5 Leadership Questions to Ask In an Interview

Leadership interview questions can help you determine whether a potential candidate is a good fit for a management position.

What characteristics should workplace leaders have?

Managers possess a variety of hard and soft skills that qualify them to lead teams. They must have the following types of leadership abilities:

Adaptability: Processes, jobs, and team organizational structures all change on a regular basis. The ability to adapt to any situation can help you thrive in any workplace.

Collaboration abilities: People in positions of leadership are members of a team. Effective leadership requires team members to understand how to get everyone on the team involved in a project so that everyone can work together to achieve a common goal.

Communication skills: Managers must be able to communicate effectively in order to clearly explain processes and instructions to their direct reports. However, communication is more than just how you deliver a message. Those in positions of leadership should also be able to practice active listening, or fully engaging in what the other person says. This reduces miscommunication and aids in conflict resolution and problem solving.

Decision-making: The best leaders can reach a decision. This core competency indicates your ability to make difficult decisions when necessary.

Delegation abilities: An effective leader with experience understands that delegating tasks to direct reports rather than taking them on themselves can benefit everyone. Furthermore, implementing proper delegation skills among team members can boost employee confidence.

Emotional intelligence enables leaders to manage their own emotions as well as communicate with their coworkers and direct reports with empathy. Discover how to improve your emotional intelligence.

Mentoring abilities: Effective leaders serve as mentors. They devote time to assisting their direct reports in growing and developing the necessary skill sets, preparing them for success.

Motivational skills: Creating a positive work environment ensures that everyone wants to come into the office. Keeping positivity at the forefront of your work encourages employees, which means taking the time to recognize a direct report for completing a task, correcting a mistake, or navigating a difficult situation.

Problem-solving abilities: One of the most important leadership characteristics is problem-solving. Difficult situations arise all the time, and leaders must use critical thinking to find solutions.

Time management: Successful leaders are able to manage multiple workloads. To complete projects, leaders must be able to coordinate everyone's schedules.

Trustworthiness: Employees and leaders should have trust in one another because it allows a team to succeed. When team members or a manager question motivations, it can be difficult to work together or feel motivated to complete tasks.

Work-life balance: To avoid burnout, leaders must separate their work from their personal lives.

5 Leadership Interview Questions to Ask

To find people with true leadership potential, hiring managers and recruiters must ask the right questions during the interview process and during job interviews. Use the following sample interview questions to determine their leadership experience and find the right hire for your leadership or management role:

1. Ask for examples. "Can you give me an example of a time when you demonstrated leadership skills during a project or within a team?" is a good interview question. You can judge their application of their leadership abilities from this. It may also shed light on their management style. You might discover, for instance, that they prefer to take a backseat because they wait for the team to come up with a solution before stepping in.

2. Present them with a possible scenario. You could say, "You realize that you won't meet your quarterly deadline. How would you respond? This gives the interviewee the chance to show how well they comprehend the job description and the unique requirements of your business, as well as how they would adapt their leadership skills to your workplace culture.

3. Ask them to elaborate on conflict resolution. How would you resolve a dispute on your team, please? One of the most difficult aspects of being a leader is resolving conflicts because it calls for social awareness, self-assurance, and problem-solving abilities to maintain team cohesion in the face of conflict.

4. Find out their preferred leadership style. What is your leadership style, you may ask interviewees? Asking them this question will help you determine whether their leadership style aligns with the values of your company and how it distinguishes them from other candidates. They ought to be aware of the impact their leadership has on others and how they can inspire and motivate their team.

5. Ask for project management information. How would you ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and with the highest level of quality in mind? Regardless of the size or strength of the team, a good leader can show how they assign tasks and manage projects to produce positive results.