Tell me about the last time you took the lead.
Your interviewer is aiming to assess your leadership experience level or potential. When answering this question, try to showcase how going above and beyond is your status quo. Share how your aim is to exceed expectations and your efforts are to consistently contribute to the greater success of the team. In your example, whether you furthered your own personal growth or the growth of others, try to align your approach with that of Ernst & Young Global.
"I've held a few positions at my current company and am celebrated for my coaching and team building abilities. A few months into my current position, my boss informed me we were starting a new intern program and tasked me with orienting and managing our first team of three interns. Since this was the pilot program, a nine-week program I diligently planned each week with the aim of enhancing their professional development while delivering a great experience. Our aim was to groom them into our ideal employees, yet giving them transferable skills to launch their careers elsewhere. The big picture was to make our program more desirable than what was offered by our competition. I checked in on their progress with twice-weekly check-in meetings with each intern. At the end of the program, the interns rated their job satisfaction at a 9.5/10. I loved leading a team of junior employees. I grew as a professional as a result of helping them grow."
According to some of their leadership statements, it sounds as if their leadership style falls somewhere in the range of transformational and coaching, and directive to democratic. "From personal growth to the growth of others: Stepping into a leadership role means that your performance is dependent on the degree to which you can achieve goals through enabling others, while simultaneously holding accountability for the outcome. This will require you to empower and delegate effectively, to bring out the potential of your reports, as opposed to benchmarking your success purely on your performance."
Unlock all 30 EY questions
Prepare for behavioral assessments and case questions that EY partners expect.
Get Started