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What Is Your Management Style Interview Answer

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Sample Answers To What Is Your Management Style Interview Question

WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE? (Manager Interview Questions & Answers!)
  • I would describe it as visionary and highly democratic. Instead of bossing people, and trying to show them the right direction each day, I prefer to show them a vision, the final goal. I aim for a big vision, and everyone should understand what role they play in attaining the goals. It should also be intellectually challenging, something that induces creative thinking. And then I let my people a free hand, because I have a great team of designers and engineers in my current job. The only thing I do is reminding them the vision, ensuring that they are motivated and intellectually challenged, and controlling whether they didnt leave the right direction in their work, or dont struggle with motivation.
  • This is my first job application, and I am yet to test my management skills in the real working environment. But I would like to be a democratic manager. I want to be receptive to the feedback from my employees, especially because I will be a new force in the company, and it will be my first managerial position. Having said that, it is still important to have some respect. I should be able to make a decision on my own, and to bear responsibility for my actions. So thats the plan, and I hope to follow it.
  • Why Interviewers Ask Whats Your Management Style

    Not every management style works for every company, and the interviewer is trying to figure out if you would be a good fit for their team. Cultural fit is also important the more readily you can see yourself performing well in the job, the better chance the interviewer will see it as well.

    Some teams might prefer a more hands-off approach from their manager, while others require constant communication and support. Ideally, youll know which type of team youll be working with so that you can tailor your response accordingly.

    Even though its not a behavioral interview question, interviewers still expect to hear a story. Its tough to communicate your leadership style without giving an example, so paint a vivid picture of your management style in action.

    Emphasise How You Are Flexible

    Theres one way to answer this question, to say that youre flexible. Flexibility is important because it showcases that you can understand what each issue at hand is and that you are then able to tailor your solution to match the situation. As such, talk about different personalities and how they need to be treated differently, but also talk about how each situation can be different and that different situations also need a different

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    Dealing With Problems And Change

    Listening and compassion are both important aspects of management. Think about how you deal with staff that have experienced problems and have approached you for help.

    If youve been through any type of change management, it would be useful to bring this into your discussion. Businesses have to be adaptable in order to be competitive. As a manager you may have been required to convey difficult messages and implement change, so demonstrating your skill in empowering others to adopt new working methods will be a real positive.

    Best Example Answers For Your Leadership Style

    What Is Your Management Style?

    A. Leading by Example

    1. Example Answer:I believe leading by example is the most effective way to produce successful results. For instance, working at one of my previous jobs, I was the project manager and the first one on my team to jump in and tackle the scheduling calendar. Once this step was complete, other team members and I found it easy to stay on track with our assigned tasks.

    I made sure to include realistic deadlines for all aspects of our project, and it made it easy to check in with everyone to see where they were during completion. As a result, we not only finished the project on time, but we completed it before the tight deadline.

    Key Takeaways: Your leadership experience in this possible answer gives a recruiter insight into how you are a hands-on leader. You take the initiative to do work and expect subordinates to follow your lead and act responsibly with their tasks.

    2. Example Answer:In my last position as a floor manager, I found leading by example is the best way to achieve results. Before my team began the workday, we would sit down and discuss the many necessary jobs for the day. I would be the first one to accept a task, while the other team members would quickly follow suit and volunteer for other open jobs.

    3. Example Answer:When I lead by example, my team is more engaged and receptive to me as a leader. One of the more recent difficult situations in my first job was when the head office made overtime mandatory for all production staff.

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    No Experience In Leadership Or Management

    Despite what I read in some articles, tell the truth. If you have no experience, tell them. It is going to be very apparent anyway to experienced interviewers. They are asking you for a reason.

    That reason could well be that they are thinking about taking you now to prepare you for a future position. They might not be expecting you to have the experience now. They might just be considering how you will handle it once you were given the role.

    What The Interviewer Wants To Know

    When an interviewer asks, What is your management style? theyre looking to see if youve had management experience. Those with management experience know to say what good management looks like and what bad management looks like. Through this answer, youll show your true experience level beyond your resume.

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    What A Good Answer Looks Like

    A good answer to this interview question is one that addresses a few bullet points. Those points are:

    • What good management looks like.
    • What bad management looks like.
    • Why you decide to go with this management style.
    • Your flexibility in the way that you manage.

