Understanding the importance of showing leadership qualities

Hiring managers often ask questions about your leadership skills during a job interview to
understand what kind of contributions you can make to the company and how you handle
yourself on the job. Providing a strong answer to a question regarding ways you demonstrate
leadership at work is important to establish yourself as a competitive candidate for the position.
Learn why interviewers ask how you show leadership qualities, learn how to effectively answer
questions about your leadership, and see some example responses to help you prepare for this
typical question. 

What is leadership?

Leadership is the act of providing guidance, direction, and motivation to those around you to
help reach a goal or objective. Having strong leadership skills, whether in a managerial role or
not, can help you work efficiently and influence those around you to produce quality work as
well.

Why do employers ask about leadership?

Leadership is an extremely valuable skill in the workplace. Although many of the soft skills
needed to be a successful leader are skills that can be acquired through practice and attention,
having some of the characteristics of a strong leader can indicate to a hiring manager that you are
a strong candidate. Hiring managers know that leaders are needed at every level within an
organization and may ask interview questions about your leadership qualities or how you have
demonstrated strong leadership. Your answer to this question can reveal how dedicated you are
to your industry and show how well you will fit in with the culture of the company. Additionally,
your leadership capabilities show your ability to think critically and problem solve.

How to explain the ways you demonstrate leadership

A hiring manager wants to hear your first-hand account of ways you demonstrate leadership at
work to gain an understanding of the type of employee you will be. It’s important to provide an
authentic answer with details that support your main assertion and reveal your values and work
ethic. This question about how you demonstrate leadership in the workplace and other behavioral
questions allows you to showcase your strongest attributes and prove yourself a good fit for the
position and company.

Use the steps below to help you prepare and deliver your own unique answer to the question
‘how do you demonstrate leadership at work?’

1. Review the official job description. Revisit the company website and reread the posted
job description. Select keywords from the job description necessary to fulfilling the roles
and responsibilities of the position.
2. Understand the company culture, values, and mission. Conduct some research about
the company to determine what values they hold. This can be revealed in the non-profit
organizations they have donated to or the fundraisers they host. Visit their social media
 pages, web site, and search outside media sources. If they participated in a fundraiser for
a local animal shelter you may determine that they value animal welfare, goodwill,
building strong and healthy relationships. Additionally, if they make donations to the
local library or bookmobile they place a high value on literacy and education.
3. Identify your areas of strength. Evaluate your own skill set to determine transferable
skills and leadership skills you already possess from previous experience that can help
differentiate you from others competing for the same position.
4. Determine relevant skills related to the job description. Compare the responsibilities
of the job to your leadership qualities and see which skills are relevant to the demands of
the position. Focus on those specific skills when formulating your own response.
5. Explain what you value in leadership. Detail the valuable characteristics of good
leadership and how it’s linked to the success the organization is already experiencing.
6. Provide a structured example. Relate a time you showed leadership that helped you or
your team succeed. Whenever possible, state this anecdote with relevant details with
quantifiable information. Consider using the STAR technique to help format your
response. STAR is an acronym that stands for situation, task, action, and results. Share
the situation including the important details and task you were responsible for, the
specific actions you took to accomplish that task, and quantify your results using any
applicable data and percentages.
7. Reveal how you’ll apply your leadership skills. Explain how your particular leadership
quality can be applied in different relevant situations to help you succeed and meet the
demands of the position you seek.

Example responses to the question 'how do you demonstrate

leadership?'
Use the following examples to help you formulate your own unique response and highlight your
qualities and abilities.

Example #1: Sales associate

I feel that one of the most crucial aspects of strong leadership is excellent communication skills.
In my previous position, I was tasked with training another employee after only having worked
for the company for two months. Although I still had a lot to learn, she and I learned together
and I realized that I had a lot to teach others as well. We got through the experience together
and were able to talk through any issues and find answers to questions we had by working
together and being clear. 

I recall one experience where we had to facilitate a merchandise exchange for a customer and
our manager, who usually handles the exchanges, was out to lunch. Rather than have the
customer waiting, we used our company manual and found the appropriate codes and processes
to use. The customer was satisfied, we followed company procedure, and we didn’t have to
interrupt our manager’s lunch. Having the ability to really listen to others and express yourself
clearly is a skill that is especially helpful when working with customers and I look forward to
helping increase customer satisfaction any time I have the opportunity. 
Example #2: Marketing manager

I think one of the most effective aspects of good leadership is the ability to encourage and
motivate others. Last year when I was working with my team, we had to reevaluate a strategy
that wasn’t necessarily performing the way we intended. Everyone was discouraged and we felt
like we had hit a wall. Rather than increase anxiety and frustration, I decided we take a step
back and treated everyone to lunch. We sat and discussed some notable campaigns of the past
and the individual aspects that led to their success. 

