Leadership scenario simulator
Six quick situations with several plausible responses each, and six longer, multi-step scenarios with real decision points along the way. Pick a response - or write one - and see what it prioritizes, what it overlooks, and when a different response, including a more directive one, actually fits better.
- 12 original scenarios
- No single "correct" answer
These are original analytical scenarios, not VCU case solutions. MBA Lab is independent and these situations were written for this tool - they're inspired by common management situations, not any specific university's coursework.
0 of 6 scenarios explored
Difficult feedback to a valued employee
A strong performer's work has quietly slipped - two deliverables were late and one had real errors your team caught before a client saw them. They don't seem to know it's being noticed.
Conflict between two high performers
Two strong individual contributors on your team have started openly disagreeing in meetings, and it's affecting the rest of the team's willingness to speak up.
Leading a restructuring or layoff
You've been told your team will lose two of six roles next month, and you need to decide how to handle communicating this internally before the announcement.
Responding to employee burnout
Someone on your team who used to be reliably strong has been missing small deadlines, seems checked out in meetings, and recently snapped at a teammate uncharacteristically.
Resistance to AI implementation
You're rolling out a new AI tool meant to speed up part of your team's workflow, and one experienced team member is visibly resisting it - missing training sessions, openly skeptical in meetings.
Crisis with incomplete information
A significant problem has surfaced - a system is down, a client is upset, or a serious error has been found - and you have to decide how to respond before you have the full picture.
Deeper scenarios
Six longer, multi-step scenarios - each with several decision points, a couple of moments to write your own response, and a few different endings depending on the choices made along the way.
0 of 6 deep scenarios completed
A peer agrees in private, undermines in public
A fellow manager agreed with your proposal when you ran it by them privately. In yesterday's cross-team meeting, they visibly contradicted it in front of senior leadership - without warning you first.
Three minutes in, they start crying
You're giving a direct report developmental feedback about a specific, real miss. About three minutes in, mid-sentence, they start crying.
Telling your boss critical feedback
Your manager has a habit that's genuinely affecting the team - most recently, presenting your team's work to senior leadership without naming who actually did it. You've decided to raise it.
Someone brings you a problem they want you to solve
A direct report lays out a real, moderately complex problem, then looks at you expectantly - clearly wanting you to just tell them the answer.
A high performer, considering leaving
You've heard, secondhand, that one of your strongest performers had coffee with a former colleague who now works at a competitor. They haven't brought it up with you.
A peer, stuck on the same decision, again
A peer has brought you the exact same undecided question for the fourth time, clearly hoping you'll just tell them what to do.
How this works
The six quick scenarios each offer several genuinely plausible responses - not a trick question with one hidden correct answer. Choosing a response reveals a debrief covering what that choice prioritizes, what it tends to overlook, and how it connects to MBA Lab's broader mindfulness/care/accountability framework. Every one also names a specific condition under which a more directive, less conversational response is actually the better call - real leadership sometimes requires exactly that, not just a good conversation.
The six deeper scenarios add real decision points along the way, including a couple of moments to write your own line instead of picking one, and land on one of a few different endings depending on the path taken - closer to how an actual conversation unfolds than a single question-and-answer.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one correct answer for each scenario?
No. Every choice offered is plausible, and the debrief explains what it prioritizes and what it overlooks rather than declaring a winner. Real situations usually don't have a single right answer either - they have tradeoffs.
Are these based on real VCU case studies?
No. These are original analytical scenarios written for this tool, inspired by common management situations - not solutions to any specific university's coursework or cases.
Does this ever recommend against having a conversation at all?
Yes, deliberately. Each scenario includes a note on when a more directive, less conversational response is actually the better call - not every situation resolves through empathy and dialogue alone.
Is anything saved on MBA Lab's servers?
No account or server upload is required. Your choices and anything you've written in the deeper scenarios stay in this browser - the "Delete all my data" button clears everything immediately.
What are the checkmarks under some of the text boxes in the deeper scenarios?
A few points in the longer scenarios ask you to write your own line rather than pick one - the checkmarks are simple, rules-based hints (does this ask a real question, does it avoid opening with "you", that kind of thing), not a grade. They're there to help while you write, and nothing about them is saved or scored.
Go deeper
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