You’ve scrutinised dozens of CVs and narrowed down your pool of candidates for a leadership position. Now, you’re faced with the critical task of determining which individual truly has the qualities of an effective leader. Crafting questions that delve beyond surface-level responses is your key to uncovering genuine leadership potential. This guide outlines targeted questions designed to assess a candidate's leadership skills, providing insights you need to make informed decisions.

1. Key Questions to Evaluate Leadership Skills

1.1 What is your experience with leading teams?

Understanding a candidate’s experience with team leadership is crucial, especially in roles that demand high performance and collaboration. You want to gauge whether they’ve been in a leadership role that aligns with your company’s scope and dynamics. Often, experiences can highlight their adaptability to different team sizes and structures.

• Look for: Evidence of managing diverse or cross-functional teams, successful project outcomes, and improvements in team performance.

• Watch out for: Lack of specifics or examples that could indicate limited hands-on leadership experience.

Candidates who’ve led teams successfully in the past can offer valuable insights and strategies on team management. Evaluate if they’ve implemented formal coaching or mentoring within their teams.

• Pro-Tip: Ask about any metrics they use to measure team success, which can reveal their focus on results and accountability.

1.2 Can you give an example of a successful project you led?

Project leadership skills encompass planning, team mobilisation, and navigating challenges. Asking candidates to describe a successful project allows you to assess their ability to manage these elements.

• Look for: Specific details about the project goals, their strategies for achieving them, and how they overcame obstacles.

• Watch out for: Vague descriptions or a tendency to take all the credit, as this might suggest poor team dynamics.

Pay attention to how they articulate the challenges faced and solutions implemented. Real-world problem-solving is key in leadership.

• Pro-Tip: Follow up by asking what they learned from the project and how those lessons were applied in subsequent leadership roles.

1.3 How do you handle conflict within your team?

Effective conflict management keeps a team cohesive and focused. You’re looking for leaders who can balance empathy with assertiveness in conflict situations.

• Look for: Examples of resolving conflicts while maintaining team integrity, open communication, and fairness.

• Watch out for: Tendency to downplay conflicts or inability to cite specific instances.

Candidates who deal with conflict using transparent communication show that they can maintain trust and morale.

• Pro-Tip: Inquire about a time when their approach to conflict resolution led to a positive long-term change.

1.4 What strategies do you use to motivate your team?

Motivation drives productivity and innovation. Discovering how candidates encourage and energise their teams provides insights into their leadership effectiveness.

• Look for: Creative motivation strategies tailored to individual needs and team cultures, and how they’ve enhanced team performance.

• Watch out for: Reliance solely on financial incentives or superficial motivational tactics.

Finding candidates who understand intrinsic motivation, such as personal development opportunities and values alignment, can be a game-changer for your organisation.

• Pro-Tip: Ask about the impacts of their motivation strategies on team outcomes to gauge real-world effectiveness.

2. Behavioural Interview Questions for Leadership

2.1 Describe a time when you had to make a tough decision.

When you're asking about making tough decisions, you're looking to explore how candidates approach complex problems under pressure. The aim is to assess their critical thinking, resilience, and ability to take responsibility. Consider asking about the context of the decision, the steps they took to weigh their options, and the eventual outcome. The key here is to determine their systematic approach to problem solving, rather than the specific decision made.

• Key prompts: What was the impact of their decision? How did it influence the team or project? Did they consider the long-term effects?

Pro-tip: Look for a candidate who frames their thought process clearly, making it easy for you to follow. This indicates strong communication skills and a well-organised mind—essential traits for effective leadership.

Having insight into how candidates manage difficult choices can reveal their leadership style and decision-making principles. Encourage them to share both successful and less successful experiences. This will help you understand their learning agility and openness to feedback. Qualified leaders often showcase adaptability when situations don't go as planned.

• Example questions: How do they reflect on past decisions? Do they actively seek advice, or prefer making decisions independently?

Pro-tip: Notice if they mention key stakeholders in their process. Leaders who value collaboration and team input likely foster a positive and inclusive work environment.

2.2 How have you dealt with failure in a leadership role?

Exploring how candidates handle failure is crucial to understanding their resilience and growth mindset. Candidates should provide specific situations where things did not go as planned and describe the immediate repercussions. Ask them to elaborate on their emotional response and the steps they took to address the failure.

• Key areas to probe: Acceptance of responsibility, learning from mistakes, and strategies employed to mitigate similar issues in the future.

Pro-tip: Strong leaders often view failure as a learning opportunity. Look for candidates who can narrate what they learned and how they applied those lessons in subsequent projects.

Candidates' past reactions to failure can be a strong indicator of how they'll confront similar challenges in your organisation. Enquire about how they communicated the issue to their team and managed morale. Their approach can tell you about their accountability and ability to maintain team trust during challenging times.

