How have you demonstrated leadership when you were not in a formal leadership role? How will this benefit the team here at Boeing?

Question

Karrie Day · Accepted Answer

"Most of my classes for my major my senior year at college included a group project. The projects did not have formal roles, and there was not a leader assigned. We were collective responsible for our success as a team. However, it quickly became clear in each of the projects that leadership was needed. Sometimes the project required coordination, sometimes it needed conflict resolution. Other times, team members needed cheerleading and coaching. I found myself naturally stepping up to work in each of these roles. I enjoyed keeping my groups focused and working with them to develop a solid plan to complete the project. I enjoyed checking in with my teammates regularly and helping to resolve problems.

I realize I am at an entry-level position in my career, but I would love the opportunity to continue to grow these skill sets here at Boeing. Initially, I feel I will be able to observe and learn from the excellent leaders here at Boeing. Long term, I will be able to refine my own approach and lead initiatives within my own teams."

Karrie Day · Answer

Boeing prides itself on building leaders and promoting them to higher and higher positions within the company. They want to see initiative and potential in any candidate for greater leadership beyond the role that they are interviewing for. Additionally, they want to hire team players who understand that every member of a team can and should exhibit leadership qualities such as pacesetting or cheerleading even when they aren't formally assigned a leadership role.

Karrie Day · Answer

Given the sheer size of Boeing and the diversity within their walls, they are familiar with a number of leadership styles. Don't feel confined to share an example of a specific type of leadership you think they want to see. Instead, focus on an example that is authentic to you. If you have time, you can take your response a step further by indicating how you hope to continue to develop and refine your leadership skills with the exceptional guidance you can expect at Boeing.

It is best to use standard terms to describe your leadership style. Check out this article from the Project Management Institute that breaks down 10 Leadership Styles and How to Identify Your Own if you need help refining your response. Keep in mind that many leaders exhibit more than one leadership style depending on the situation and the team members involved.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"Early in my career, I volunteered at a science program for kids. I built great relationships with the students, other volunteers, and staff. One day, one of the kids began unexpectedly suffering from a panic attack. I knew that the site manager was gone that day, so I scanned the room for staff to notify. The other volunteers started to panic as well, so I quickly stepped in to de-escalate the situation. I had a few volunteers take the rest of the children to another area to play, and I asked another volunteer to contact the site manager and guardians. While they were doing this, I approached the child with a quiet, calm, and open demeanor. I just sat down next to him and told him I was there to listen whenever he was ready. After some time, he improved, and we were able to get him home safely to his family."

Karrie Day · Answer

"I have been an engineer for over 20 years and I have always led by example. I realize the importance of the work we do in the defense industry and I push myself to approach my work with a high level of excellence every day. I feel that kind of dedication inspires others to do their best even when I am not leading formally. I will bring the same commitment to excellence to my work here at Boeing if offered the role of Technical Lead Engineer within the Weapons Development team."

Karrie Day · Answer

"As a business analyst I often serve a bridge between technical and business experts. I lead informally often when facilitating discussions and creating alignment between these two groups. I help them to understand each other's perspectives and develop solutions that meet the needs of my clients while full considering technical feasibility and best practices. I can offer the same skill set to Boeing and look forward to performing in this area if hired."

Karrie Day · Answer

"Prior to moving into project management, I was an analyst. I naturally demonstrated a number of valuable leadership qualities in that role and I was offered opportunities to lead my own project team even prior to formally stepping into project management. I earned the trust of my teammates and my clients through my accountability and the consistent delivery of solid solutions.

If selected for the senior project manager role here at Boeing, I would conduct myself as a leader both formally and informally. I align my approach to leadership with the specific situation and the needs of the group. I look forward to learning from the leaders here and continuing to grow and refine my skills in this area."

Karrie Day · Answer

"I believe in the value of open architecture. The solution landscape of my previous employer is rigid and they are locked into commitments with vendors that are not serving their needs in many cases. I spoke up and lobbied for using open architecture and hardware agnostic approaches when opportunities to develop new solutions would arise. Sometimes my voice was heard, and sometimes I was ignored. However, my commitment to my beliefs in this area inspired some fellow developers to explore open architecture practices further.

I would bring that same voice to Boeing. I am comfortable sharing my beliefs, and I am understanding when decisions are made that go in another direction. However, I have thoroughly researched Boeing's take on solution architecture, and I am excited about the opportunity to work within a technology organization with an approach that is in direct alignment with my values as a developer."

Anonymous User · Answer

"When I am doing the scheduling for project managers, I do not have a leadership role. They tell me how they want the schedule, and I do it. However, I do it to the best of my ability. If I see something that confuses me, I will stop and bring it up to the PM so that the client will not also be confused and I can explain it to them.

Also, when I did the safety audit for the refinery, I led by example. I was given a task that many thought I could not do in time, and I exceeded expectations."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Early in my career, I was asked to join a team where I was the most junior member. I became the secretary of the team and took the minutes. It was then I realized that I was leading the meeting by asking clarifying questions during the minute-taking process. I was becoming a leader."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Before taking the load on the h frames I was part of the team, The previous leader was struggling to deal with the extent of the job and communicating and distributing the work. I took on responsibility for a section of the work and helped act as a checker for the other part to share the work load and supported the leader where possible. However he did move on as he decided that type of role wasn't for him so I eventually fell into the role of stress lead."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Early in my career, I was an enrollment officer for new students. It became clear that previously, there was little communication between my team and the tutors that got allocated to the students. I took it upon myself to instigate a weekly team meeting, after the first, one of the older tutors came up to me and said, "that was one of the best meetings we've had! Quick, to the point and beneficial". I couldn't ask for more!"

Anonymous User · Answer

"At my previous job, I took on the role of training new hires on our heavy equipment. This was a simple training but required a certificate of completion. Usually, the task was spread out to whoever was available at the time of hire. What I did was create a specific training day where I could devote time to educating all the new hires at the same time, and repeat that process once a month."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Yes. I was part of a volunteer when our leader was out sick. I stepped up to fill in by communicating clearly on setting expectations and listening to the other members on how the work was supposed to be done. I then communicated with the team leader and implemented all the best suggestions. The work went on really well. Everyone told me what a good job I did."

Anonymous User · Answer

"At my current workplace, a number of newly hired staff members will be sent to their assigned areas after completing three sessions of their training. One day, I saw one of the new recruits was quite lost and confused with the proper procedure of handling one of the cleaning products. So I have to approach her and politely inform her that she was not doing it right and so she admitted that she forgot how to use it. She also informed me that she couldn't find our team leader to show her this again. Hence, I have voluntarily demonstrated the correct procedures of mixing and using the cleaning products and explained to her that a particular chemical must not be mixed up with another chemical because it will defeat its purpose, making it ineffective. I have also asked her if she has any more questions regarding any work-related concerns and she told me that she couldn't find the cleaning trolley in the ward. So I took some time to find and set up the cleaning trolley with her and has shown her what are the key tasks that need to be done before her shift ends. As a consequence, she was able to fulfill her duties during her given time and she didn't have to do overtime."

Anonymous User · Answer

"The ways I have demonstrated leadership qualities are by being proactive and vocal. Asking and giving feedback on ways to improve."

How have you demonstrated leadership when you were not in a formal leadership role? How will this benefit the team here at Boeing?

How to Answer: How have you demonstrated leadership when you were not in a formal leadership role? How will this benefit the team here at Boeing?

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