Leadership Initiatives

Leadership Initiatives

Let us continue our Interview Series. Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills is a generic interview question.

You don’t need to have a fancy title to act like a leader or to demonstrate leadership skills.

Think about a time when you headed a project, took the initiative to propose an alternate process, or helped motivate your team to get something done.

Then use the STAR method to tell your interviewer a story, giving enough detail to paint a picture and making sure you spell out the result. Be clear about why you’re telling this particular story and connect all the dots for the interviewer.

The belief that leadership is solely tied to management is a misconception. In reality, every member of a company, including individual contributors and consultants, leads in some capacity. This makes possessing leadership skills and qualities essential, regardless of one's title.

For example, even if no one reports to you, you might be asked to take the lead running a project or planning a company event, or you may be responsible for training coworkers to use a technology or methodology you’re familiar with. And traditional leadership attributes like responsibility, confidence, strong communication skills, and relationship building come up no matter what your job is.

However, there is one answer that you must avoid at any cost... Never ever say that you do not have any leadership experience.

Everyone at some point or another in their career has had some leadership experience. Even if it’s a project that you had undertaken with no title is an experience, so don’t shy away from talking about it. Remember, the primary aim is to exude confidence and presenting yourself as the best possible candidate for the job.

Even if a job isn’t a managerial role, “companies might be looking for someone with leadership skills because they want a person who can grow in a position and within the company,” So it’s a good idea to have your future employer think of you as a leader or potential leader from the start.

Remember, authenticity matters. Choose an example that genuinely reflects your leadership style and aligns with the values of the organization you’re interviewing with. Go to the company’s website (or even better, talk to someone who works there), take note of the leadership values they most focus on, and craft your answer accordingly.

Hiring managers often ask behavioural questions like "Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills" to assess a candidate's skills and abilities required for the position and evaluate their past experiences and future leadership potential in handling work-related challenges.

Here are some tips on how to answer this question effectively:

  1. Choose a relevant example: When choosing an example to discuss, think about the job you are applying for, and the leadership skills required for that role. The example should be relevant to the job you are interviewing for and demonstrate your ability to lead and manage effectively
  2. Describe the situation: Start by describing the situation that you were in. What was the context? What was the goal or objective? Who was involved? Be specific and provide details that will help the interviewer understand the situation.
  3. Explain your role: Next, explain your role in the situation. What leadership skills did you use? What decisions did you make? What actions did you take? Again, be specific and provide examples to illustrate your points.
  4. Highlight the outcome: Finally, describe the outcome of the situation. What was achieved? What did you learn? How did your leadership skills contribute to the outcome? Be sure to highlight any positive results or achievements that demonstrate your leadership ability.

Define What Leadership Means to You

Built into questions about demonstrating leadership is a hidden sub question: What does leadership mean to you? So, you’ll want to make sure you start your answer by making your definition clear.

There’s no one way to be a leader, so as long as you’ve taken some time to think about what leadership means to you personally, you’re not going to give a “wrong” answer. Your interviewer doesn’t want you to guess what they think a leader is. Instead, it’s more important to show that you’re self-aware, that you’ve reflected on what leadership looks like, and that you know it’s a journey.

Before your interview, take some time to think about what you think makes a strong leader and what sort of leader you are and want to be, whether or not anyone would be formally reporting to you in this role. Start by thinking about your past experiences both as a leader and an employee and what worked and didn’t work for you. For example, maybe you’ve thrived in work environments with regular, clear communication between teammates and team leaders at each step of a project. Make a list of the qualities, skills, and actions you value in a leader and use this to define what leadership means to you.

If you’re interviewing for a job where you’ll be managing people, this definition is especially important. A theory of leadership will help you stand out in the crowd. It shows you understand the power you have over people’s jobs.

Choose a Story to Share

You should ask yourself what leadership situations and skills are likely to come up in the job you’re interviewing for to help you pick the most relevant story. For example, does the job description mention taking the lead on certain cross-functional projects? Talk about a successful project (no matter how small!) you led with folks from different teams.

If you can think of a situation where you demonstrated leadership and achieved tangible or quantifiable results that benefited your team or company, that’s all the better.

Structure Your Answer

You have your definition of leadership and you’ve identified a great story. All what’s left now is to put it all together and organize your response. Like with most behavioural, you’ll want to structure your answer to this question using STAR method.

  • Define what leadership means to you in one to two sentences. (To streamline your answer, you should emphasize the aspects of leadership demonstrated by your story.)

  • Outline the situation briefly, including all the details necessary to understand your story (and any that mention skills you’d be using in this job).

  • Describe the task—or what your responsibility was in the situation.

  • Talk about the action (or actions) you took and make sure you frame it all in terms of your leadership.
  • Talk about the results of your actions—the more quantifiable and concrete the better. You can also briefly talk about anything you learned about leadership from this experience.

 

Let me end with an answer which impressed me when I interviewed:

I was interviewing a Project Manager who updated regarding his team’s presentation with a prospective client.

"In my last role, my team and I were responsible for giving a big presentation to a prospective client. I quickly assigned different tasks to members of my team, but the project never really got moving. I gave everyone an opportunity to share their input and concerns, and it turned out that they were struggling in the roles I’d given them. I ended up switching a few people around. Meanwhile, the employee I’d assigned to give the presentation was nervous, but still wanted to give it a try. I worked with them to make sure they were ready and even held a practice session so that they could rehearse in a more comfortable environment. When the time came for the real thing, they nailed it! We landed the client, and the company still has the account to this day. And that employee became a go-to person for important client presentations. I’m really glad I took the time to listen to everyone’s concerns so that I could re-evaluate my approach and help my team be the best it could be. I think that a good leader is someone who can make decisions while also listening to others and being willing to admit when you’re wrong and course correct."

 

 

 

Shambhavi Nerurkar

Head Talent Acquisition at ORRA Fine Jewellery Pvt. Ltd.

7mo

Thanks for the mention Naveen Mon 😊

Orlando Francisco F. Reis

Supplier Management Manager da empresa Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, ExO Foundations by OpenExO, Engaged Doer by Purpose Alliance & Startup / Singularity University Community / American Society for Quality Member

7mo

Tks for the share and mention dear Naveen Mon !👏🚀🙏

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