Every business needs a leader, someone who can keep the company on track and help it grow. Finding that person is not always easy, but you should ask specific interview questions to know your potential candidate. We have come up with Leadership Interview Questions to help you know the candidate and evaluate their leadership skills. The questions cover a variety of topics, including work ethic, decision making, and vision. These are all essential qualities in an executive leader!
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Leadership Interview Questions and Answers
Define leadership?
Leadership is when someone is in charge of a group of people. They can decide related to that group and help the people in it work together.
How do you define success?
Success is the depth of your drive and passion for making a difference. Everyone should create their own success story, and your success may differ from mine, but at least we should be happy with where we stand in life.
What do you think makes good leadership?
An influential leader should be able to help their team to work together. A leader should make decisions that are best for everyone involved and have a strong work ethic.
What is your greatest weakness?
Being a leader can be tricky. It’s easy to take on too much responsibility and get stressed out. I sometimes have trouble delegating my tasks to the team, and I try to complete tasks myself.
What are your biggest leadership strengths?
- Easily Connecting With People
- Making Complex Ideas Simple
- Prioritization of tasks.
- Keeping Your Word
- Listening
- Thinking Ahead
- Moving Quickly On Opportunities
- Helpfulness
- Giving Credit Where It’s Due
- Delegate a job if someone else is more skilled.
How would other people describe your leadership ability?
My leadership style is to help people think of their ideas and build on them. I want everyone involved to feel like they are working towards a common goal and using their unique skills to contribute. I like people to feel valued, empowered, and challenged.
How do you handle constructive criticism in the workplace?
Constructive criticism is a great way to learn and grow and correct the mistakes you make. It is essential to handle constructive criticism in the workplace because it will help us become better people and help others improve their performance by making them aware of their mistakes.
How do you handle disagreements with co-workers?
I try to go in-depth about the situation and deal with disagreements by using empathy and understanding their perspective first before making them understand my point of view.
How do you respond when someone questions your authority?
Questions are an excellent way for me to learn more about why they see things differently from me. It helps me in making better decisions. First, I try not to run on emotions and try to evaluate the criticism and understand it. Once I better understand the criticism, I try to address their concerns and provide facts.
How do you make decisions?
When making a decision, I think about the people who will be affected by my choice and understand how they feel. It helps me in understanding what is best for everyone involved instead of just myself.
What motivates you at work?
My motivation comes from seeing that I have completed the tasks that I have taken on.
What do you expect from your employees?
I expect my employees to understand their role within the group and take the initiative to help better themselves with their work. It is also essential for them to follow through when given a task to be completed quickly, correctly, and efficiently.
Why should we hire you over the other candidates?
I have experience in the position you are hiring for; I am very hard working and will put all into this job. Have exceptional communication skills and can work well with others. I feel that my personality will be a good fit for your team!
What can you do to motivate a team?
I make sure they feel valued in the organization and understand their role in a group. Make everyone feel like their own personality can shine through at work.
I create a positive working environment for my staff, encourage teamwork, and define their career paths to ensure they feel part of the company instead of outsiders. I am clear about expectations, so no one gets surprised when something needs to get completed.
List three words that describe what it takes to succeed at this job:
- Hardworking
- Flexible
- Team Player
Must Read: How to respond to illegal Interview Questions
Other Leadership Interview Questions
- What are some qualities of a good leader?
- Who is your favorite person or CEO?
- How can we improve our company’s leadership structure?
- How do you handle stressful situations?
- What are your leadership strengths and weaknesses?
- In what ways have you been a leader in the past?
- What would you do if a co-worker was not fulfilling their duties?
- Why should we hire a leader with no experience over someone who has extensive leadership experience?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- Describe a time when you failed.
Read more about Leadership on Harvard Business Review.
We hope these leadership interview questions help you in your search for the perfect leader for your company. Working with someone with solid business ethics can be invaluable to any company, so take that into account when deciding on a candidate!
Do let us know if you have some excellent leadership interview questions we would love to add to our blog.