    The last part is the one thats the most critical. Managers with significant amounts of experience know that youll have to manage your team based on who the team is. Certain people value different types of management. They may appreciate your ability to be organized more so than your ability to lead them. Thats okay. Good managers know you have to mold yourself to fit the team’s performance.

    Create A List Of Competencies And Skills

    HOW TO ANSWER: Whats Your Leadership Style? (Interview Question & TOP-SCORING ANSWER!)

    Behavioral questions in management interviews are a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your talent and skills. However, this requires preparing your answers prior to your interview. Before you head to your interview, you should have figured out which questions you are likely to get asked.

    Based on the competencies and skills you identified, you can start thinking and make an educated guess about the questions youre most likely to get. A lot of companies are looking for similar management skills such as leadership, clear communication, motivational, problem-solving, delegation, decision-making, planning & organization, etc.

    Rank the competencies and skills on importance in relation to the requirements of the position that you are interviewing for.

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    How To Answer Whats Your Management Style

    Use your research about the company and the team youd be managing for this job to customize your answer. Check out the companys career page or LinkedIn to see what they value, and think of how your answer can embody what theyre looking for.

    Ultimately, your answer is a blend of hitting on your strengths while still expressing flexibility.

    The most important thing to remember is to answer with a story. While not a behavioral interview question, it does make sense to use the STAR method when answering:

    • Situation. Think about a situation in which your management style played a big role in a successful outcome provide the context for the rest of your story.

      This is also a good time to think about a previous manager you admired and what skills they had you would want to emulate.

    • Task. Describe your specific task often this piece of information can be included in the same sentence as the situation.

      This is the time to determine which of your skills have made you a good manager, or improved a leadership position you had.

    • Action. This is the most important part of your answer. Explain what actions you took and how they highlight your management style. Your approach is just as important as the outcome here.

    • Result. The result of your story should be overwhelmingly successful. Unless youre talking about your weaknesses which you definitely should not be for this question.

    Management Interview Question 1 Star

    Tell me about a time when you had to perform a task in which you had little or no experience in doing. How did you approach this situation, and what did you learn?

    Situation: In my previous job, my manager had to unexpectedly leave for six months due to a medical condition.

    Task: Because of this unexpected turn of events, our director asked me to fill in as an interim manager. At that time, I was familiar with the basics of management and what my manager was looking for in our team because I worked with her for quite some time. However, I was certainly not trained to be a manager yet.

    Action: I accepted the interim position because I really enjoy challenges and was confident enough to think that I could do it. I gathered the team and told them about the situation we were in. Furthermore, I asked them to cooperate together as well as possible and that we had to get through this challenging period together. Also, I asked another manager to coach me during the process to make sure all projects would stay on track, and the team would stay productive.

    Result: We managed to get through the six months very well, and all the projects were finished on time. When my manager returned, she was very pleased with the work the team delivered, and I even got compliments from our director. My performance led to me being promoted to team manager myself at the end of that year.

    Why this is a strong answer:

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    Sample Answers To Management Interview Questions

    Below you will find some example questions to management interview questions. The example answers to behavioral questions are already written in STAR format so that you can clearly see how you can structure your answers.

    However, these are only general examples. Do not forget to structure your own answers in a way that includes enough detail to convince the interviewer that youre the right person for the position!

    How Do You Handle An Underperforming Team Member

    What is your Management Style

    Underperforming employees can be challenging to manage, but taking the necessary steps to help them improve is essential.

    When asked this question in an interview, share a specific example of when you had to deal with an underperforming employee.

    Explain how you handled the situation and what the outcome was.

    Example: You can say, If my employee is consistently underperforming and not meeting deadlines. I will sit down with him to discuss the issue and set specific goals for him to improve. I will give him a timeline to achieve these goals. And after a few weeks, I will again check on him to see how he is doing. If he achieves those goals, then great, but if not, I will give him another chance and set some new, more realistic goals.

    Also Check: What Are Common Interview Questions

    Come Up With Past Experiences That Relate To The Job Youre Interviewing For

    Create a list of past work experiences that demonstrate you performing the skill that the interviewer is questioning you about. You can think of experiences for each skill that you will think will be discussed in your interview.

    Ensure to highlight successful situations where you demonstrated behavior related to the skills and experience required for the job. Focus on giving a concise and to-the-point answer.

