Lately the business news has had various announcements of companies laying off large swaths of management, for example, at the beginning of June American Airlines announced it was laying off 30% of management while British Petroleum announced just two weeks later that it was laying off 50% of their senior leadership. When these companies – and others – rebound, they’ll slowly rebuild their leadership layers.  Companies can help themselves to identify “future leaders” by asking questions that suggest leadership potential. Because the most important skills for a leader are soft skills (e.g. behavior),      the responses to such questions will help to determine if the interviewee thinks like a leader, even if they aren’t interviewing for a leadership role today.

The following questions are behavioral interview questions that ask the individual to provide an example from their own experience. In these questions you are listening for the response and the thinking behind it, not the situation; therefore the responses don’t have to be work-related, especially if you are interviewing a younger individual who might not have enough work experience to draw from.

Collaboration

You won’t find a genuine leader who will say “I did this all on my own.”  But we all know individuals who will take undue credit for themselves or present other’s ideas as their own.

At the leadership level, one’s work is only accomplished through others, so screening for the inclination for collaboration, as well as the maturity to appreciate other’s contributions is critical

Interview questions to ask:

• Tell me about a person or a department you’ve collaborated with, in your work.

• Tell me about an achievement you are proud of and how you accomplished it.

Listen for the interviewee giving credit to other individuals or departments. Give bonus points if they express appreciation or gratitude, as in “thankfully, Jennifer in Marketing …”

Creativity

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Work Report, creativity is in the top 10 necessary business skills for the foreseeable future.

Interview questions to ask:

• When you are stumped – what do you do?

• Tell me about a problem you were able to solve, and how you went about it.

Listen for the interviewee to mention something that would not be the norm, such as saying, “When I’m stumped I’ll just put the problem aside for a day or two and let my subconscious work on it.” You may not want a worker who stops pursuing a problem, but you do want to hear an approach other than “I asked my boss for help.”

Ethics

Unfortunately in recent years there have been many instances of companies acting in unethical ways (Wells Fargo, VW). While the companies pay the price, clearly it is individuals and their poor decisions that impact the companies’ reputations and often their fortunes. 

Interview questions to ask:

• If you were asked to do something unethical would you do it, if it ultimately benefited the customer?

• Have you observed someone doing something you considered unethical? What was your response? (Be sure confidentiality is preserved.)

Listen for the interviewee to express an allegiance to their intrinsic value system or to the overall good, such as “That’s not fair to the people who…”

Big Picture

Leaders need to make decisions based on what is best overall, not only for an individual stakeholder or constituent. This often makes decision-making difficult because there are never decisions that will benefit or please all.

Interview questions to ask:

• During the pandemic, a number of cruise ships that were out at sea were denied ports of entry where they could unload passengers and get them home. What are your thoughts on that?

• During the pandemic, many companies laid off or furloughed employees in order to conserve resources. What are your thoughts on that?

Listen for the interviewee to be able to articulate both sides or the gray area of the situation without anger or bias. Give bonus points if they acknowledge that these are difficult decisions with no “right answer.”

Curious, Thoughtful

Leaders should never be satisfied with the status quo. They should be questioning or challenging the current state in order to stay ahead of the competition or market forces and continually move the company forward.

Interview questions to ask:

• In preparing for this interview, is there anything you’ve learned about our company that you’d like to clarify or have questions about?

• In preparing for this interview, did you spot any opportunities for us as a company?

Listen for responses that show the person has done some research into the company, its competition, or its market position.

Whether or not a new hire will go on to lead others, it is helpful to screen for leadership-related thinking and behaviors during hiring interviews. If nothing else, employees are responsible for leading themselves and acting in the best interest of their organizations.