• Example insights: Did they turn failure into a success later? Do they use failure as a motivator to drive improvement?

Pro-tip: Candidates who engaged their team in post-failure evaluations might demonstrate a capacity to navigate difficult conversations and foster collective learning.

2.3 Tell us about a moment when you had to lead by example.

Inquiring about moments when candidates led by example allows you to evaluate their integrity and influence. Key traits of leading by example include consistency in words and actions, and the ability to inspire those qualities in their team. Ask candidates to provide a specific instance where they modelled the behaviour they wished to see in others, and the impact it had.

• Important aspects: How did their actions resonate with the team? Were there any subsequent changes in team behaviour?

Pro-tip: Candidates who focus on the team response to their actions are often more empathetic and in tune with the team dynamic.

Leading by example is crucial during organisational changes or difficult periods. Examine how candidates positioned themselves as role models and how they communicated expectations. Their stories will provide insight into their dedication and commitment to organisational culture.

• Key follow-ups: Did their actions align with the company's values or goals? Did they influence a positive change or decision within the team?

Pro-tip: Look for evidence of sustained commitment. Leaders who have consistently led by example over time often successfully cultivate a stronger, more committed team culture.

2.4 What is your approach to delegating tasks?

Delegation is a fundamental leadership skill that balances workload and empowers team members. Your aim here is to gauge the candidates' trust in their team and their knack for identifying strengths and weaknesses. Ask how they ensure tasks are completed efficiently, and how they choose the right team member for each responsibility.

• Points to consider: What processes do they have in place to monitor progress? How do they provide feedback or adjust when necessary?

Pro-tip: Effective delegation involves empowering team members and ensuring they have the resources and autonomy to thrive.

Understanding candidates’ approaches to delegation gives you insight into their management style. Probe into their criteria for selecting who to delegate to, and how they balance delegation with accountability. This shows their ability to foster skill development and trust within their team.

• Additional questions: How do they handle situations when a delegated task needs re-evaluation or reallocation? Do they factor in professional development in their delegation strategy?

Pro-tip: Delegating effectively often reflects a candidate's ability to foster an environment of growth and empowerment, suggesting they can build a robust and self-sufficient team.

3. Vision and Strategy Questions to Assess Leadership

3.1 How do you align your team with the company's goals?

Aligning your team with company goals is key for maintaining organisational direction and ensuring everyone is on the same page. When interviewing for leadership roles, listen for candidates who:

• Communicate organisational goals clearly and frequently.

• Set individual targets aligned with the company’s mission.

• Foster a culture of shared responsibility and accountability.

A useful example is a candidate describing how they use monthly town hall meetings to reaffirm company goals, ensuring all team members understand their roles and contributions. They might also use tools like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to track progress and motivate the team.

Pro-Tip: Encourage candidates to provide specific tools or methods they've successfully used to communicate and uphold alignment with company goals.

3.2 Describe how you have contributed to your company's strategy.

This question helps determine a candidate’s strategic impact. Strong candidates will:

• Show understanding of business objectives.

• Share concrete actions taken to contribute strategically.

• Highlight outcomes or changes their strategies influenced.

Look for examples where the candidate proposed a new initiative or spearheaded a change that aligned with broader strategic objectives. For instance, moving towards a digital-first strategy by introducing innovative tools like Slack or Asana for collaboration.

Pro-Tip: Ask candidates how they gathered feedback or collaborated across departments to refine and drive their strategic contributions.

3.3 What is your vision for your department/team?

Understanding a leader’s vision can reveal their priorities and forward-thinking abilities. Listen for:

• A clear roadmap for the future.

• Consideration of current challenges and potential opportunities.

• How their vision aligns with the organisation’s wider aims.

Excellent responses might include creating a technologically-driven team to improve efficiency, stating clear milestones and practical steps for reaching these goals using platforms like Trello or Jira.

Pro-Tip: Dig deeper by asking how they plan to communicate this vision to their team and gain buy-in.

3.4 How do you stay informed about industry trends and incorporate them into your strategy?

Staying across industry trends is crucial for relevant and competitive strategies. Expect candidates to:

• Engage in continuous learning via industry webinars, podcasts, or journals.

• Network within industry circles or attend conferences.

• Regularly assess and integrate these insights into strategic planning.

A candidate might discuss attending annual industry conferences or leveraging tools like Feedly or Flipboard to curate relevant news and data, ensuring that the latest developments complement their strategic planning.

Pro-Tip: Look for candidates namedropping specific resources or networking practices they routinely use to stay informed.

Concluding this article, robust interview questions focusing on vision and strategy are vital in assessing leadership potential. They guide you in understanding how candidates align teams with goals, contribute strategically, craft visions, and remain updated with industry trends. These insights will help you identify leaders who can enhance your organisational culture and objectives effectively.