Seven. Managerial/ Leadership Skills

Managing people to reach a common goal translates into high productivity and revenue levels for a business. This successful management is achieved through effective coaching and inspiring actions, whereby managers make employees feel valued and content at work. A great leader is able to take charge of a situation, assemble the necessary resources, and mobilize the staff. That leader will have a positive ripple effect on a department's success, increasing productivity many times over.

With so much at stake, businesses need management personnel who have strong leadership qualities. Accordingly, management-level candidates are assessed differently from other candidates. The core competencies that interviewers focus on for management candidates are leadership ability, employee motivation techniques, the ability to delegate, and strategic planning skills.

Leadership

Effective leadership positively impacts an organization in many ways (e.g., increases productivity, streamlines processes). Some questions asked during the interview will help the interviewer assess your ability to influence the direction of the department in which you are applying.

Question 53. Tell me about a time you reviewed someone else's work to ensure that quality standards were met.

situation: When I worked for the Electronic Place, I found the marketing department staff were good wordsmiths. However, they did not have a grasp of the technical aspects of the company's offerings. Since I headed the technical department, it was up to me to collaborate with the marketing team and provide them with the information they needed to create magazine articles.

action: During our discussions, I would break down complex technical subjects into easy-to-understand portions. I would use simple language instead of jargon. With the information I provided, they developed articles that I then proofed and edited before giving approval.

result: The marketing department successfully placed their articles in trade publications, which in turn increased the company's presence in the marketplace.

Question 54. Not every employee is easygoing. There are times when an employee will refuse to carry out an order he or she believes is unfair. Please describe such a time and how you resolved the situation.

situation: An employee insisted on carrying out only the responsibilities that were outlined in his job description. Whenever he was charged with an assignment not specifically mentioned in the job description, he refused to perform the task.

action: To squash any misunderstanding about his functions, I explained that special duties assigned by the supervisor are permissible as long as the scope of that responsibility is within the classification of that position.

result: After our meeting, the employee embraced the responsibilities assigned to him, seeing them as covered in his job description.

Question 55. Describe an occasion when you managed a situation that was out of the ordinary for your position.

situation: We had a male employee who, after a long time of employment, revealed that she was transgender. She requested permission to come to work in women's clothing. In addition, she wanted the organization to have a sensitivity-training professional educate employees on how to deal with this new development.

action: Without hesitation, I hired a consultant, who came in to offer staff training on how best to approach the situation sensitively.

result: The training was interactive and helped everyone maintain an effective work environment. Ultimately, the fact that the employee was trans-gender never became an issue.