Leadership Cluster - SHRM-CP
Behavioral Competencies Questions
and Answers 2026
Leadership & Navigation - AnswerThe knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to
navigate the organization and accomplish HR goals, to create a compelling vision and mission for HR
that aligns with the strategic direction and culture of the organization, to lead and promote
organizational change, to manage the implementation and execution of HR initiatives, and to
promote the role of HR as a key business partner.
Navigating the organization - AnswerWorks within the parameters of the organization's hierarchy,
processes, systems and policies
Vision - AnswerDefines and supports a coherent vision and long-term goals for HR that support the
strategic direction of the organization
Managing HR initiatives - AnswerExecutes the implementation and management of HR projects or
initiatives that support HR and organizational objectives
Influence - AnswerInspires colleagues to understand and pursue the strategic vision and goals of HR
and the organization
Ethical Practice - AnswerKSAOs needed to maintain high levels of personal and professional integrity,
and to act as an ethical agent who promotes core values, integrity and accountability throughout the
organization
Personal integrity - AnswerDemonstrates high levels of integrity in personal relationships and
behaviors
Professional integrity - AnswerDemonstrates high levels of integrity in professional relationships and
behaviors
Ethical Agent - AnswerCultivates the organization's ethical environment, and ensures that policies
and practices reflect ethical values
Inclusive Leadership - Answerpromotes an atmosphere of respect, where all employees have equal
access to share and utilize the skills they bring to the organization.
, Phases of Situational Leadership - Answerdirecting, coaching, supporting, delegating
Directing - Answeris a limited flexibility, high-direction, and low-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as defining, planning, teaching, and monitoring.
Individuals in this learning stage have high commitment but limited skills and need clear standards,
goals, and timelines with regular feedback.
Coaching - Answeris a high-direction and high-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as praise, encouragement, prioritizing, and feedback.
Individuals in this improvement stage have some commitment and skills but still need recognition
and feedback while they try to develop more effective ways to perform tasks.
Supporting - Answeris a low-direction, high-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as listening, collaborating, and appreciating.
Individuals at this innovative stage are more confident, skilled, and self-reliant problem solvers.
Delegating - Answeris a low-direction, low-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as trusting, empowering, acknowledging, and challenging.
Individuals at this final stage have high commitment and excellent skills; they are ready for trust,
responsibility, authority, variety, and challenges.
Locke's Goal Setting Theory - AnswerA process theory of motivation that focuses on the process of
setting and attaining goals. To be effective, workers and the manager should both be involved in
negotiating the goals and the goals need to be established using the SMART principle (specific,
measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) as well as providing periodic feedback on
performance to employees. In the setting of goals, two factors are thought to be important: goal
difficulty and goal specificity. Goal difficulty refers to the extent to which a goal is challenging and
states that, to a certain extent, motivation will increase as the difficulty of a task increases.
Furthermore, clearly defining a goal will also increase the probability of achieving it.
Pro =>The setting of goals lead to increased efforts, task focus and persistence, all of which led to
improved performance of both the individual and the organisation.
Con =>If the goals are too difficult, employees can lose motivation as they will think that the goal is
unattainable. If goals are not achieved, employee morale could decrease as they feel they have failed
and thus could result in increased staff turnover and decrease productivity.
Behavioral Competencies Questions
and Answers 2026
Leadership & Navigation - AnswerThe knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to
navigate the organization and accomplish HR goals, to create a compelling vision and mission for HR
that aligns with the strategic direction and culture of the organization, to lead and promote
organizational change, to manage the implementation and execution of HR initiatives, and to
promote the role of HR as a key business partner.
Navigating the organization - AnswerWorks within the parameters of the organization's hierarchy,
processes, systems and policies
Vision - AnswerDefines and supports a coherent vision and long-term goals for HR that support the
strategic direction of the organization
Managing HR initiatives - AnswerExecutes the implementation and management of HR projects or
initiatives that support HR and organizational objectives
Influence - AnswerInspires colleagues to understand and pursue the strategic vision and goals of HR
and the organization
Ethical Practice - AnswerKSAOs needed to maintain high levels of personal and professional integrity,
and to act as an ethical agent who promotes core values, integrity and accountability throughout the
organization
Personal integrity - AnswerDemonstrates high levels of integrity in personal relationships and
behaviors
Professional integrity - AnswerDemonstrates high levels of integrity in professional relationships and
behaviors
Ethical Agent - AnswerCultivates the organization's ethical environment, and ensures that policies
and practices reflect ethical values
Inclusive Leadership - Answerpromotes an atmosphere of respect, where all employees have equal
access to share and utilize the skills they bring to the organization.
, Phases of Situational Leadership - Answerdirecting, coaching, supporting, delegating
Directing - Answeris a limited flexibility, high-direction, and low-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as defining, planning, teaching, and monitoring.
Individuals in this learning stage have high commitment but limited skills and need clear standards,
goals, and timelines with regular feedback.
Coaching - Answeris a high-direction and high-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as praise, encouragement, prioritizing, and feedback.
Individuals in this improvement stage have some commitment and skills but still need recognition
and feedback while they try to develop more effective ways to perform tasks.
Supporting - Answeris a low-direction, high-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as listening, collaborating, and appreciating.
Individuals at this innovative stage are more confident, skilled, and self-reliant problem solvers.
Delegating - Answeris a low-direction, low-support leadership style.
Leaders use activities such as trusting, empowering, acknowledging, and challenging.
Individuals at this final stage have high commitment and excellent skills; they are ready for trust,
responsibility, authority, variety, and challenges.
Locke's Goal Setting Theory - AnswerA process theory of motivation that focuses on the process of
setting and attaining goals. To be effective, workers and the manager should both be involved in
negotiating the goals and the goals need to be established using the SMART principle (specific,
measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) as well as providing periodic feedback on
performance to employees. In the setting of goals, two factors are thought to be important: goal
difficulty and goal specificity. Goal difficulty refers to the extent to which a goal is challenging and
states that, to a certain extent, motivation will increase as the difficulty of a task increases.
Furthermore, clearly defining a goal will also increase the probability of achieving it.
Pro =>The setting of goals lead to increased efforts, task focus and persistence, all of which led to
improved performance of both the individual and the organisation.
Con =>If the goals are too difficult, employees can lose motivation as they will think that the goal is
unattainable. If goals are not achieved, employee morale could decrease as they feel they have failed
and thus could result in increased staff turnover and decrease productivity.