By relaxing and revisiting effective strategies, we were able to focus back on the current
campaign and applied what we had discussed over lunch to our brainstorming session. With our
creative team, we revamped the campaign at minimal cost and saw an 8% increase in sales for
the product. Helping my team relax was the motivation we all needed to contribute new ideas
into a campaign that needed help. Working as a marketing manager I have found that when we
focus more on the people around us the products and campaigns are a success because the team
feels valued. 

Example #3: Computer engineer

As a computer engineer, there are a lot of people that depend on my skills and knowledge to help
them perform their jobs appropriately. One thing a good leader exhibits is the ability to work
collaboratively and problem solve. At my previous company, I was paired with another engineer
and it was my responsibility to proof code. It was a difficult thing for me to do because she had
more experience and followed a meticulous process. 

One thing I always look for is readability and after many hours I found an area where we could
simplify. We talked about it and were able to find the best approach. The code worked about
20% more efficiently with the alterations. I excel at working with others and find that the best
work comes when there are many people who can contribute and lend their expertise.

Example #4: Executive assistant

Organization is essential to quality leadership. When I first joined my previous place of

employment I found the office and personnel to be in disarray due to an inability to hire for some
time. I quickly filed, arranged, and rearranged as much as I could. I also transitioned most
primary documents to digital formats and created a uniform method to follow-up with clients
and secure appointments. Next, I helped to create an in-house method of communication through
weekly emails to keep everyone informed about company policy, deadlines, and accolades. This
helped increase employee productivity by 16% and improved overall morale as indicated in
employee surveys. I can bring my unique system of organization to support already established
procedures.
Using leadership skills to grow your career
Whether you're looking for your first job or brainstorming ways to take your career to the next
level, your leadership skills are some of your greatest assets. Employers look for candidates who
know how to set goals, motivate others, and work with a team to overcome challenges. Even if
you're applying for an entry-level position, being a good leader demonstrates your aptitude for
growth and success in any role. 

But what kinds of leadership are most useful in the workplace, and how do you know if you have
those skills? To help you showcase your strongest leadership abilities, this guide explains what
leadership skills really are and provides an overview of the top nine types of leadership that drive
career success.

What are leadership skills?

Leadership skills are the tools you use to coordinate multiple tasks and people to accomplish a
shared goal. Just like there are many different leadership styles, there are a wide range of skills
involved in leadership. To be a truly exceptional leader, you need to have a combination of soft
skills that allow you to intuitively respond to problems as they occur. The versatility of
leadership skills make them a desirable qualification for industry beginners and experienced
experts.

All of the skills on this list are key aspects of leadership that you can demonstrate in the
workplace and in your application materials.

Leadership Skill - Problem-solving

One of the most important traits of a leader is the ability to give good advice to others and step in
to help their team with challenges. Solving problems with critical thinking and creativity allows
you to not only excel with your own workload but help others improve their processes. Excellent
leaders anticipate issues and either find ways to solve those issues on their own or seek out
people who have the proper expertise to develop a solution.

Leadership Skill - Communication

To effectively lead others, you need to be able to express yourself accurately, concisely and in a
way that your colleagues, employees and supervisors understand. Written and oral
communication skills allow you to give useful instructions on how to complete tasks, explain
organizational goals and share your ideas and creative vision with others. Communication is also
a form of leadership when you use it to resolve conflict and mediate between others, allowing
you to build compromise and community on your team.
Leadership Skill - Motivation
Business owners need leaders to motivate staff in order to accomplish company goals. Strong
leaders have the ability to find out what motivates their team and leverage that knowledge to
inspire them. Being a motivational leader in the workplace involves investing in your team by
getting to know them, their interests, their values, and their personal goals, then responding to
that information with appropriate rewards and recognition. Leaders know when to give hands-on
guidance and when to give employees the freedom to complete projects on their own to cultivate
employee competence and build their confidence.

