The interviewer wants to know the attributes that you value most in a team leader. List a few characteristics that you feel are most valuable for a team leader to possess and be sure to comment on how those relate to your strengths.
Good examples might include:
- Trustworthy
- Accountable
- Committed
- Results-oriented
- Detailed
- Driven
- Strong Negotiator
- Reliable
All of these attributes are valuable in a team setting, and any of them will make sound examples for you.
"I feel that a strong team lead should be motivating, competitive, and a natural mentor. I have had leaders with these qualities, and it makes any team project run much smoother when they possess these. When I lead a team, I do my best to emulate these qualities as well."
"In my opinion, I feel that a team leader should be flexible and ready to adapt to any changes that come their way. We have all worked for rigid bosses, at one time or another, and nobody seems to enjoy that!"
"A great team leader will be a natural encourager, a positive person, and someone who will go out of their way to point out the good things their team members are doing, versus only noticing the bad points."
"The best leaders that I have ever worked for are ones who believe that continued learning is important for everyone, including themselves. Education is wildly important, especially in the ever-evolving marketing world. A great leader recognizes this, and keeps up."
"I believe that a team leader needs to be a good listener, show empathy, but also command the attention in a room. People work best for those they trust but whom they also know that they can learn from."
"I always seek to work for leaders who do, versus tell. I want to work for a true winner who blows sales targets out of the water, has excellent client retention, and an immense amount of referral business. That kind of passion from a leader is what every salesperson should experience, as they grow in their sales career."
"I love working with a Principal who is empathetic and caring to the students while also being an action-taker. A great leader will be one to take the reigns and not apologize for taking action when it comes to expecting the best performance from their faculty."
"You mentioned earlier that you previous manager led too much as a totalitarian and was not collaborative. My leadership style can be summed up as collaborative, inspiring, and motivation based. I like to get to know my staff and what motivates them to come to work each day. I have found that my employees respond best when they are given some autonomy and also additional responsibilities. I will often give new tasks to my team, and let them show me what they are made of!"
"One quality that I appreciate in a new supervisor is their ability to clearly communicate responsibilities, boundaries, and expectations."