Leadership Interview Questions & Answers

Whether you are a seasoned professional applying for a managerial role or a recent graduate looking for your first job, you should expect to encounter behavioral questions about leadership in your interview.

Many people assume that leaders are only found in senior-level positions. But any employee, at any employment level, can show leadership potential.

Leadership is not just about managing others – leaders innovate, they inspire and motivate their co-workers, and they make tough decisions when no one else is prepared to step up.

Employers highly covet those that demonstrate leadership skills.

This article will explain what is meant by a behavioral interview; how interviewers determine leadership; when you will be asked leadership questions; how to use the STAR technique; and the top 10 leadership interview questions to prepare for.

What Is a Behavioral Interview?

Behavioral interviews are now standard practice for many employers. Your interviewer wants to test not just whether you possess desired skills, but whether you can evidence times you have demonstrated those skills. The purpose is to predict how you will perform in your new position.

Many start with, “Tell me about a time you…” because you are required to talk about specific situations, explain what action you took and what the result was.

What Do Interviewers Mean by Leadership?

Questions regarding leadership are one of the most common types of behavioral questions. Leadership qualities are so valuable to employers that some will even base their entire interview process on them.

Great leaders do more than tell others what to do. They bring value by creating a supportive and collaborative environment. A great leader recognizes and nurtures the skills of those around them. They promote productivity and boost morale.

When interviewers ask about leadership, they are looking for specific qualities, including:

• Organization and decision-making skills – Leaders can manage people and projects productively, and contribute to the company’s commercial goals.
• Persuasiveness and negotiation – Leaders can drive action and implement change.
• Ability to innovate – Leaders come up with new ideas.
• Self-confidence – Leaders aren’t afraid to take responsibility.
• Self-awareness – Leaders are confident in their abilities but also recognize their limits. Good leaders delegate and trust the professional advice of their co-workers.
• Ability to motivate and inspire – Leaders maximize their employees’ potential. They praise exceptional efforts and lead by example through hard work and dedication.
• Conflict resolution – Leaders support their co-workers through difficult situations and find solutions to interpersonal problems.

When Might You Be Asked About Your Leadership Skills?

Many job seekers assume that if they’re not looking for a management role, they will escape leadership interview questions. In fact, employers are looking for potential leaders at any employment level, including entry- and graduate-level.

Businesses look for employees who are dedicated and likely to progress within the company, and your interviewer will ask you leadership questions to assess whether you are a good long-term investment.

Therefore, whatever your experience level, it is vital you prepare for behavioral leadership questions by referring to specific times you have demonstrated leadership qualities.

How to Show Leadership Experience Using the STAR Technique

When preparing your answers for leadership interview questions – whether it be for entry-level, graduate or team leader interview questions – your task is to present a real workplace situation, what action you took and what the outcome was.

The STAR technique is the best way to ensure you don’t miss out any important details:

• S = Situation. Outline a real situation you were in (it doesn’t have to be a specific leadership role). Examples could include a time at your previous job, volunteer work or college club.
• T = Task. Explain what you were trying to achieve or the problem you were trying to solve.
• A = Action. State what you did to overcome the challenge.
• R = Result. What happened as a consequence? What skills did you learn from the experience, and what was the impact on your team?

Sample Answer Using the STAR Technique

“Tell Me About a Time You Led a Team to Success.”

Situation:

One of the responsibilities of my previous role was to collate sales data.

Task:

At the end of the last financial year, I noticed that sales for a product were falling.

Action:

I took the lead by calling a team meeting to address the issue. I suggested we create a package of deals to offer customers bulk quantities of the product for discounted prices. I scheduled weekly check-ins with my co-workers to assess sales and hear any concerns.

Result:

Our customers were very receptive. By the new year’s second quarter, not only had sales recovered, but profits for that product had risen by 15%. Our team was rewarded for boosting our sales numbers, which made us eager to improve further.

Why this answer is good: the candidate demonstrated leadership qualities by recognizing an issue, taking the initiative to solve it, and supporting and encouraging their co-workers to succeed.

Top 10 Leadership Interview Questions

You can apply the STAR technique to any question concerning leadership. Below are 10 strategic leadership interview questions to prepare for:

1. “Tell Me About a Time You Demonstrated Leadership”

You don’t need to have been in a specific leadership position to answer this question. For example, you could relate your situation to a volunteering position, or a group project for one of your college classes.

Emphasize through your task and action how you took on a leadership role or demonstrated leadership qualities.

For example:

I took the initiative to organize a black-tie gala at my college and successfully secured a venue and band for a reduced fee. I also oversaw a team of six other students who secured raffle prizes from local businesses. The event was a success, and we raised over $2,000 for our charity.

