How to respond to the interview question: Are you a leader or a follower? With examples!

Interviews are designed so that an interviewer will learn about your skills, abilities, and work style. One important aspect of that work style involves your leadership capabilities. When answering a leader or follower interview question, you must show you can support your team, provide clear direction, and positively impact the organization. This guide will show you some top ways to answer this question and provide examples. 

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Why do hiring managers ask leader or follower interview questions?

• Answering the “Are you a leader or a follower?” interview question

• Situational leader versus follower questions you may face

• Mistakes to avoid when answering leadership questions

Why do hiring managers ask leader or follower interview questions?

Hiring managers want insight into your problem-solving skills, teamwork abilities, and capacity to do the required work. They also want to know how you will align with the company’s goals and culture. Leader versus follower interview questions provide insight into these areas and more.

Demonstrating your leadership habits and skills shows a hiring manager you can lead a team and drive initiatives. It also shows how you collaborate and support a team as needed. By understanding your leadership skills, a hiring manager can assess your future leadership compatibility, which may be important as you grow with the company.

Answering the “Am I a leader or a follower?” interview question

When preparing answers to this question, think back to previous roles. What are some examples of specific times you’ve demonstrated your leadership skills that would be relevant for this role? Share your leadership philosophy and how your decision-making process works. Then, put together some answers to help prepare for your interview. Below, you’ll find some examples of answers you can customize to fit your situation.

The following applies for a leader question:

“To be effective in the workplace, I feel that a leadership and followership balance is necessary. I often take a dual approach so that I can adapt to the needs of each situation and team. For example, when I managed the [project name] project, I set goals, delegated tasks, and kept the team on track. However, I also collaborated with a consultant who helped refine portions of our processes. This required me to take on a supportive role because I was learning from their experience.”

Below is an example answer for a follower type question:

“I believe strong collaboration amongst the team is important for its success. That’s why I see myself as a strong follower who knows when and how to lead. I love taking direction and learning from those with more experience than myself. For example, I followed the lead of the head [position title] when completing the [project title] project. However, I’m also always ready to step up and lead during demanding situations, such as when I oversaw the troubleshooting process for a tricky problem we faced during the [project title] project.”

Remember, the best way to answer leader or follower interview questions is to tailor your response around the specific role you are interviewing for. Customize these answers as much as possible to avoid giving generic answers.

Situational leader versus follower questions you may face

Along with determining whether you are a leader or a follower, a hiring manager will want to hear some examples of times you’ve put those skills to work. To set yourself apart, here are a couple of example situational questions you may want to prepare answers for:

1. Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What was the outcome?

“In my previous role as [position title], I took the initiative to develop a comprehensive project plan. It involved outlining key deadlines, tasks, and objectives. I collaborated with teams from around the company, addressed obstacles, fostered open communication, and welcomed ideas. The result was we exceeded our sales targets by 20%.”

2. Can you give me an example of a time when you played a supporting role? In what ways did you contribute to a team’s success?

“One instance that stands out is a time when my team was faced with a challenging application installation for a key client. I volunteered to assist the lead developer so we could troubleshoot the issue. My role involved conducting analysis and documenting the issue as well as looking for a workaround solution. I also took on additional tasks to lighten the load until the problem was resolved.”

3. Have you ever had to rally a team to reach a challenging goal? What steps did you take to motivate your team?

“I served as the project manager when working in my role as [position name]. With one particular project, we had extremely tight deadlines and several challenges to overcome. I motivated my team by communicating the importance of the project and emphasizing how crucial our efforts were. I also remained positive throughout the project and our collective efforts paid off. We were able to complete the project ahead of schedule.”

Mistakes to avoid when answering leadership questions

When these questions come up, certain common mistakes can negatively impact your performance in the interview. To show you are a capable and reliable candidate, there are a few mistakes you should avoid when answering leader or follower interview questions such as coming across as only a leader or only a follower. You need to be a mix of both.

Others include not giving specific examples, giving generic answers, or forgetting to tailor your answer to the role you are applying for. One more to avoid, not being ready or willing to discuss areas of weakness or growth opportunities within yourself.

If you’re ready to take your interviewing skills to the next level, Career.io’s interview prep and simulation tool can help you prepare for your interview!

Key takeaways

1. Before an interview, think of specific examples of when you proved yourself to be an effective leader.

2. Balance your leadership and followership skills and show you are adaptable to different roles depending on the situation.

3. Avoid making common mistakes, such as presenting yourself as only a leader or only a follower when answering these questions