Give me an example of a time when you have had to enforce rules or policies.
"When I worked at Starbucks as a manager, I was responsible for the evening cash out. I grew concerned as money went missing a couple of times in one week. I called a 5-minute briefing with the staff to express the concern and confirm that disciplinary action would take place once the cameras were checked. One of our newer staff members confessed to giving back the incorrect change a few times, but not reporting it. I had to enforce our company policies and terminated her immediately. It was not easy to do, but I did gain the respect of my team by showing them that doing the right thing is not always easy, but it needs to be done."
Every lifeguard has to enforce policies from time to time. It isn't always easy to take control of a situation or correct people on their behavior so, for that reason, the interviewer needs to see that you are comfortable taking control under certain circumstances. Provide an example of when you enforced company protocols or rules. Be sure to provide details around why it was a necessary action, and what the outcome was.
"I currently work as a part-time lifeguard for our community pool, during weekend swimming lessons. One of our rules is no food and drink near the pool area. We would never want broken glass or any cross-contamination. I had a mother who insisted on bringing in her coffee while watching her son swim. I approached her nicely, but she was insulted and became rude. So, I let her know that she was welcome to leave or find another pool to go to if she did not appreciate the importance of our rules. It is not easy, especially as a younger person, to enforce rules with older folks but I remind myself that it's my job to protect the safety of our young swim students. In the end, she chose to ditch her coffee and abide by the rules."
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Anonymous Answer
I have been working as a dive master, and I always make sure to give divers a proper briefing. One example is that I let them know they have to follow me and never go in a different direction. Sometimes they want to wander off by themselves. Then I have to ask the rest of the divers to stick together and wait for me while I'm fetching the other diver. I have to explain to him that we should be stay together as a group. As a leader, you must enforce the rules and regulations.
Rachelle's Feedback
Very good example. I have cleaned up your response just a touch.
"As a leader, it's important to be able to enforce rules and regulations. When working as a dive master, I always ensured that my participants had a proper briefing on safety rules and dive policies. I had an instance where someone from the group wandered off, breaking the rules I explicitly explained in the beginning. I had to ask the rest of the divers to stick together while I went to fetch the wandering diver. In the end, I asked the person to leave the group and go up to the surface."
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