Describe your leadership skills.
The hiring managers at Progressive want to know which skills make you a stand-out leader. They also want to see that you bring a passion for leadership. The goal of your response is to highlight the skills that showcase your ability and desire to be a positive person of influence in the workplace.
Author and speaker, Simon Sinek says: 'Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune, or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you--not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.'
With this definition of leadership in mind, consider how you influence others because you want to, not because you have to. Perhaps you are skilled at motivating and encouraging others, or maybe you are a person with a lot of creativity whom others want to learn from. Maybe your leadership superpower is empathy or even decisiveness.
Companies like Progressive are looking for leaders who naturally accept opportunities to guide others confidently. Leadership traits are necessary to complete your work autonomously. These traits are also required when making decisions about a client account or tweaking a new process.
Before your HireVue interview, prepare examples of when you have been a proactive leader. If this is an entry-level role without a leadership component, the decision-makers will still want evidence that you can take the initiative when there is an opportunity.
Choose 2-3 leadership skills that describe you best, and be prepared to give an example of these qualities in action.
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Progressive, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
"In previous performance reviews, my leadership style has been described as attentive, open, and confident. I listen to my team members and give them the room to perform their jobs well. For example, when one of my team members is not hitting their quota, I will step in and begin coaching. I want to believe they are capable of their job unless they show me otherwise. This leadership approach has worked well with my team, and as a result, we are the top-performing sales team in our region."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
In previous performance reviews, my leadership style has been described as observant, open, and confident. I listen to my team members and give them space to perform their jobs well. For example, when one of my team members is unsuccessful, I will step in and begin coaching. I believe my team can do their job unless they show me otherwise. This leadership approach has worked well with my team, and as a result, we are the top-performing teams in our state.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! The interviewer will be happy to hear that your leadership style is 'observant, open, and confident.' It's also great that you don't micromanage but instead trust your team and their capabilities. How do you know that your team is one of the top performers in the state? Only include a description like this if you can prove it somehow; otherwise, it might come off a little outlandish or even untrue. Good answer!
Anonymous Answer
In previous performance reviews, my leadership style has been described as attentive, approachable, open, and confident. I listen to my team members and give them room to perform their jobs well. I make sure of this by teaching them everything that I learned in the past 30 years.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is great information to share with the interviewer that gives some insight into your leadership abilities.
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