When it comes to interviews, different questions are asked for different posts and positions. For example, there will be a different set of questions asked for the profile of a general manager and another set of questions asked to a sales person.
In the same vein, a different set of questions will be asked to a person who would be appointed to be a team leader, a manager or even a CEO.
One of the most important questions asked during such an interview is: ‘What type of leader are you?’ Or ‘how would you describe your leadership style’ or ‘are you a leader or a follower?’
After reading this article, I recommend reading the following:
- Leadership Interview Questions and Answers: Examples of Skills for Leaders
- What Makes a Good Team Leader? How to Be a Good Team Leader?
Are you a true leader? What makes you a good leader?
If you are ever asked to describe your leadership during a job interview, here are some tips to remember:
Are you a Leader or a Manager?
Some interviewers may ask you whether you are a leader or a manager (or a follower). To reply to this question, you must first understand the difference between a leader and a manager. Management and leadership have very different meanings: a manager is a title and leader is a function. Management is a position and leadership is a skill.
A leader is someone who leads a team, and becomes a leader because of his or her skills and talents which are higher than the entire group, while a manager is someone who is purposely hired to manage the operation of a team.
A leader is recognized as a leader by his teammates because he posses some influential personal traits that affect the group performance and activities.
A leader function skills can be categorized as follows: Sharing Information, Understanding Needs and Characteristics of the group, Knowing the Resources, Controlling, Counseling, Setting the Example, Representing, Planning, Evaluating, Sharing leadership and Learning.
What kind of a leader are you? Words that describe your leadership characteristics
Some key personal traits that effectively describe leadership performance are: Initiator, Innovator and Originator, Decision Maker, Listener, Critical Thinker, Coacher, Inspiring, Motivating, Dominating, Goal Oriented and Vision/Planning Abilities.
Figure out if you posses some of the above skills and mention them in your answer.
A true leader works with the group
The corporate world is changing quite quickly, and the general consensus nowadays is that a leader puts in an equal amount of work and works with the group, instead of delegating work to them. This is seen as the perfect way to work today in the corporate world.
Are you having people orientated leadership? Are you ‘people oriented’? It is known that a leader with no people who are willing to follow him (or her) is not a leader. The leader must maintain an effective interpersonal relationship with people resulting in an ongoing and growing network. He may present original thinking, sometimes a fresh ideal, a vision or a new path that attracts and motivates others to go after him without hesitations.
Therefore, if you are asked the question about your leadership style, you may try to integrate these points into your reply.
