Locus of Control Scale

1. Question 1.

Pick one

Leaders are born, not made.

Leaders are made, not born.

2. Question 2.

Pick one

People often succeed because they are in the right place at the right time.

Success if mostly dependent on hard work and ability.

3. Question 3.

Pick one

When things go wrong in my life, it's generally because I have made mistakes.

Misfortunes occur in my life regardless of what I do.

4. Question 4.

Pick one

When things go wrong in my life, it's generally because I have made mistakes.

Misfortunes occur in my life regardless of what I do.

5. Question 5.

Pick one

Good children are mainly products of good parents.

Some children turn out bad no matter how their parents behave.

6. Question 6.

Pick one

My future success depends mainly on circumstances I can't control.

I am the master of my fate.

7. Question 7.

Pick one

History judges certain people to have been effective leaders mainly because circumstances made them visible and successful.

Effective leaders are those who have made decisions or taken action that resulted in significant contributions.

8. Question 8.

Pick one

To avoid punishing children guarantees that they will grow up irresponsible.

Spanking children is never appropriate.

9. Question 9.

Pick one

I often feel that I have little influence over the direction my life is taking.

It's unreasonable to believe that fate or luck plays a crucial part in how my life turns out.

10. Question 10.

Pick one

Some customers will never be satisfied no matter what you do.

You can satisfy customers by giving them what they want when they want it.

11. Question 11.

Pick one

Anyone can get good grades in school if he or she works hard enough.

Some people are never going to excel in school no matter how hard they try.

12. Question 12.

Pick one

Good marriages result when both partners continually work on their relationship.

Some marriages are going to fail because the partners are just incompatible.

13. Question 13.

Pick one

I am confident that I can improve my basic management skills through learning and practice.

It is a waste of time to try to improve management skills in business school.

14. Question 14.

Pick one

When I think back on the good things that happened to me, I believe they happened mainly because of something I did.

The bad things that have happened in my life have mainly resulted from circumstances outside my control.

15. Question 15.

Pick one

More management skills courses should be taught in business schools.

Less emphasis should be placed on skills in business schools.

16. Question 16.

Pick one

Many exams I took in school were unconnected to the material I had studied, so studying hard didn't help at all.

When I prepared well for exams in school, I generally did quite well.

17. Question 17.

Pick one

I am sometimes influenced by what my astrological chart says.

No matter how the stars are lined up, I can determine my own destiny.

18. Question 18.

Pick one

Government is so big and bureaucratic that it is very difficulty for any one person to have any impact on what happens.

Single individuals can have a real influence on politics if they will speak up and let their wishes be known.

19. Question 19.

Pick one

People seek responsibility in work.

People try to get away with doing as little as they can.

20. Question 20.

Pick on

The most popular people seem to have a special, inherent charisma that attracts people to them.

People become popular because of how they behave.

21. Question 21.

Pick one

Things over which I have little control just seem to occur in my life.

Most of the time I feel responsible for the outcomes I produce.

22. Question 22.

Pick one

Managers who improve their personal competence will succeed more than those who don't improve.

Management success has very little to do with the competence possessed by the individual manager.

23. Question 23.

Pick one

Teams that win championships in most sports are usually the teams that, in the end, have the most luck.

More often than not, teams that win championships are those with most talented players and the best preparation.

24. Question 24.

Pick one

Team work in business is a prerequisite to success.

Individual effort is the best hope for success.

25. Question 25.

Pick one

Some workers are just lazy and can't be motivated to work hard no matter what you do.

If you're a skillful manager, you can motivate almost any worker to put forth more effort.

26. Question 26.

Pick one

In the long run, people can improve this country's economic strength through responsible action.

The economic health of this country is largely beyond the control of individuals.

27. Question 27.

Pick one

I am persuasive when I know I am right.

I can persuade most people even when I'm not sure I'm right.

28. Question 28.

Pick one

I tend to plan ahead and generate steps to accomplish the goals I have set.

I seldom pan ahead because things generally turn out OK anyway.

29. Question 29.

Pick one

Some things are just meant to be.

We can change anything in our lives by hard work, persistence, and ability.