Interview questions for leadership

Sometimes called team leaders, group leaders use a range of skills to manage, coordinate, supervise, train, and instruct groups. Their daily duties and required skills may vary depending on the field they find themselves in, but they are typically charismatic individuals who can handle a wide variety of responsibilities.
When interviewing group leaders, look for candidates who seem trustworthy, responsible, and impartial. Avoid candidates who feel overwhelmed when faced with challenges and take a rigid approach to leadership.

1. What leadership style do you follow?

Some of the most important team leader interview questions are about leadership or management style.
With questions like these, recruiters get an insight into the process of the candidate’s management style, making it easier for them to shortlist the right fit.
It is also important to remember that a good leader does not follow the same style rigidly, but chooses the leadership style according to the team and nature of work.
One of the best tricks to impress recruiters with your answer is to do some extensive research about the company.

2. What are the most important values you demonstrate as a leader?

The most important value that I have is my integrity. I demonstrate honesty and trust in all my actions to establish credibility as a leader. By having this conviction behind my words and actions, those who I lead are gain bought into the direction I take them.

3. How do you handle deadlines?

One of the things the team leaders are responsible for is to communicate goals to the team and ensure that they are completed before the deadline.
Recruiters often ask this team leader interview questions to understand how you get the work done.
You can use this question to talk about your efficiency, organization, and time-management skills.
How you answer this question helps the interviewers assess if your working style suits their company and how good you are at handling the pressure of meeting deadlines.
To answer well,
1. Research the company and if possible, study their recent projects
2. Talk about how you establish expectations and goals, followed by your method to track progress
3. Choose a recent event where you met a steep deadline
4. Discuss how you delegate work and boost your team’s morale

4. How have you gained commitment from your team?

I gain commitment from my teams by influencing and persuading them to set specific objectives and also buy into the process. Once they have established cooperation and cohesion, they are on board to attain the goal.

5. What do you do when your team does not agree with your ideas?

Coming up with ideas is not an easy task, and the entire process of brainstorming can be taxing, especially for team leaders.
This is such a common workplace scenario that situations like these have found their way into the list of top team leader interview questions.
Interviewers ask this question to make sense of what you would do if your team does not support your ideas.
After all, no company wants to hire someone who wants his word to be the final one.

6. How can a leader fail? Give an example of that?

A leader can fail when they can’t get their team on board with the goals of the organization. Factors outside of a leader’s control may also lead to failures such as available resources, time constraints, and the economy.
In the example you give, make sure that you talk about how dealt with a difficult challenge and how you analyzed the setback. Make sure you explain how to seek honest feedback to ensure that you learned from the failure.

7. Differentiate team leader and team manager?

A Manager handles the everyday jobs and responsibilities of his team members and also ensures that they complete their assigned work on time. Whereas, a Leader will encourage and inspire his/her team to finish and work out their goals.

8. Define a difficult and important task of a Leader?

The role of a leader involves two duties. As a leader, he should act as a team member and simultaneously he should act as an individual to drive the whole team.
A leader should ensure that all his team-mates are on the same path towards the end goal which in turn leads to organizational success.

9. How do you appreciate your team members?

For a team leader, a major aspect of the job is to make sure that their team members are motivated to work and that they feel appreciated in their job.
The interviewers ask this team leader interview question to learn what methods you use to keep the spirits of your teammates high.
Talk about how you keep the sense of camaraderie alive in your teammates and how you appreciate them for doing a good job.

10. What is your approach when you are not clear about achieving your goals on time?

As a leader, you should be ready to accept any comments or opinions from your team. And should not hesitate to seek help from your immediate superiors or your team-mates.
Taking all the inputs into account, you should come up with a new and clear agenda on how to finish your target on time.

11. Could you tell us about a time when you failed?

Nobody wins every time. Interviewers know this and ask this team leader interview questions to assess how you deal with setbacks.
The answer to this question can be a deal-breaker, so answer to reflect quick thinking, ability to control the damage, and deal with challenges in high-pressure situations.
Answers like I have never failed, or I make sure I always succeed, can hamper your chances of getting hired and may even come off as arrogant and dishonest.

12. How will you encourage your team by sharing the other team member’s success?

Praising one’s success in front of others will inspire and motivate them to work harder. It encourages and gives confidence to others to perform better. One who gets succeeded in their career should be rewarded.
As a leader, if we link the performance of a team member to any reward or recognition, then it motivates them to work harder.

13.  Is there any strong or unique skill in you that makes me hire you?

My career objective is to serve a professionally managed company and achieve a challenging position by utilizing my abilities developed through my experience and education and contribute to enhancing the goals of the company. This makes you hire me into your organization.

14. Are you comfortable with group discussions/meetings or one on one?

As a leader, I prefer group discussions because in a group we will be able to know the individual skills and hidden qualities of the team-mates. This can help everyone to improve their interpersonal skills. And as a whole, it will lead to the success of the team.