When you're leading or participating in a team, what steps do you take to get team members to contribute ideas?

"I love learning from other team members. It doesn't matter to me whether you are in an entry-level position or you've been working in your role for years, every voice matters. I listen to everyone's opinions and help others to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts in group discussions or when I'm working on a team to solve a problem. My approach of being respectful and open to everyone helps to promote a great team environment."

"In my experience, a team that is struggling to generate ideas is experiencing some sort of roadblock that needs to be removed. I assess the situation and then use a strategy that helps to remove the roadblock and allow for a creative flow of ideas to continue.

For example, the teams I lead currently hold product design sessions once a month. They last for two days and my teams are usually worn out during the afternoon of the second day. The quality of the ideas offered and the discussion around them suffer as a result. I recently implemented a change that helped with that issue.

We now go for a walk together as a team after lunch on the second day. We go outside if the weather is nice, or we walk around our building if we need to stay inside. Getting everyone up and moving seems to help us avoid the second afternoon slowdown pattern and helps us finish our design sessions with a quality set of ideas."

"I work on cross-functional teams with a mix of personality types. Several of our subject matter experts are introverts and they sometimes hold back if they think their idea won't be ultimately selected. I like to remind my teammates that there are no dumb ideas, and the wrong idea is often the inception point for the right idea. I throw out an idea of my own and ask others to share what they are thinking even if it isn't perfect. That usually gets the conversation moving."

"I currently work with a very talented and creative team. There is usually an abundance of ideas and we are more likely to get stuck on trying to decide which is best. However, we do struggle to generate ideas from time to time. In these cases I like to encourage everyone to take a break and do some research. We clear our minds and then reach out to our contacts or research online to help spark a new idea. We then come back together to share what we have learned. That approach has worked well for me and my team in the past."

Prior to your interview, put some thought into how you get your colleagues to step up and give productive ideas. Give an example that demonstrates how you interact with your team and help others feel supported in sharing their opinions. If appropriate, walk your interviewer through formal facilitation tools and techniques you have used in the past such as various brainstorming methods. Demonstrating you have a seasoned toolkit in this area can help set you apart from other candidates.