Leadership Skill - Organization

One of the key abilities of a leader is organization. Not only does leadership involve organizing
projects and managing timelines, it involves coordinating the activities of different team
members and facilitating their communication. Being well-organized and knowing who is
responsible for what allows you to delegate tasks more effectively, manage time and allocate
resources appropriately. Organized leaders prioritize and organize tasks based on their team’s
strengths and weaknesses, creating benchmarks to check in with each team member to monitor
workflow and make adjustments as needed.

Leadership Skill - Positivity

Even if you don’t have a leadership position, you can display leadership potential by maintaining
a positive attitude in the workplace. Seeing possibilities in tough situations and maintaining a
positive outlook subconsciously encourages others to feel better and more motivated as well.
Being friendly, offering regular positive feedback and showing respect to others cultivates a safe,
supportive work environment that empowers everyone to do their best work and feel good about
doing it. Kindness and positivity can offset the negative affects of stress, especially in high-
pressure positions with tight deadlines and challenging clients.

Leadership Skill - Trustworthiness

Businesses rely on trustworthy leaders to bridge the gap between managers and employees.
Demonstrate trustworthiness in the workplace by holding yourself accountable and consistently
acting according to your ethics. Treating all of your coworkers with the same respect regardless
of their position, being consistent in your guidance, and taking responsibility for your behavior
all contribute to increased trust and better rapport with your team. Part of being a trustworthy
employee also involves showing empathy to others and acting in their best interest, building a
professional relationship that helps them feel more invested in their work.
Leadership Skill - Dedication
Being dedicated to your work and the big-picture goals of your team shows that you have the
initiative and commitment to be a leader. You can show dedication in the workplace by
following through on your goals and promises, then looking for ways to improve processes or go
the extra mile to develop a quality product. Strong team leaders set an example for others by
putting in extra time when necessary, demonstrating to employees that they would not ask them
to do anything they wouldn’t do themselves.

Leadership Skill - Adaptability

Businesses seek out forward-thinking candidates for leadership roles, particularly because they
are skilled in adaptability, adjusting workflow and strategies based on feedback from employees
and evolving industry practices. Business evolves quickly, and flexibility can be the difference
between a project succeeding and failing. Adaptability in the workplace has many functions,
including implementing employee feedback, responding to client concerns and improvising
during negotiations. Flexible leaders are able to handle unexpected staff shortages, negative
customer feedback, inventory issues and other business growing pains without disrupting day-to-
day operations.

Including leadership skills on a resume

Showcasing your leadership ability on a resume is a great way to get noticed as a competitive
candidate. Identify the most relevant aspects of leadership for each job you apply for, and think
about how you demonstrated those skills in your past positions. You can list this information in
the skills section of your resume, or reference your abilities when describing your relevant
experience.
 SOFT SKILLS

A Guide to Developing Soft Skills to Advance Your Career

We’ve all heard what an asset it is in the job market to know data analysis, be able to code in C+
+, and speak fluent Spanish. But what about being able to listen well, to manage your time like a
boss, and to lead a team meeting that leaves everybody smiling afterward? While more difficult
to measure and quantify, these types of skills – soft skills – are the glue that hold together any
workplace.

Being able to identify your soft skills and give examples of them is a critical part of any job
interview. Many people choose to list soft skills on their resume. If you’re having trouble
identifying your soft skills – or know what soft skills you have, but want to develop them more –
you’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you single out and grow your soft skills –
which will ultimately lead to more successes in interviews and on the job.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are character traits, personal attributes, and other non-technical abilities that help you
work and communicate with other people. Some soft skills you might have to study and learn,
and others might come to you naturally.  Listening, communication and delegation are all
examples of soft skills.

The opposite of soft skills are hard skills, which are technical abilities like knowing how to code
in python, make a graph on excel, or speak a foreign language. While hard skills can be more
easily defined and measured, soft skills are more difficult to measure. But that doesn’t mean
they’re any less important – in fact, if you’re not a good communicator, you’ll have a difficult
time even getting past the first interview!

“Soft skills do play an important role in hiring. Employers aren’t looking for robots that can only
execute on a job description,” says Anish Majumdar, a professional resume writer. “They need
people who can positively impact the culture and see what’s around the corner- people
with depth (this goes triple for executives btw). Soft skills are a way to address this.”

How to identify your soft skills

At many points during your education or career, you’ve probably worked on a team. But are you
good at teamwork? Are you so good at teamwork that you would include it on the skills section
of your resume? Not sure? Let’s talk about identifying your soft skills.

