How to Assess Leadership in an Interview

Leadership is one of the most requested competencies in job descriptions and one of the least well-assessed in interviews. Everyone can talk about leadership. Assessing whether someone actually demonstrates it requires specific questions, probes, and scoring criteria.

Defining Leadership for Assessment Purposes

Before you can assess leadership, you need to define it for your specific context. Leadership in a Store Manager role looks different from leadership in a Transport Manager role, which looks different again from a Head Chef. What remains consistent across contexts:

• Setting direction and creating clarity
• Building trust through consistent behaviour
• Holding people accountable while maintaining engagement
• Developing others beyond their current capability
• Making decisions under uncertainty

The Five Leadership Questions

Setting Direction

"Tell me about a time you needed to take your team in a significantly new direction. How did you bring them with you?"

Look for: Clear communication of vision, acknowledgment of concerns, consistent follow-through.

Building Trust

"Describe a time when trust broke down in your team. What caused it and how did you rebuild it?"

Look for: Owns their contribution to the breakdown, systematic approach to repair, evidence of changed behaviour.

Accountability

"Tell me about the most challenging performance management conversation you've had. How did you prepare and what happened?"

Look for: Direct and fair process, documentation, balance of empathy and accountability, clear outcome.

Developing Others

"Who have you most proud of developing in your career? What did you specifically do?"

Look for: Named individual, specific coaching actions, observable outcome (promotion, significant skill development).

Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

"Describe a time you had to make a significant decision with incomplete information and under time pressure. How did you approach it?"

Look for: Systematic approach (what information they sought, how they weighed uncertainty), comfort with imperfect decisions, learning extracted.