    How Would You Describe Your Management Style Interview Questions Answered

    You can find many different categorizations of management styles online, and in the books. Four types, six types, or even ten of them. Sometimes it is hard to understand what this or that category actually means. Job interview is no school exam, however. Hiring managers do not expect you to say that you prefer paternalistic or collaborative management. They expect to hear how you actually manage people, and in an ideal case they want to hear about some illustration of your style.

    At the end of the day, results matter the most for the managers. Long term results over short term, to be more precise. Regardless of whether you prefer to lead the team by an iron fist, or let your people do whatever they want , as long as it works for you, and you achieve the goals you set, and people do not leave the company under your leadership, you are good to go.

    Lets have a look at 7 sample answers to this interesting interview question. My selection includes some typical answers, but also a few unorthodox and creative ways of describing your management style. I hope you will find in the selection at least one answer which fits your preference, and the message you try to convey in the interviews.

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    What Other Questions Are Asked In A Management Interview

    Know the other management interview questions you can expect.

    View frequently asked competency-based interview questions at behavioral management interview questions and be well prepared using the excellent interview answer guidelines.

    INTERVIEW GUIDES

    Prepare for typical management interview questions that explore your understanding and experience of what being a manager means in today’s business environment.

    How Would You Describe Your Management Style

    What’s Your LEADERSHIP STYLE? (Interview Question ANSWER!)

    Every organization is directed towards achieving a pre-determined objective called business goals and how the managers go about achieving these goals is called a Management Style.

    The way a person works, organizes tasks, makes decisions, plans objectives, and directs the objectives determines his/her management style. A variety of management style that varies from organization to organization and individual to individual depending upon the size of business, the levels of management, the field of work, industry, cultural environment.

    So, when an employer asks a candidate to describe their management style then if want to know your perspective on the way of your working. These management styles are affected by various factors like staffs skill level, companys policies, economy, competitors, consumers, etc.

    This question can be asked in multiple ways like

    • How would you handle a project that is being assigned to you?
    • How would you manage a team working under you?
    • What leadership style do you prefer?
    • Describe a situation when you led a team.
    • What is the most effective management style in your opinion?
    • What is your style of managing your employees?

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    Interview Questions For Management Positions Today

    With the emphasis on adaptation and dynamic change you can expect management interview questions that explore your ability to handle diverse employees, organizational changes and new situations.

    Be ready for these typical management interview questions that shine the spotlight on the particular style of management you have developed.

    Which management style have you found to be most effective?

    The interviewer is evaluating your ability to:

    • adapt your management style to different people and circumstances
    • recognize individual needs and motivations and not treat everyone in the same way is key to successful management

    Describe how you are able to employ different management styles and interpersonal skills to get the best out of the situation. Give reasons why you use a particular management style in a certain situation and why it works.

    Good sample interview answer

    “I find that it is not effective to use only one type of management style, I have to adapt according to the individual I am dealing with and the situation.

    For example with inexperienced employees I use a management style that involves a high level of task instruction and close supervision. I find this effective because the employee needs to be secure that they know exactly what to do and how to do it. They also require constant support to build their confidence.

    What type of people do you work with most productively?

    This is an important question because it again evaluates the flexibility of your management style.

    What Do You Think Makes A Good Team

    A team is successful when it can accomplish its goals. To do this, team members must communicate effectively, collaborate, and trust one another.

    When these elements are in place, the team can successfully delegate tasks and work together towards a common goal. Without these elements, the team will be less effective and may even fail to accomplish its goals.

    Therefore, teams must have good communication, collaboration, and trust if they want to be successful.

    Example: I think a good team is able to communicate and collaborate effectively. Trust is also important. Each member of the team needs to be able to trust each other and work together towards a common goal.

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    Why Do Employers Ask About Your Management Style

    Employers often ask about your management style because they want to gain an idea of how you lead to see if it fits the current needs of their employees. Departments and their employees can vary depending on the tasks they complete, how quickly they are completed and how well they respond to different types of leadership.

    For example, an IT team may respond better to managers who give them plenty of space, yet provide assistance when needed. A marketing team may need constant support and collaboration from their supervisors to provide effective work. Employers may assess the needs and performance of their departments and choose a supervisor with a management style that matches these needs. This can lead teams to produce more valuable work due to motivation from their managers.

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