What is your leadership style?
The development of leadership skills should be one of the main reasons you are interested in participating in the MBA program at UVA Darden. There are several paths you can take within the program, but leadership is a focus of all of them. Your interviewer asks this question to learn more about what type of leader you are currently.
It is best to answer this question using standard leadership style vocabulary. You are working to impress your interviewer, and slang or figurative language may not go over well. A simple Internet search will walk you through various styles, such as transformational, motivational, authoritative, transactional, etcetera.
Also, I resonate the most with interviewees that discuss their ability to use more than one leadership style. I value candidates who understand the importance of matching their approach to the situation and individuals involved. Interviewers at UVA Darden are likely to feel similarly.
"I would describe my leadership style as a hybrid of several traditional styles. I work with client groups, product development teams, vendors, and senior stakeholder groups. Each requires a custom approach based on the players and the situation involved. For example, I am mostly a servant and motivational leader when working with my product development team. I often use a delegative approach when working with vendors, and I tend to act as a participant and facilitator when working with executive groups."