2. “Describe Your Weaknesses as a Leader”

As well as what makes you great, you should be prepared to talk about any weaknesses you may have.

Self-awareness is an important trait for any leader, so admitting weakness will not make you unsuitable. However, you should always state how you try to overcome your weaknesses and are a good leader in spite of them.

Perhaps you fell behind on a project because you were reluctant to delegate work. You adjusted your approach and trusted your team to work independently. As a result, your team worked more efficiently and the project was completed on time.

3. “How Do You Gain Commitment from Your Team?”

To answer this well, focus on a scenario in which you inspired and motivated those around you. For example:

• You got to know each individual’s strengths and interests, and assigned roles accordingly.

• When a project succeeded, you ensured your team received credit from your superiors.

• You admitted to your team when you made a mistake, which made you likeable and approachable.

The result should always be that your team expressed satisfaction with your leadership.

4. “Describe a Time You Demonstrated Your Leadership Style”

Some examples of leadership styles are:

• Lead by example – You understand that people are best motivated by dedicated and invested leaders.
• Communication – You promote active discussion within your team because two or more heads are better than one. Every idea is valued and the result is a collaborative and innovative workforce.
• Delegation – You maximize your team’s productivity by assigning roles according to strength and regularly evaluating each member’s performance.

5. “How Do You Resolve Conflict Between Co-Workers?”

This question requires you to give a scenario in which you have demonstrated your conflict-resolution skills. For example, you could refer to a situation where two co-workers disagreed. Explain that you took the time to listen to both sides of the story before offering a compromise.

The result should always be that the problem was resolved thanks to your action.

6. “Has a Co-Worker or Team Member Ever Disagreed with You, and How Did You Handle It?”

This question challenges you to show self-awareness and demonstrate that you are prepared to take your co-worker’s advice on board.

For example:

I previously worked for a small retail company. At one point, a co-worker disagreed with the way I was handling a customer complaint.

After a discussion, we agreed that the customer’s satisfaction was paramount and that issuing a refund was the best solution. I assured the co-worker that their concerns were valid and that I appreciated their input. The customer was happy with the outcome and complimented our complaints procedure.

7. “Tell Me About a Time You Were Forced to Adapt”

Adaptability is an indication of leadership potential. Leaders flourish even when forced to step outside their comfort zone.

Perhaps you were suddenly hit with a tight deadline and you rallied your co-workers to complete the work on time. Alternatively, perhaps you used persuasion skills to convince sponsors to fund a charity event.

The result should positively demonstrate how you can perform well under challenging circumstances.

8. “Tell Me About a Time You Implemented Change”

Good leaders are innovative and forward-thinking. If you can demonstrate a time you successfully oversaw a positive change, you will demonstrate leadership potential.

Perhaps you implemented a new administrative system at your previous job or introduced a formal mentoring program to support new employees. Maybe you invented and filled a new position on your college society’s committee.

9. “Tell Me About a Time You Were Successful”

Some measures of success include:

• Achieving quantifiable goals and targets;
• Improving efficiency and productivity;
• Delivering excellent service;
• Receiving positive feedback from superiors or customers.

For example:

For me, success is about going above and beyond expectations. In my previous role as Retail Team Leader, my goal was to motivate my team to deliver impeccable customer service.

I actively praised team members who went out of their way to assist customers. We had succeeded when several customers contacted head office specifically to compliment our store’s customer service.

10. “How Do You Manage Your Workload?”

A good indication of leadership potential is the ability to balance your workload.

To answer well, give an example of a time you had difficulty prioritizing your workload, eg when you received two urgent deadlines to work towards simultaneously. Explain how you managed your time efficiently, whether you delegated any tasks to co-workers, and how you overcame the challenge and completed your work on time.

Key Tips

In addition to the STAR technique and the 10 sample leadership questions above, here are some tips to help you prepare your own leadership examples:

• Prepare your ‘situations’ for STAR in advance. Most situations can be adapted to answer any leadership question.
• Understand leadership qualities. Ensure you can recognize when an interviewer is asking a behavioral leadership question.
• Be specific. Keep your examples believable by adding lots of detail.
• Try not to waffle. Limit your examples to their key points.
• Remember to talk about how you took on a leadership role or demonstrated leadership qualities.
• Don’t badmouth your former co-workers. This indicates that you aren't a positive role model.
• Don’t talk about failures where you are unable to redeem yourself. For example, if you once mismanaged a project which subsequently failed.

Final Thoughts

Leadership skills are essential for every candidate, including those just entering the job market, and leadership potential is one of the top attributes forward-thinking employers look for in candidates.

Your task now is to come up with some past experiences where you demonstrated your leadership skills and practice adapting them to each question. Stick to the STAR technique to ensure your answers are insightful and well structured, and you will be in good stead.