How do you know if someone is a good leader? (Answer Key)
Many professionals have more than one interview while looking for a job. During the interview process, hiring managers may ask you common interview questions, like “What makes a good leader?” to find out how you’d act in a leadership role. To make sure your interview goes well, it helps to think of answers to questions you might be asked. We’ll talk about why employers want to know what makes a good leader in this article. We will also show you how to answer this question and give you four answers as examples.
Why do businesses want to know, “What makes a good leader?”
Hiring managers often ask this question during an interview to find out what you think makes a good leader. This is a question that interviewers often ask to find out what kind of leader you would be. Your answer can show the interviewer who you are as a person and how good you are at your job.
The same information can be gathered by asking this question in different ways. These are some ways they could ask:
- What skills does a good leader have?
- What do you value in a leader?
- How can you tell if someone is good at leading?
- Can you describe the boss you’d like to work for?
- How can you tell if someone is good at leading?
- Why are you a good leader?
- How do you define being a leader?
- What do you think are the most important things a leader should be able to do?
- Who was the best leader you ever met?
- How to answer “What makes a good leader?”
Here are three things you can do to answer this question well:
1. Think about what qualities you want a leader to have.
To answer the question at the interview, you can first think about what skills you think are most important for a leader to have. You can talk about any kind of leadership skill, like the ability to motivate people, how to run a business, or how to get along with others, and explain why you think these are the most important. You could talk about the different ways a leader might use these skills.
2. Think of a leader you looked up to in the past.
To answer this interview question, it helps to talk about something from your own life. For example, you can briefly talk about a leader you had in the past who you think is a good example of a good leader. You can talk about why you think this leader was great, what you learned from them, why you admire them, and how, if you were a leader, you would try to copy their style.
3.Tell us what you think a leader should have.
To end your answer to this common interview question, you can talk about what skills, qualities, or traits you’d have if you were a leader. You can talk about how you would lead people at work with these skills. You can also talk about how you would show certain traits or qualities when leading others in both good and bad situations.
What makes a good leader? Here are 4 answers.
Here are four ways to answer this question in an interview:
Example 1
“I think a good leader is someone who gets their team to do their best. When I was in high school, my first job was at a quick-stop store. The store’s owner was a war hero who always thought I’d do well. Because of what he said and how he acted, I wanted to work hard every day so I could be a leader like him. This is how I think a good leader should act, and it’s how I hope to act when I’m in charge.”
Example 2
“I think that a good leader is someone who can make good decisions quickly and stay organized no matter what. I think that if your leader is organized, makes quick decisions, and stays up-to-date, their team will notice and try to be the same way in their own work. Most of the time, these qualities help teams do well and reach their goals. I think it’s important for the person in charge of a team to show these qualities at work so that others can learn from them.”
Example 3
“I think that someone who can change and adapt is a good leader. For example, if my project manager notices that one of our team members is having trouble meeting their goals, I think it would be great if they could help that person meet their goals by giving them one-on-one guidance. If my project manager sees that there are better ways for team members to reach their goals, they can change and work better as a whole. I think that a leader’s ability to do these things shows how confident they are in their ability to lead others.”
Example 4
“A good leader shows others how to do things right. Align Sales and Marketing Solutions gave me an internship last summer. My boss, who was the senior sales associate, taught my team how to make a good sales pitch that would bring in money and clients. She didn’t just tell us to go sell without showing us how. She came with us instead and showed us how to do these things. She taught us how to be successful, so we could all get new clients.”
How to answer “What makes a good leader?”
Here are some ways to answer this question in an interview:
- Give examples from real life. It’s important to show how good leadership skills or traits work in the real world. For instance, if you’ve been a good leader by using your management skills, explain how you did it.
- Be humble. You should talk about how you have been a good leader, but you should also be humble. Tell them about your experience in a helpful, factual way that doesn’t sound like you’re bragging.
- STAR stands for the words “situation, task, action, and result.” Putting all of these parts into your answer can make it stronger and more clear.
