Leadership is one of the most important intangibles that employers want to get a sense of during an interview. Just like other soft skills, employers can’t touch or hold your leadership skills, so during an interview it’s important that they exercise a line of questioning that might provide some insight in the area.
Read through our leadership interview questions and answers advice below:
Can you talk about how you had to exercise your leadership skills at your last job?
In my last position I led a project-based team for a full two years. As the Co-Director of Marketing I was responsible for managing a group of five full-time staff members working in both the Marketing and Design departments. One of the most important aspects of the job as a leader was being able to understand how both departments needed to work together to establish an efficient workflow.
How would you commend a team member’s performance in a public setting?
I think it’s important to “commend in public and correct in private.” During group meetings I think it’s effective and motivational to celebrate the specifics of strong performance from each team member and offer an opportunity to explain for themselves. For example, I might say, “Dillon has done a great job communicating our design projections with the client and we’d like to see the whole department follow suit. Dillon, can you talk a little about what’s worked for you?”
How would you deal with a team member who is performing under expectations?
As I mentioned previously, I think it’s important to “correct in private,” so I would certainly conduct this conversation outside of the group setting. Similarly, I think it’s important to package constructive criticisms with appropriate praise. If Dillon was having trouble meeting deadlines I might say, “Dillon, I really appreciate your attention to detail but it’s incredibly important that we meet our deadlines as promised so that we can deliver the product on time.”
What’s the difference between a leader and a mentor?
I think a mentor is a rare type of leader who is willing to help an individual develop personally and professionally over the course of a long period of time. While I think mentors are a valuable resource for employees and teams of all kinds, I also think it’s important to understand that a mentorship relationship cannot be forced and must be built out of compatibility.
What do you think one of your subordinates would say about your leadership style?
I think my team members would describe my leadership style as “hard but fair,” and I hope that they’d feel comfortable thinking of me as a co-worker as much as a manager.
How often would you conduct full team meeting in this position?
I think full team meetings are important, but because they are often time consuming, full team breakouts are something I don’t see needing more than once a week.
How important are deadlines to your leadership style?
Deadlines are of the utmost importance to my leadership style, chiefly because they are built of a mutual agreement of expectations.
How would you work with an employee who isn’t accepting your leadership?
I’ve had to deal with noncooperative employees several times before. I think it’s important to understand the underlying issue and source of discontent, and so my first step in dealing with an employee who isn’t accepting my leadership would be to sit down one-on-one with them.
What do you think your biggest failure as a leader has been?
In my first official leadership position I was overly cautious and coddled my employees ineffectively. I think I had to come to terms with building a co-worker relationship built out of respect more so than friendship.
How often would you conduct performance reviews in this position?
I think performance reviews are a great tool and expectation setter. That said, I also know that performance reviews often require a long, arduous process that can divert attention and resources away from work itself. For most team members I think a yearly performance review is plenty, but for under-performing employees I think a probationary bi-annual review might be productive.
