient” by improving
where you are weak, so you don’t merely survive but thrive.
90+ = Are you really sure? You
could be cheating or delusional.
If not, great job.
You’re a Master Pilot and really know how to survive
and really
thrive with all kinds of humans.
80–89 = High flyer and thriver. You are
great to work with most of the time.
70–79 = Some clouds and
turbulence ahead. You can expect problems, but will
usually recover and pull
through. So you’ve got a fairly good chance of
survival.
60–69 = Stormy weather. Things aren’t
looking good. Consider returning to
recheck your flight plan and
look for another way. Your chances of
surviving are definitely iffy.
40–59 = Mayday-Mayday. You really need
help. Seek the help you need now
before you fall from the air. You may not
survive or may sustain serious
injuries when
you fall.
0–39 = Crack-up. Uh-oh. You’re in
deep disaster and are already heading for a
crash unless you make some quick corrections now. Your survival
chances are slim to none, unless you do something to pull out of your
tailspin fast.
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