Finding what soft skills you excel at starts with looking within. To find your soft skills, Nicole
Wood, the CEO of Ama La Vida told Glassdoor, “first, gain self-awareness of your strengths and
improvement opportunities. Then you can begin to truly harness your strengths and develop your
blind spots.” She continued that “things like showing empathy, having a strong presence,
expressing gratitude, communicating effectively, and managing stress are all critical skills to
develop [in order] to get promoted and to be an effective leader.” 

Identifying your soft skills isn’t necessarily something you can do alone, either. Ask friends,
colleagues, and even former employers which soft skills come to mind when they think of you.
You can also ask them to bring up specific examples of when you used that soft skill well. You
might even discover things about yourself that you didn’t know before. For example, if you think
you’re disorganized, but everyone you talk to points to your organizational skills as somewhere
you excel, you might want to consider changing that perception of yourself – and including it on
your resume!

Here is a list of soft skills. Do you identify with any of them? Can you point to examples in your
career where you used them to accomplish something?

 Time management
 Teamwork
 Communication
 Adaptability
 Ability to perform under pressure
 Innovation
 Listening
 Delegation
 Creativity
 Work ethic
 Leadership
 Problem-solving

How to show soft skills on a resume

Now that you have a list of your soft skills, it’s time to showcase them. “Soft skills are like
dessert – quality is more important than quantity!” writes Majumdar. Quality has two
requirements: first that you actually possess the soft skills, and second, that they match up to the
soft skills the employer is looking for. When applying for jobs, you might consider making a list
of soft skills described on each job listing, or if none are listed, qualities you think it might be
helpful to have in the job. You can then match this list with the soft skills you know you have
– these will be the skills you present on your resume.

Many resume writers suggest highlighting numerical metrics showing how you succeeded in
previous positions, like “increased sales by 17%” or “doubled average daily website traffic in
three months”. But just as important is showing how your soft skills led to successes on the job.
“unless you are a robot, you didn’t just bulldoze your way in and mechanically drive results.
Instead, you began by applying softer skills in order to achieve more concrete outcomes,” says
Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, professional resume writer and Glassdoor contributor.
“Incorporating soft skills articulately means describing how you helped tame heated meetings
and how your ability to communicate orally or in writing helped forge alliances, influence
solidarity and/or move projects so they steamed ahead and achieved bottom-line goals,” she
continues.  

Bonus tip? If you include soft skills in your “skills” section, make sure they match up (at least
for the most part!) with the examples of how you used soft skills in your “experience” section.
The listed skills will be flagged by the applicant tracking system, and the examples you give will
tell the memorable story to whoever’s eyes end up on your resume.

How to improve your soft skills

 Take an online course. You can teach yourself practically anything online today, from
hard skills like Photoshop and network engineering to soft skills like project management
and negotiation. Popular websites that offer courses to learn soft skills include Coursera,
Lynda.com, Udemy, and edX.
 Get feedback from others. “The best way to achieve these skills is to gain awareness of
personal strengths and weaknesses, ask for feedback, observe and listen to those who
have an exemplary rapport with others, and practice the skill development in all
relationships,” told Katherine Daniel, Director of HR & Marketing for N2 Publishing,
Inc. to Glassdoor.
 Get a coach. A coach can help you develop certain soft skills quickly and effectively
because they tailor the learning and practicing process directly to you. “Partnering with a
coach can have an invaluable impact on your success as a leader,” says Mikaela Kiner,
founder and CEO of uniquelyHR. However, Kiner strongly recommends finding the right
coach for your time and budget so it’s worth it.
 Practice with a friend. Let’s say you want to get better at negotiating. Sit down with a
friend and practice asking for what it is you want – whether it’s a salary raise, a
promotion, or a better benefits package. Have your friend play the role of your boss, and
then give you feedback about your proposal.

Example Answer #1:

“I would describe my leadership style as direct, and leading by example. I enjoy delegating tasks
and taking the lead on projects, but I also like to stay involved and inspire my team by showing
that I’m working hands-on to help them, too. For example, in my last job, we had an emergency
situation where a client’s website went down. I quickly delegated tasks to my team of 4, but then
got on the phone with the client myself to find out more information for my team and give the
client temporary steps they could take to make the issue less costly while we came up with a
permanent solution. When my team saw me working hard to fix this, it made them realize the
importance of the issue and work hard as well.”
Example Answer #2:

“I think my strengths as a leader are effective delegation and communication. So my leadership

style takes advantage of those strengths. I always try to delegate tasks to whoever is best-
equipped to perform well in the task, and I try to communicate clearly about what needs to be
done, and why. This eliminates back-and-forth, mistakes, and needing to re-do tasks. Taking
more time to communicate effectively at the beginning of the project, and delegating properly,
both end up saving time as a project advances.”

