Leadership Interview - Coursework Example

Leadership Interview Introduction It can at times be painstaking difficult to get the kind of a leader that you need to head a new departmental division at a company. Cereal Stuff is medium-sized cereal company that is looking to expand operations to Canadian and Mexican markets, and as a part of that expansion scheme, there is a plan to create a new department that handles production of a new product containing quinoa. In this regard, the company is looking an individual that is going to head the new department, and thus be the fourth vice president at the company. Below are eleven interview questions that would guide in getting the best candidate for the newly created position. Interview question and the kind of responses expected 1. As a contender for the new leadership position in our company, we do expect you to know what our company vision and values are. Will you kindly state them? Expectation: Whenever a company looks to hire a new person among a number of applicants, it is very important to ask a candidate if they really know the values and vision of the company in which they seek to be employed. A serious candidate for the job would definitely carry out a prior research about their potential employer and understood it in terms of vision and mission statements. Therefore, for this question, you expect a candidate to try stating what the values, mission and vision of the company are; they don’t have to state them word for word. 2. What is your take on competition in global business? What do you think of the competitive landscape in the 21st century? Expectation: Cereal stuff is a company with global growth ambitions, which is why they look to venture into the Canadian and Mexican markets. As such, it is vital for a leader to understand competition in global business (Hitt & He, 2008). It is only with that understanding that it would be possible to know what to do and what not to do while attempting to venture into new markets. in responding to question on completion, it is important for a candidate to express an understanding of dynamics of global business and why it is important to know who the competitors are and a bit of how they go about the business. 3. Our company values strategic leadership capabilities? In your position as the head of the new department, and as one of the vice presidents, what are some of your strategic strengths that could help to spur organizational growth? Expectation: An ideal today’s leader must have some strategic qualities, which means knowing the prevailing conditions for business, and coming up with strategies that would work best in those conditions in growing the business. A candidate for the vice presidential position should demonstrate that they can make strategic decisions that befit different business conditions to ensure faster growth of the business. 4. Current and present organizational leadership is divided into six zones. Do you understand what the zones are and entail? If yes, why do you think they are of importance? Expectation: The six leadership zones include business, reflection, diversity, society, ingenuity and people. a good leader should understand all of these zones, and tell where they best fit among the zones. a potential candidate to head the new department at Cereal Stuff is one that understand these zones and, out of understanding their leadership style, be able to tell where they think they fit. 5. What would you do to ensure that you are a favorite among those you lead? Expectation: It is extremely important for a 21st century leader to understand the importance of being a darling of those they lead. People who are led will best work in an environment where they feel trusted, valued, respected and included. a candidate for this new position will therefore need to tell vividly what they would do, if appointed, to ensure that those he/she will be leading will be express contentment with the way he/she leads. 6. Do you think flexibility in leadership is vital? In connection to that, have you before been faced with circumstances which prompted you to offer situational leadership? Expectation: Sometimes, it is in the opinion of a leader that strictly following norms will lead to poor yield. They then will have in place alternative strategies of going about the same thing without compromising the expected results. This is basically what flexibility entails. It is more or less the same thing as situational leadership, where a leader is expected to show leadership that best fits the different situations. a candidate for the vice presidential position should therefore be able to tell what they know about flexibility in leadership and situational leadership. Where applicable, they should be able to point out a single situation where they ever applied situational leadership. 7. What does creative leadership mean to you? Expectation: Virtual all employers are looking for employees who are creative. A creative employee is one that is able to apply some natural or acquired skills and knowledge in, say, a production process so that better or improved results are realized. They are also able to apply their special, natural/acquired skills to help go about a difficult situation that would impact, say, the production process negatively. A candidate for leadership in the new position should show that they understand what creativity is, and if they think it is an important virtue in leadership. 8. Hubris, greed, ethical problems and short-term focus make people fail leadership tests. What would you do to steer clear of these traits? Expectation: It has been proven beyond a doubt that hubris, greed, lack of ethics and short-term focus are ingredients of failure in leadership (Ford, 2006). A candidate for the vice presidential position should demonstrate that they understand how negatively those traits can impact on a company leadership, and tell what they would do to ensure that their leadership is not punctuated by these traits. 9. Do you think technology and leadership connect in any way? In your own view, does technological advancement call for adjustment in the leadership practice? Expectation: Today, technology is a very important part of leadership. The world has moved into a more digital era, and that means people cannot stick to the analogue ways anymore. There are other aspects of technology such as those used in the production process (Caldwell & Hayes, 2007). A leader should thus match the pace of technology relevant to their area of concentration. The best candidate should express, through their response, that they understand how changes in technology influences adjustments in the leadership style. 10. What will you do as the vice president leading the new division to best collaborate with other departmental heads and the organization’s topmost leadership? Do you think collaboration in leadership makes any sense at all? Expectation: Collaboration is increasingly becoming an essential element of leadership. There should be an effective collaboration at all the levels of leadership, be it horizontal, top-down or bottom-up (Golden & Veiga, 2008). Collaboration creates leadership and is the only way of ensuring that there is a common vision for the company. The best candidate for the vice presidential position should demonstrate their understanding of why collaboration is indispensable in leadership. 11. You are just about to head a new position in this company? What measures will you put in place to get it to the level of other established ones? Expectation: An ideal company is one in which all the departments grow at an equal rate. it creates a state of harmony. The new vice president must ensure they have the capacity to spur growth in the new department such that in a few years, it had an equal operational capacity as the other established departments of the company. The vice presidential candidates for the new position should, through their response to this question, show that they have a prior experience of growing a new department in other companies where they have worked. For those without prior experience, their response should show that they have a clear and realistic roadmap for growing the new department. Conclusion The best candidate for the new vice presidential position at Cereal Stuff is one that tries as much as possible to meet the expectations of the interviewing panel. Their response should not deviate much from the expected responses. References Caldwell, C., Hayes, L.A. (2007). Leadership, Trustworthiness, and the Mediating Lens. Journal of Management Development, 26, 261- 275. Ford, R. (2006). Why We Fail: How Hubris, Hamartia, and Anagnosis Shape Organizational Behavior. Human Resource Development Quarterly. 17(4), 481-489. Golden, T. D., & Veiga, J. F. (2008). The Impact of Superior-Subordinate Relationships on the Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Performance of Virtual Workers. The Leadership Quarterly, 19, 77-88. Hitt, M. A., & He, X. (2008). Firm strategies in a changing global competitive landscape. Business Horizons, 51(4), 363—369. Read More

 

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