Nearly everyone aspires to be in a leadership role. A leadership role allows managers to play a more vital role in an organization, success in which allows them to assume greater responsibility and to grow further professionally. Many Individuals from within an organization are assigned a leadership role because they have proven themselves in their existing roles. However, even after a senior manager is identified as having leadership potential he or she usually undergo a series of interviews before being placed at the helm of a large team. During such interviews a panel of leaders is able to ascertain whether the candidate really has what it takes to lead a large team. A few questions that senior leaders are asked before being placed in leadership roles are as follow.
When do you know you’ve done Outstanding Work?
This question is often asked to understand what motivates a manager. Often headhunters or those in a position to promote others ask this question to understand whether an individual is motivated by positive assessments, bonuses, and praise or by responsibilities and results. If the interviewee answers this questions by describing how they solved a problem and how much work went into solving it they are believed to be motivated by positive assessments, bonuses, and praise. On the other hand an interviewee who answers this question by mentioning quantifiable targets and the results they achieved is believed to be motivated by responsibilities and results.
Put succulently, this question is asked to judge how results-oriented someone is and to allow interviewers to establish the bar by which someone measures themselves and their employees.
What should we associate with your name?
This question is asked by an interviewer to gauge a would-be-leaders personality. The answer by the aspiring leader will reveal what is important to him or her and how he or she wishes to be perceived within an organization. An interviewer who asks this question wants to establish an individual’s motivation to contribute to new ideas, professional values and ambitions, the ability to actively shape future responsibilities, leadership style. This question is also used to judge how well an individual’s words match his or her actions.
What Traits Do You Think a Good Manager Needs To Succeed?
An interviewer or head-hunter who asks this question wants to know about a candidates management skills. When asked this question it’s a good idea to answer by explaining how influential one has been in previous positions. How one manages conflict within one’s team and how one motivates his or her team members. An answer to this question will also highlight an individual’s management style and reveal how a person handles a crisis situation. A good answer to this question should reveal how an individual has realigned a team when new goals have been set and subsequently guided their team to achieve such goals.
To answer this question well it important to let an interviewer know one’s sight is set firmly on achieving corporate goals and that one knows how to achieve such goals. One should also let the interviewer know that one trusts one’s employees, listens to them, values them and is willing to lead them as a team player. This question also allows an aspiring leader to reveal to an interviewer that one wants to build team spirit through open and honest communication. Finally while answering this question an interviewee is presented with an opportunity to answer by revealing that he or she understands various and flexible management techniques.
What will your employees learn from you?
This question allows head-hunters to gain insight into the psyche of a candidate. When a candidate answers this question it allows head-hunters to gain a precise indication of a candidate’s personality and management qualities. To answer this question well a candidate should reveal concrete examples of what their employees learned from them in the past. However, candidates must avoid sounding boastful or arrogant and must come across as a facilitator and not merely as a leader. Answering this question also allows a candidate to highlight the value they bring to a team and to reveal the benefits they want to give employees. This question also allows candidates to explain how they plan to develop and encourage employees. A candidate can also answer this question by revealing how he or she will use coaching to support their team members and help them grow professionally. Finally, this question presents a great opportunity to reveal characteristics and abilities one is most proud of.
Can You Successfully Deal With Underperforming Employees?
A candidate’s answer to this question will help an interviewer establish a candidate’s management style. To particularize one's answer will allow an interviewer to judge whether a one is very demanding and hence is quick to categorise an employee as an underperformer or whether one is first willing to review an employee’s performance after a series of shortcomings from the employee. This question is also asked to understand how one's management style allows one's team members to perform better. One of the reasons for asking this question is to understand whether a candidates management style is motivational or authoritarian.
Certainly, a head-hunter or senior recruiter can ask a number of other questions to a would-be-leader to understand whether such a person is the right man or women for a job. However many questions that are asked are variants of those listed above. If a candidate understands the intent behind the questions asked and has a clear understanding of one’s own management style, the candidate should have little difficulty in articulating an appropriate answer when required.