If you follow the advice above and make your answer sound like these examples, you’ll impress
the interviewer and quickly move past the interview question!

As a final step, make sure you practice your answer. You want to sound sure of yourself and
confident when they ask, “what is your leadership style?” This isn’t a question you want to
hesitate on or draw a blank, so use the steps above and practice until you feel ready.

When you’re interviewing for a job, it’s common to be asked about your leadership skills and
experience. Of course, if you’re applying for a management position or a job with a management
component, questions like “What’s a time you exercised leadership?” or “Tell me about a time
when you demonstrated leadership skills” are to be expected. But that’s not the only time you
might be asked these questions.

“There is a misconception that if you’re not a manager, you’re not a leader,” says career coach
Emily Moyer. But everyone in a company—even individual contributors and consultants—is a
leader in some area, making leadership skills and qualities important to have no matter what your
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.

Another possibility? 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,” says Muse career coach Steven Davis, owner of Renaissance Solutions Inc.
So it’s a good idea to have your future employer think of you as a leader or potential leader from
the start.

Keep reading for three steps to acing questions about a time you demonstrated leadership skills
—with sample answers included!
The Best Way to Answer “Tell Me About a Time You Demonstrated
Leadership Skills” in an Interview

1. Define What Leadership Means to You

Built into questions about demonstrating leadership is a hidden subquestion: 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. “I would want to hear something that is authentic and intentional,” Moyer
says.

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, Moyer says. It shows you
understand the power you have over people’s jobs in a management role. As the saying goes,
“People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers,” so it’s in every company’s best interest to make
sure their new hires won’t send employees out the door. One way to prove you won’t drive direct
reports to quit is to have a thoughtful, concrete plan for how you’ll oversee people’s jobs and
elevate your team.

2. Choose a Story to Share

Once you know what you think leadership is, it’s time to think about times you’ve put it into
practice. You should also 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 feel like you’ve never been a leader before, don’t worry! You probably still have
examples of times you demonstrated leadership. Go back to your list of qualities, skills, and
actions and think about times when you exemplified them. Reach outside of the workplace if
necessary; a situation from a class, school activity, club, or volunteer position will work just fine.
For example, maybe you were a key organizer for a fundraiser or started up a new group on your
campus or in your neighborhood.

“Women [in particular] tend to downplay their leadership,” Moyer says. Be careful not to fall
into the trap of underselling your role in something. And remember that you don’t need to have
had a leadership title to exercise leadership. Maybe you noticed a coworker was struggling with
time management at your last workplace and you took the initiative to help them out. Maybe the
person who’d organized an important meeting got sick at the last minute and you stepped in to
coordinate day-of logistics and give the presentation.

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. However, even if
things didn’t quite go as planned, if you learned something from the experience, you shouldn’t
immediately dismiss using it as an example—as long as it wasn’t a total disaster.

3. Structure Your Answer

You have your definition of leadership and you’ve identified a great story. All that’s left now is
to put it all together and organize your response. Like with most behavioral questions, you’ll
want to structure your answer to this question using the STAR method—but with one added
component.

 Define what leadership means to you in one to two sentences. (Hint: 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.

Read about how to use the STAR method in more detail here.

So how would this actually sound?

If you’re interviewing for a managerial role, your answer might be something like:

“I think that a good leader is someone who can make decisions while also taking into account
the opinions and feelings of others. This also includes being willing and able to admit when
you’re wrong and course correct.
“In my last role, my team and I were responsible for giving a big presentation to a prospective
client that involved a lot of research ahead of time. I quickly assigned different tasks to members
of my team, including giving the newest employee a chance to actually give the presentation.
However, the project never really got moving. I asked my team about their concerns and gave
everyone an opportunity to share their input, 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 had 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.”

If you’re interviewing for a role where you won’t be a manager, you could say something like:

“I think that strong organizational skills are some of the most important for a leader to have. My
company has an annual summer barbecue, and the person who used to organize the event every
year recently left the company for a new job. Since I’d helped them in the past, I volunteered to
run it this year. It’s a potluck event and we usually have a few organized activities throughout
the day. I sent out a survey to get a feel for who wanted to bring what dishes and which activities
people were most interested in.

