Tell me about a time you showed leadership
Leadership doesn’t need a job title. Choose a time you set a direction, brought people with you and got to a result.
Practise this questionChoose your example
Interviewers usually want to hear how you set a direction, how you get people on board and what you do when they aren’t. You don’t need to have managed anyone. Running a student society, taking charge when something went wrong on a shift or coordinating a project can all count.
Match the example to the job. For a management role, choose a time you were responsible for other people’s work or development. For an entry-level role, an informal example is fine.
Need, people, result
- Explain what needed leading.
Say what the group needed and why you stepped in or were asked to. Keep it short.
- Show how you brought people with you.
Describe how you explained the plan, listened to objections and gave each person a clear part to play.
- Deal with the difficulty.
Mention something that didn’t go smoothly, such as a disagreement or someone who wasn’t convinced, and how you responded.
- Finish with the result.
Say what the group achieved, and what you learned about leading people.
This is the STAR method applied to leadership. Read the full guide, with a template to copy.
Two example answers
These are illustrative answers, not scripts to copy. Replace the details with experiences you can discuss honestly.
Situation I was a barista at a busy café, with no formal responsibility for anyone, when our shift supervisor had to go home ill at the start of a Saturday.
Task The manager couldn’t get in for two hours, so someone needed to keep things running through the morning rush.
Action I called the manager, said I could keep things going until they arrived and agreed what I could and couldn’t do. I moved our quickest colleague to the till and took the newest person onto the food counter with me so that I could help them. When the queue got long, I went along it to warn people about the wait and take drinks orders.
Result We got through the rush without closing any part of the counter. The manager made me a shift lead a few months later, and I still give each person one clear job when things get busy.
The speaker checks what they are allowed to do before acting, gives people clear roles and supports the newest colleague. That is leadership without the title.
Same question. Your story.Situation I manage a team of six in a council’s customer service centre. When we were told we were moving to a new case system, several people worried that it would make their jobs harder.
Task I had to keep the service running during the move and get the team ready to use the system on day one.
Action I held a team meeting to share what I knew, what I didn’t and when I’d know more. I asked the two people who had raised the most concerns to test the system early, and I took their list of problems to the project team. I also rearranged the rota so that everyone had protected training time, and I covered some calls myself.
Result We went live on time, and call waiting times were back to normal within weeks. The two testers became the team’s go-to people for the system, and one has since moved into a training role.
Turning the two biggest doubters into testers is the decision that makes this answer memorable. The result also shows the speaker developing other people.
Same question. Your story.What to leave out
- Presenting “I told everyone what to do” as leadership.
- A story where everyone agreed at once, with nothing for you to lead them through.
- Taking the credit for what the team did.
- Talking about your title or responsibilities instead of what you did on one occasion.
- Leaving out how things turned out for the people you led.
Hear what you did
When you listen back, check that you can hear your own decisions. If you keep saying “we”, record it again using “I” for your decisions and “the team” for the group’s work.
Leadership stories can drift into background about the project. If most of the recording is setup, cut it down and give more time to how you got people on board.
Common questions
What if I’ve never had a leadership role?
Use an informal example. Taking charge of a group project, showing a new colleague the ropes, organising an event or stepping in when something went wrong can all show leadership.
Is leadership the same as management?
Not quite. Management is a role with responsibility for people or resources. Leadership is about setting a direction and getting others on board, which you can do from any position.
Now say it out loud.
Use your own example. Record a first take, listen back and choose one thing to make clearer.