“Once I had that information, I figured out which activities could be run by employees and
which needed me to bring someone in from outside the company. I managed the budget to make
sure that we had as many of the popular activities as possible as well as enough food and
options to cover any dietary restrictions. I sent reminders to people to make sure we had
everything we needed. I also sent out a schedule that made it clear when everything was
happening and at what time people needed to arrive and set things up.

“In the end, there were a few small hiccups on the day—we briefly ran out of ice—but since
everything had been planned and shared in advance, the event overall went really smoothly and
everyone was able to adjust to last-minute changes. I got a lot of great feedback after the event
from people at all levels of the company both in person and in notes. Everyone said they had a
great time!”

The biggest way to mess up answering, “What’s a time you exercised leadership?” is to simply
say you have no leadership experience. “Everyone has demonstrated leadership at some point in
their life or another,” Moyer says. And even if you’re not interviewing for a management role, it
doesn’t mean what you think about leadership isn’t important. After all, pretty much everyone
either has a boss or is a boss (or will become a boss) and interviewers want to make sure you’ll
thrive in the hierarchy of their company.
Why ask candidates leadership interview questions
When you’re hiring for a senior level position (e.g. team leaders), look for soft skills in
candidates that may reflect their leadership styles. These can include:

 Motivation: How they use feedback and acknowledgment to inspire productivity

 Delegation: How they identify employees’ strengths and weaknesses to assign duties
 Communication: How they encourage team members to express concerns and ideas
 Integrity: How they handle confidential information, manage work relationships and
follow company policies to set a good example for their team

Good leaders add value to the company by fostering a collaborative environment and welcoming
new ideas. Leadership interview questions help recruiters get greater insight into a candidate’s
way of working. Use job-related examples to understand how candidates:

 manage (or collaborate in) a team to achieve goals

 motivate their subordinates/co-workers
 approach challenges and conflicts in a team
 reach decisions

These interview questions can also reveal the leadership potential of candidates, even if they’re
interviewing for entry-level roles. Employees with leadership skills and experience tend to show
commitment to their job and overcome obstacles in a timely manner.

These sample leadership interview questions will help you identify if your candidates have what
it takes to be a good leader.

Example leadership interview questions to ask candidates

 Tell me about a time you struggled with work-life balance. Did you manage to solve the
problem? How did you do it?
 Tell me about a time you took the lead in a team project. What was the outcome of the
project?
 Tell me about a time your idea improved the company in some way. How did you make
sure it was implemented?
 Two employees left from your team just before the deadline on a big project. How would
you change your leadership style to meet the deadline?
 How do you monitor the performance of individual team members?
 In what specific ways do you motivate your team?
 How do you make decisions about the compensation of team members?
 How would you describe your leadership style?
Tips to assess leadership skills in interviews
 All candidates will claim to have communication and motivational skills. Behavioral and
situational interview questions will help you identify how they use these skills in work-
related scenarios.
 Leadership is not (only) about knowledge. A good leader shares the company’s values
and contributes to its long-term growth. Opt for candidates who aspire to grow and are
interested in developing their careers.
 Team leaders get involved with hiring and training new members. Ask interview
questions to gauge their familiarity with these procedures.
 A good leader is tenacious during hard times. Use work-related leadership examples to
identify how candidates react to challenges and approach difficult decisions.
 Ask leadership questions that reveal candidates’ creativity. Employees who can make
quick decisions when things don’t go as planned can prove vital for your company.

Red flags
 Negativity. It’s important that those in leadership positions nourish positive team
environments. Candidates who focus on the negative or lack energy will struggle to
motivate their team members.
 Dishonest answers. If you spot inaccuracies in candidates’ answers, that indicates they
lack professionalism. Leaders usually play a strategic role in a company, so look for
employees who are honest, ethical and don’t hesitate to admit their mistakes.
 Inflexibility. Experienced leadership candidates might be used to a specific way of
working. To be good leaders, candidates should be eager to adjust to different
circumstances.
 Signs of arrogance. Being a team leader doesn’t give you license to be bossy or order
people around. Effective leaders know when to follow other people’s suggestions and
value contributions from others.
 Blaming others or making excuses. Employees in leadership positions who don’t take
accountability for their actions (or failures) risk ruining the team’s balance. Look for
trustworthy candidates who focus on finding solutions instead of complaining about
problems.